Indian Papers of Texas and the Southwest, Vol. IV

TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1860-1916

175

To His Excellency

Jas W. Throckmorton Austin, Tex.

In response to your favor of the 4th inst. Our destination was the southern portion of

the Guadalupe Mountains-seventeen of us in all

On the 4th of Feby. at the head water of the Concho River about 250 miles above Austin we were suddenly attacked by about Seventy or eighty Indians, which we suppose were Kickapoo temporarily encamped in the neighborhood, but of which we have no positiYe proof The charge was bold, and would have done no discredit to the best of troops. Opened with revolvers, afterwards when in close quarters used Lances, and finally long range guns from a mountain near by. Within three minutes or five at most after they were discovered, they had speared Judge Hunter, of Coleman County from his horse, leav- ing him on the ground for dead, had given me, what ·proved to be a pretty painful wound through the elbow and were in possession of the greator part of our pack animals. We then availed ourselves of some bushes and a small gully which proved sufficient protection to ourselves but there was no chance for the remaining animals, which were all soon killed, one only ex- cepted- that our being badly wounded while in the gully two others of the party were struck with spent balls, not doing serious damage our loss in property was about 4000 including twenty eight horses and mules, a pretty good supply of provi- sions ammunition etc etc. We shot down five Indians, but wheather they were all killed or not I cannot say. The firing was quite brisk for an hour and a half after which there was an accasional firing for two or three hours more. We expect to start· on the same enterprize early in April and reqret very much that a small piece of ar- tilery cannot be procured- I have the honor to be etc. W. C. DALRYMPLE [Endorsed] Col. Dalrymple Indian fight

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