THE RED RIVER WAR
THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
1874-1875
In June of 1874 when the Indians attacked the Buffalo Hunters encampment at Adobe walls, they were justifiably angry at the white men who were trespassing in their hunting grounds. The Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 had granted the tribes the lands south of the Arkansas River. The Commanche Chief Quanah Parker and Medicine Man Isa-Tai and had traveled the Plains, recruting warriors and gaining support within the Tribes and their Chiefs for eliminating the whites from their ancestral grounds once and for all. Whether or not the young Comanche war Chief Quanah, the son of a white captive, knew his actions would light the fuse to the powder keg that was the Texas Panhandle, we’ll never know. The conduct of the Buffalo Hunters and the Indian’s reaction to them, resulted in the start of the Red River War, and changed the face of the frontier forever. The fuse was lit, and the Panhandle of Texas was about to explode.
Billy Dixon was right in the middle of it.
Skirmishes and raids were becoming common. As far south as Jacksboro, Texas, Kiowa Chief Lone wolf had confronted the Texas Rangers, killing two. About 100 miles north of Adobe Walls, in retaliation for that battle, a Cheyenne Chief named Medicine Water had attacked a family of settlers named German who were heading to Colorado. Killing the father, mother, two daughters and a son, and kidnapping four daughters. Dixon and the Scouts had been in two skirmishes since leaving Dodge City.
Because of the mounting tensions and depredations William T. Sherman, Commanding General of the United States Army telegraphed orders across the Plains on July 20th, 1874 , which effectively began the Red River War. Indians at the reservations were enrolled, and all others who were off of the reservation were declared “hostiles” and were to be rounded up and forced to return. Conditions on the reservations were terrible and even once peaceful Kiowas left to return to the prairie. On their way, they crossed paths with Lyman’s Wagon Train.
Sheridan’s strategy was to send five columns of troops from five directions into the Texas Panhandle: Col. Nelson A. Miles moving south from Fort Dodge, Kansas. Maj. William R. Price moving eastward from Fort Union, New Mexico. Lt. Colonel John Davidson marching westward from Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Lt. Colonel George Buell marching northwest from Fort Richardson, Texas and Colonel Ranald MacKenzie northward from Fort Concho, Texas.
By the time the troops had traveled up on the Llano Estacado, they didn’t have to look far for a fight. Each of the commanders and their troops were soon engaged in battles across the High Plains. Five columns of troops were crisscrossing the Panhandle and Indians were raiding at every opportunity.
Miles opened the fray on August 30th with a day long running battle across the rough terrain of Palo Duro Canyon with over six hundred Southern Cheyenne Warriors.
On September 9th, Lone Wolf, pictured on left, doing the Kiowa war dance, along with Satanta, and Big Tree, right and their band of Kiowa’s raiding from Anadarko, Indian Territory, happened upon Lyman’s Wagon train and attacked, a siege that lasted nearly five days. .
As Col. Miles supplies were dwindling, Capt. Wylls Lyman was ordered to take thirty six empty wagons and meet a supply train on it’s way to Fort Supply. He was accompanied by one hundred and four soldiers. This group connected with the supply train and transferred the supplies into the Government wagons. While returning to Miles’ camp, over four hundred Commanche and Kiowa warriors attacked. Also know as the Battle of the Upper Washita River, it was the longest battle of the Red River Wars.
On August 24th, on the Plains of Kansas Medicine Water , his wife Mochi, at right, and his band of Cheyennes killed all six members of a surveying party, in what became known as the Lone Tree Massacre. Later, on the morning of September 11th, they war party attacked the German family, killing the parents, eldest daughter and son, and kidnapping the four youngest girls. Read this moving story here.
On September 12th, Billy Dixon, Amos Chapman and four soldiers were carrying dispatches for Col. Miles to Camp Supply and had the misfortune to cross paths with some of the retreating attackers of lyman’s wagon train. Thus, they began the fight of their lives at Buffalo Wallow.
During that same day, Major Price, From Fort Union, New Mexico had an engagement with Lone Wolf and the Kiowas along a high ridge on the Sweetwater Creek, in what is now Wheeler County, Texas. Known as The Battle of Sweetwater Creek. Price had no idea that the warriors were holding the troops back to allow a large contingent of women and children to escape.
From September 26th through the 28th, Col. Ranald MacKenzie and his command surprised five camps of Cheyennes in the Palo Duro and captured fourteen hundred horses and destroyed the villages along with all the Indians winter supplies, dealing one of the most significant blows to the Indians during this campaign.
October the 9th, Lt. Colonel Buell fought with a band of Kiowas along the Salt Fork of the Red River, capturing horses and destroying several hundred lodges.
On November 8th, Dixon was back with Baldwin’ troops and was engaged in one of the most significant rescues of the entire campaign- the recovery of the young captives the German sisters. Baldwin’s detachment of troops had found a large camp of Cheyenne at the headwaters of McClellan Creek and attacked. After the Battle, while riding through the Indian camp, the scouts discovered two of the German sisters that were being held captive. Read the German Family’s story, and Billy’s description of rescuing these two girls HERE.
Battles and skirmishes continued throughout the winter of 1874, with the soldiers finally returning to their forts in late December for the coldest of the winter months. Eventually the Indians, deprived of their horses and lodges had no choice but to surrender and return to the reservations. In March of 1875, Stone Calf and Grey Beard brought their bands into the reservation and also released the two older German girls to the authorities. The last of the roaming bands, the Quahadi Kiowas, under leadership of Quanah Parker, surrendered to Col. Mackenzie at Fort Sill, Indian Territory, June 2nd, 1875 . This ended the Red River War campaign and the reign of the mighty warriors on the Plains of the Llano Estacado.
NEXT: THE RESCUE OF THE GERMAN SISTERS
