Battle of Stone Houses
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Stone Houses was a skirmish between Texas Rangers
and a band of Kichai Indians which took place on November 10, 1837. The skirmish, which took place ten miles south of what is now Windthorst, Texas
, was named for three stone mounds near the battlefield which appeared to the Indians to be small houses.
sometime early in October 1837. On the 13th, a company of Texas Rangers, led by Captain William Eastland, pursued them up the Colorado River
; however, the Rangers soon lost the trail. Captain Eastland then began quarreling with Lieutenant A. B. Van Benthusen, and as a result the company separated. Van Benthusen took seventeen men north with him, and located the Indians' trail on November 1. They then continued north to the Brazos River
.
On November 3, near what was to become Fort Belknap
, the Rangers found a band of Cherokee
and Delawares being led by a Kichai guide, who was immediately killed. The others were spared when they claimed to be friends to all Texans
and enemies of the Comanche
s.
; he then proceeded to show one which he had taken from the dead man. This apparently infuriated the Indians, who attacked.
The Rangers abandoned their horses and ran to a shallow ravine
, where they sought protection. The Kichais lost their leader in their first attack, but retired to elect a new one and soon took up the battle again. Fighting, often at close quarters, continued for two hours, after which the Kichais decided to set the prairie
on fire and thus smoke out the Rangers. The Rangers charged through the smoke and the Indians, escaping into woods nearby. Four died in battle before the fire; six more were killed while fleeing. The eight that survived arrived at the settlement on the Sabine River
on November 27. Having lost all of their horses and equipment, they had walked the entire way.
The site of the Skirmish of Stone Houses received a historic marker in 1970.
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
and a band of Kichai Indians which took place on November 10, 1837. The skirmish, which took place ten miles south of what is now Windthorst, Texas
Windthorst, Texas
Windthorst is a town in Archer and Clay counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Wichita Falls, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 440 at the 2000 census. The town is named for Ludwig Windthorst, a Catholic statesman in Germany.Windthorst is the home of the St...
, was named for three stone mounds near the battlefield which appeared to the Indians to be small houses.
Background
A group of Kichai raided Fort Smith on the Little RiverLittle River (Texas)
The Little River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is formed by the confluence of the Leon River and the Lampasas River near Little River, Texas. It flows generally southeast for seventy-five miles until it empties into the Brazos River near Port Sulllivan....
sometime early in October 1837. On the 13th, a company of Texas Rangers, led by Captain William Eastland, pursued them up the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
; however, the Rangers soon lost the trail. Captain Eastland then began quarreling with Lieutenant A. B. Van Benthusen, and as a result the company separated. Van Benthusen took seventeen men north with him, and located the Indians' trail on November 1. They then continued north to the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
.
On November 3, near what was to become Fort Belknap
Fort Belknap
Fort Belknap may refer to:*Fort Belknap Agency, Montana*Fort Belknap, a historic fort in Texas...
, the Rangers found a band of Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and Delawares being led by a Kichai guide, who was immediately killed. The others were spared when they claimed to be friends to all Texans
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and enemies of the Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
s.
Skirmish
On November 10, the Rangers encountered the Kichais, who had stopped fleeing and were primed instead for an attack. It is said that some of the Cherokee and Delawares who were present attempted to mediate peace, but one of the Rangers, Felix McClusky, attacked and killed an Indian. McClusky was immediately reprimanded, and replied that he would kill any Indian for a plug of tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
; he then proceeded to show one which he had taken from the dead man. This apparently infuriated the Indians, who attacked.
The Rangers abandoned their horses and ran to a shallow ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
, where they sought protection. The Kichais lost their leader in their first attack, but retired to elect a new one and soon took up the battle again. Fighting, often at close quarters, continued for two hours, after which the Kichais decided to set the prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
on fire and thus smoke out the Rangers. The Rangers charged through the smoke and the Indians, escaping into woods nearby. Four died in battle before the fire; six more were killed while fleeing. The eight that survived arrived at the settlement on the Sabine River
Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)
The Sabine River is a river, long, in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. In its lower course, it forms part of the boundary between the two states and empties into Sabine Lake, an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. The river formed part of the United States-Mexican international boundary during...
on November 27. Having lost all of their horses and equipment, they had walked the entire way.
The site of the Skirmish of Stone Houses received a historic marker in 1970.