I’ve been watching the miniseries Comanche Moon.

I’ve been watching the miniseries Comanche Moon, which features an Indian attack on a town. Did that ever really happen?

John Redshaw, True West Maniac 776

Beaumont, AB, Canada

Comanches did raid towns, especially before 1865. The classic instances were the raids in Victoria and Linnville, Texas. Under the Comanche moon of early August 1840, some 400 to 1,000 warriors under Buffalo Hump cut a swath of destruction through the area.

First, they swarmed over the town of Victoria, looting and killing. Next, they hit the seaport town of Linnville. Parson Joel Ponton was captured; the Indians cut off the soles of his feet and forced him to walk for miles before scalping him. While the Comanche looted and burned the town, Linnville citizens escaped in boats and floated offshore. Judge John Hays was so mad at the pillaging, he came back and shouted at the Comanches, while waving an empty shotgun. Believing him to be crazy, the warriors ignored him.

Texas Rangers under Capts. Ben McCulloch, Mat “Old Paint” Caldwell and Ed Burleson pursued the Comanche, who were pushing 2,000 stolen horses and packing plenty of booty, which slowed them down. The warriors began discarding their loot, thus leaving an easy trail to follow. Rangers caught up with them at Plum Creek. In a running fight that tracked for some 15 miles, the Rangers gave the raiders a sound beating.