Note: Back in 2010 I posted a bunch of these "This Day in Texas History" stories. I thought I would occasionally bring one back up
2nd Battle of Adobe Walls - June 27, 1874
Adobe Walls was a trading post in the panhandle just north of the Canadian River. It had been the scene of a prior battle in 1864 when Kit Carson led a force of 300 volunteers against several thousand Indians. Ten years later - By June of 1874 - several businesses had been set up near the ruins of the old trading post to serve the 200-300 buffalo hunters in the area. On June 27th around 30 people were there when a force of Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowas (about 700 in number) led by Quanah Parker attacked at dawn. They almost overwhelmed the hunters on the initial attack – the fighting was at close quarters, but they somehow managed to repulse the Indians after a fierce fight. The hunters suffered 4 deaths on the first day – two brothers who were asleep in their wagon were killed and scalped, and a guy named Billy Tyler was shot through the lungs. One poor guy had his wife there as a cook - she was handing him a reloaded rifle during the battle when it accidentally discharged and practically blew his head off.
The legendary shot! -Several days into the seige a dozen or so warriors rode out on a nearby bluff to plan their next move. A scout and buffalo hunter named Billy Dixon picked up his Sharps “Big Fifty” and took careful aim. (to chuckles and catcalls from his buddies because his targets were so far away) But he squeezed the trigger and they watched as Esa-Tai, the medicine man, toppled from his mount. There is disagreement in the various historical accounts I’ve read on how long the shot actually was. A few weeks after the battle some Army surveyors determined the distance to be 1,538 yards! Others say it was more like 1,000-1,200 yards. Either way, the shot apparently so discouraged the Indians that they packed up and left. Whenever asked about it in later years, Dixon is said to have always credited the shot to pure luck. He just made a wild guess on the elevation and let it fly. Quanah Parker was one of the Indians on the ridge - he later said that although the bullet knocked the guy off his horse there wasn't enough penetration to kill him. The Indians did, however start calling the Sharps rifle "the gun that shoots today and kills tomorrow"
This fight led to the Red River War of 1874-75 which resulted in the final relocation of the Indians to reservations in Oklahoma Territory.
2nd Battle of Adobe Walls - June 27, 1874
Adobe Walls was a trading post in the panhandle just north of the Canadian River. It had been the scene of a prior battle in 1864 when Kit Carson led a force of 300 volunteers against several thousand Indians. Ten years later - By June of 1874 - several businesses had been set up near the ruins of the old trading post to serve the 200-300 buffalo hunters in the area. On June 27th around 30 people were there when a force of Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowas (about 700 in number) led by Quanah Parker attacked at dawn. They almost overwhelmed the hunters on the initial attack – the fighting was at close quarters, but they somehow managed to repulse the Indians after a fierce fight. The hunters suffered 4 deaths on the first day – two brothers who were asleep in their wagon were killed and scalped, and a guy named Billy Tyler was shot through the lungs. One poor guy had his wife there as a cook - she was handing him a reloaded rifle during the battle when it accidentally discharged and practically blew his head off.
The legendary shot! -Several days into the seige a dozen or so warriors rode out on a nearby bluff to plan their next move. A scout and buffalo hunter named Billy Dixon picked up his Sharps “Big Fifty” and took careful aim. (to chuckles and catcalls from his buddies because his targets were so far away) But he squeezed the trigger and they watched as Esa-Tai, the medicine man, toppled from his mount. There is disagreement in the various historical accounts I’ve read on how long the shot actually was. A few weeks after the battle some Army surveyors determined the distance to be 1,538 yards! Others say it was more like 1,000-1,200 yards. Either way, the shot apparently so discouraged the Indians that they packed up and left. Whenever asked about it in later years, Dixon is said to have always credited the shot to pure luck. He just made a wild guess on the elevation and let it fly. Quanah Parker was one of the Indians on the ridge - he later said that although the bullet knocked the guy off his horse there wasn't enough penetration to kill him. The Indians did, however start calling the Sharps rifle "the gun that shoots today and kills tomorrow"
This fight led to the Red River War of 1874-75 which resulted in the final relocation of the Indians to reservations in Oklahoma Territory.
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