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Beecham,
who made his escape and returned to Kentucky, and remained there
seven years, leaving his family in Texas. Next day on our return march to
camp we found and arrested Bruton. Reaching camp we found the army had
dispersed without fighting, and orders left for us to disband and go home. In
compliance with the opinion of the majority of the command, the prisoners
were set free instead of conveying them to prison in Nacogdoches. I was
then employed by the government of Texas to return to the owners the horses
that had been pressed for the use of the army.
Immediately after this Leonard Mabbit was ordered with a company of
eighty men to Fort Houston to protect the frontier. The Indians harassed his
men and attacked his foragers. In one skirmish the rear guard had stopped
and a little boy son of Mr. Bates, who had been killed at San Augustine, the
boy acting as courier, were fired upon by the Indians. Some of the men were
wounded. The boy endeavoring to escape was chased by an Indian. The
guns of both were empty. The boy getting far enough in advance of the
Indian, dismounted and commenced loading his gun. The Indian did the
same, but the boy loading first, fired and killed the Indian, and was rewarded
afterwards for the deed by a grant of 640 acres of land from the Republic of
Texas.
A conspiracy having been entered into by the Indians to take Fort Houston
and massacre the people, Captain Mabbitt notified General Rusk who came at
once to his relief with what force he could get. Taking the company of
Mabbitt with him he went to the Kickapoo village, unknown to the Indians,
who had camped one-half mile from the village on their way to the Fort. Spies
upon their camp notified General Rusk that they had large fires of greenwood
and were cooking for the trip. The Indians left and General Rusk coming on
camped at their fires. Supposing the camp to contain only the company of
Captain Mabbitt, the Indians made an attack, and the firing by the pickets was
kept up during the night. The Indians had been joined by forty Mexicans, and
at daylight approached and attacked the camp. They stood three fires, but
surprised by the presence of General Rusk they retreated, leaving nine killed,
and their children and camp equipage were scattered along the line of their
retreat. Rusk and Mabbitt fell back to the Fort and sent for reinforcements, as
the Indians were making great preparations for another battle. I united myself
with Captain English's company and marched to Eaton's, where the Indians
had committed murders. Here we found old Mrs. Eaton and several children
killed. The house was burned. Old Mrs. Murchison was here killed and her
body dragged out to near the fence. In looking around the premises I found
bloody clothes and a musket lying on them. Two daughters of Mr. Eaton,
both wives of men named Madden had been badly wounded near the house,
but had made their escape and afterwards recovered. I reported to Colonel
Landrum what I had found and that while absent I heard much firing and
I was sent with a guide and file of men to discover the cause. After my
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