One historical lesson I suppose from the Tonkawas is that popular history can be misleading. Like most folks, before reading into it I would have dismissed Placido as some obscure and irrelevant figure.
Well, I suppose in the greater scheme of things he WAS obscure and irrelevant, but in his day he was a guy who, in his forties, could run thirty miles overnight and at the end of it engage far larger numbers of Comanches, them mounted and him on foot, and kill several.
If it was a Texan did that we would consider him superhuman, or greatly exaggerated. Furthermore that same guy was held in high regard by those prominent Texans who had actually fought with him. Some of whom hosted him and his circle at their houses.
Tho' how on earth they managed to separate the man from the cannibalism thing I dunno. Perhaps the fact that the Texas settlements were so very tormented by the Comanches and other Indians during those years accounts for that. Not so much the actual murders, tortures and abductions, although there were those, but instead the constant theft of horses, mules and other property. The sort of thing that was so annoying and financially debilitating that even White men who stole horses would be summarily hung or shot for it.
Back to the fight....
As we have seen, by the time Huston was ready to move, the opportunity to actually stop the Comanche host had passed him by. Huston's own words on the fight are important because this description is IIRC the only one written on the same day as the battle, when events were still clear in recollection.
First, Huston's account make the movements of his column the night before the fight and the morning before the battle unclear if we are attempting to pin down the exact location of his force. Other accounts, including Moore, have him moving three miles the night before, Huston here states he moved three miles down the west side of Plum Creek after receiving word that morning of the Comanches' approach. Yet we know the Comanches were moving parallel to the Clear Fork of Plum Creek.
About six o'clock the spies reported that the Indians were approaching Plum Creek. I crossed above the trail about three miles and passed down on the west side; on arriving near the trail I was joined by Colonel Burleson with about one hundred men, under the command of Colonel Jones, Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace and Major Hardeman.
I immediately formed into two lines, the right commanded by Colonel Anderson and the left commanded by Captain Caldwell, with a reserve commanded by Major Hardeman, with Captain Ward's company.
On advancing near the Indians they formed for action, with a front of woods on their right (which they occupied), their lines nearly a quarter of a mile into the prairie.
Here's Moore's version ("Savage Frontier")....
As soon as Colonel Burleson's men reached Huston, his men were quickly informed of the open square battle formation and were ordered to deploy. Without a moment to lose debating who should be in command, Burleson - although certainly the most experienced Indian fighter on the scene - graciously accepted militia leader Felix Huston as the Texan commander who would lead this fight.
The Texan troops now advanced at a trot. This pace was steadily increased to a gallop. The main body of retreating Comanches had advanced to about a mile and a half ahead during the time that Burleson was allowed to arrive.
"As soon as we ascended from the valley on to the level plain, they had full view of us, and at once prepared for action." recalled Private Brown....
The distance between the opposing forces closed until Comanches halted their northwestward retreat at a place called Kelley Springs.
At this point, Huston abruptly STOPPED IN PLACE, and dismounted his men, handing the intitiative to the Comanches, and incredibly allowing them yet another twenty to forty minutes (depending on the account) for the main body to escape, and when it came to chasing running Comaches, a twenty to forty minute head start could be a long time indeed.
In Huston's words...
I dismounted my men and a handsome fire was opened-the Indian chiefs cavorting around in splendid style, in front and flank, finely mounted, and dressed in all the splendor of Comanche warfare. At this time several Indians fell from their horses, and we had three or four of our men wounded.
..and Moore's from book....
When within about two hundred yards of the Indians, Huston ordered his men to halt and dismount from their horses on the open plain of present Kelley Springs. The various units began to form the "hollow square" that General Huston had planned.
Birdwatcher
