Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 12 of 894
762 p., [172] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 30 cm.View a full description of this book.
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8
INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.
times picking cotton for the people. In 1842 they
were living on the margins of Matagorda Bay,
often seen by the author of this work, while during
the succeeding December, with the Somervell
expedition, he saw perhaps a dozen of the tribe
on the banks of the Rio Grande. The last American
blood shed by them was that of Capt. John
F. Kempen, in Victoria County, whom they murdered
in November, 1845. [Vide Victor M. Rose's
History of Victoria County, page 21.]
Austin's movement was a wise one. It convinced
those unfaithful creatures that the Americans
had become strong enough to hold the country
and punish their overt acts. They had formerly
been partially under the influence of the missionaries,
and still had their children baptized by the
priests who stood somewhat as sponsors for them
in the treaty, probably a stroke of policy mutually
understood by them and Col. Austin, as sure to
have no evil effect, and with the hope that it might
exert a salutary influence, as it doubtless did. We
must not forget that those were the days of infancy
and small things in Texas.
As to the number of Indians in Texas in its first
American settlement, we have no reliable statistics.
The following semi-official statement, published in
the Nashville (Tenn.) Banner of August 1, 1836,
is deemed authentic as far as it goes; but it does
not include those tribes or portions of tribes
as
for instance the Comanches
pertaining to Texas,
or south of the Arkansas river and west of the
100th degree of longitude west of Greenwich: MR.
EDITOR
As the public mind has been and
still is somewhat excited with regard to the situation
of our western frontier, and the State being
now under a requisition of Gen. Gaines for a
regiment of mounted gun men to maintain its
defense, I have thought it would not be uninteresting
to the public to know the names and numbers
of Indian tribes on that frontier. The statement
is taken from an estimate accompanying a map of
survey showing the geographical and relative positions
of the different tribes, which was prepared at
the topographical bureau during the present year,
which I have not yet seen published.
The names and numbers of the Indians who
have emigrated to the west of the Mississippi: Choctaws
............................................ 15,003
Apalachicoles ....................................... 26
Cherokees ............0............................. 5,00(
Creeks ............................................... 2,45c
Senecas and Shawnees............................ 21]
Senecas (from Sandusky)....................... 231
Potowatomies .... ................ ........ 14Peorias and Kaskaskias..........................
Pienkeshaws ........................................
Wees ............ ...........
Ottoways ............................................
Ottoways ..........................................
Shawnees ............................................
Delawares ..........................................132
162
222
200
470
1,250
826The names and numbers of the Indian tribes
resident west of the Mississippi: lowas
................................................. 1,200
Sacs, of the Missouri............................. 500
Omahas .............................................. 1,400
Ottoes and Missourians ......................... 1,600
Pawnees ............................................. 10,000
Comanches ........................................ 7,000
Mandons ..... .................................. 15,000
Mineterees .......................................... 15,000
Assinaboins ....................................... 800
Crees ................................................. 3,000
Crosventres ................... ................ 3,000
Crows ..................... ......................... 45,000
Sioux ................................................. 27,500
Quapaws ............................................. 450
Caddos ................................................ 800
Poncas ............................................. 800
Osages ............................................... 5,120
Konsas ............................................. 1,471
Sacs .................................................. 4,800
Arickaras ........................................... 8,000
Chazenes . ................... ................ 2,000
Blackfeet ........................................... 30,000
Foxes ................................................ 1,600
Areehpas and Keawas............ ................ 1,400
There is yet remaining east of the river in the
Southern States a considerable number: the five
principal tribes are the Seminoles, Creeks, Cherokees,
Choctaws and Chickasaws.Seminoles, yet remaining east. ..............
Choctaws, yet remaining east ..................
Chickasaws, yet remaining east................
Cherokees, yet remaining east..................
Creeks, yet remaining east......................2,420
3,500
5,420
10,000
22,668Those stated as western tribes extend along the
whole western frontier. And taking as true the
opinions of the department, that the average
number of an Indian family is four, it may be seen
what number of warriors, by possibility, might be
brought into the field, and what number on the
other hand might be required to keep them in
check.
By publishing the foregoing statement, you will
oblige your humble servant,
THOMAS J. PORTER.
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Brown, John Henry. Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, book, 1880~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth6725/m1/12/?rotate=270: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .