The Comanche Wars were a series of armed conflicts fought between

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

peoples and Spanish, Mexican, and American militaries and civilians in the United States and Mexico from as early as 1706 until at least the mid-1870s. The Comanche were the Native American inhabitants of a large area known as

Comancheria The Comancheria (Comanche: Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ, 'Comanche land'; Spanish: ''Comanchería''), also known as the Comancherian Empire, was a historic region covering modern New Mexico, West Texas, and nearby areas that was occupied by the Comanch ...

, which stretched across much of the southern

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

from

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in the north through

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and eastern

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and into the Mexican state of Chihuahua in the south. For more than 150 years, the Comanche were the dominant native tribe in the region, known as “the Lords of the

Southern Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include the mix ...

”, though they also shared parts of Comancheria with the Wichita,

Kiowa Kiowa ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe and an Indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colora ...

, and Kiowa Apache and, after 1840, the southern

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

and

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

. The value of the Comanche traditional homeland was recognized by European-American colonists seeking to settle the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...

and quickly brought the two sides into conflict. The Comanche Wars began in 1706 with raids by Comanche warriors on the Spanish colonies of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

and continued until the last bands of Comanche surrendered to the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1875, although a few Comanche continued to fight in later conflicts such as the Buffalo Hunters' War in 1876 and 1877. The Comanche were noted as fierce combatants who practiced an emphatic resistance to European-American influence and encroachment upon their lands. Comanche power peaked in the 1840s when they conducted large-scale raids hundreds of miles into Mexico proper, while also warring against the Anglo-Americans and

Tejanos Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead o ...

who had settled in independent Texas. Their power declined as epidemics of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

and

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

caused thousands of Comanche deaths and as continuous pressure from the expanding population of the United States forced them to cede most of their tribal lands.

Influential people

Iron Jacket

Iron Jacket was a

chief and medicine man. The name “Iron Jacket” came from his tendency to wear a coat of mail into battle. Iron Jacket took part in the Antelope Hills Expedition of 1858, where he was ultimately killed at the Battle of Little Robe Creek. His son, Peta Nocona, became a chief himself.

Peta Nocona

Peta Nocona was the father of the last Comanche Chief Quanah Parker, as well as a

Chief who played a crucial part in the Indian Wars. Peta Nocona led the full attack on Fort Parker where Cynthia Ann Parker was taken captive and later became his wife. Peta Nocona's place and date of death is still in dispute.

Quanah Parker

Quanah Parker was the last Comanche Chief and part of the Quahadi sect of the Comanche, who were highly respected by the other tribes. Quanah was never an official chief since the United States government appointed him to the position. Before he was a

chief, Quanah Parker witnessed the peace negotiations of 1867 but refused to sign the accords.

Buffalo Hump

Buffalo Hump was a

War Chief who led the Great Raid of 1840 after Texan officials killed

delegates during the events that unfolded during the Council House Fight.

Mirabeau B. Lamar

Mirabeau Lamar was the second President of the Republic of Texas from 1838 to 1841, preceded by

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

. Mirabeau Lamar had a harsher policy towards Native Americans in Texas and signed two bills which escalated tensions in the region. The first bill was signed on December 21, 1838, which formed an 840-man regiment to protect the Northern and Western Frontiers of Texas. An additional bill was passed on December 29, 1838, which added an additional 8 companies of mounted volunteers to serve 6 month deployments.

Santa Anna (Comanche war chief)

Santa Anna was a Comanche war chief who advocated for armed resistance against the Texas settlers, and became influential after the Council House Fight of 1840 in San Antonio. Santa Anna joined forces with Buffalo Hump and most likely took part in the Battle of Plum Creek and the Great Raid of 1840. Santa Anna was the first of his tribe to travel to Washington, D.C., and agreed to sign a treaty in May 1846, despite the continued hostilities. Santa Anna died from a cholera outbreak in 1849.

Battles and campaigns in the United States

Fort Parker massacre (May 1836)

The Fort Parker massacre was a raid conducted by a coalition of tribes including the Comanches, Kiowas, Caddos and Wichitas. They attacked the fort killing five of the inhabitants and capturing Cynthia Ann Parker a nine-year old who later married the Comanche chief Peta Nocona, John Richard Parker the brother of Cynthia Ann Parker, Rachel Plummer a seventeen-year-old wife along with her son James Pratt Plummer, and lastly Elizabeth Duty Kellog who was later reunited with her sister Martha in 1836.

Council House Fight (March 1840)

The Council House Fight was a Peace delegation turned conflict between the

delegates and the Texas officials on March 19, 1840. The conflict started over negotiations regarding Texan and Mexican captives that the Comanches were holding in order to gain back sections of

that Texas had claimed. The Council house fight ended with twelve of the Comanche Leaders killed inside the Council house as well as 23 others shot in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

Battle of Plum Creek (August 1840)

The Battle of Plum Creek was a conflict in Lockhart, Texas that took place on August 12, 1840. It was an attack led by Chief Buffalo Hump who led a large force of 1,000 Comanche warriors against 200 Texas Rangers in response to the Council House Fight. The Battle Began as a raid where the Comanche party stole livestock and firearms which gradually turned into a gun fight. The results of the battle are still being debated since the Rangers reported 80 Comanches were killed but only 12 bodies were found The Comanches claimed to have killed 11 Texas Rangers.

Antelope Hills expedition (January–May 1858)

The Antelope Hills expedition was a campaign led by the federal 2nd Cavalry against the

and

tribes in

. It started in January 1858 and ended in May of the same year. The cause for the expedition was due to Comanche raids into Texan territories. Peta Nocona and Iron Jacket led Comanche troops against the combined 220 forces of the 2nd cavalry,

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe from Oklahoma and Texas. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct language, extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Tonkawa ...

, Nadaco and

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

. Their expedition's purpose was to move the 2nd Cavalry from Oklahoma to Texas in order to better handle the raiding

Comanches The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma ...

. For this reason the United States gained the aid of the Comanches' enemy tribes

, Nadaco and

. The resulting battle concluded with 50 killed on the United States side and 76 killed and 16 captured on the

side. The Antelope Hills Expedition further expanded into the Battle of Little Robe Creek.

Battle of Little Robe Creek

The 1858 Battle of Little Robe Creek (Also known as the Battle of Antelope Hills) was a battle fought between the Comanches' allies of the Kiowa and the Apache against the Texas Rangers with their allies the

Caddo The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...

, Anadarko, Waco,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, and Tahaucano. The Battle was the first in which the Texas Rangers successfully advanced into

. The United States rallied a force of 100 Texas Rangers and 113 allies where the Comanches rallied a force between the range of 200-600. The "battle" itself was actually three decisive engagements between the Comanches and the Texas Rangers; the first began in the morning of May 12 when the Rangers, led by General Ford launched a surprise attack on a Comanche camp. The Comanches were caught completely off guard and a massacre occurred. The second battle began when the Texas Rangers attempted to do the same to another nearby Comanche encampment. As they encroached on the camp, the Rangers were spotted by Comanche scouts. Though able to mount a concerted defense this time, the Comanche still suffered heavy casualties. It was not until the third and final battle of Little Robe creek that Comanche warriors were able to take an offensive stance against the Texas Rangers who then withdrew back into Texas proper. However, the campaign was costly for the Comanche forces: with 76 killed and over 60 warriors captured by the Texas Rangers, who by comparison lost only two killed and five wounded.

Battle of Pease River (December 1860)

The Battle of Pease River took place on December 18, 1860, in Foard County, Texas. This battle has become highly debated due to unreliable sources and exaggerated facts surrounding the event, but the event started in November 1860, most likely when a band of Comanche warriors, "struck farms, ranches, and outlying settlements in Parker, Young, Jack, and Palo Pinto counties west of Fort Worth." In these Comanche raids property was stolen and at least six people were killed. The citizens responded by pursuing the Comanches to a village on the Pease River, but because there were too many

, the citizens had to wait for a larger force to arrive. Three units arrived, led by Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross, Captain J.J. Cureton, and First Sergeant John W. Spangler. On December 19, 1860, Sul Ross led the attack on the Comanche village and according to Ross's report, "killed twelve of the Comanches and captured three: a woman who turned out to be Cynthia Ann Parker, her daughter Topsannah (Prairie Flower), and a young boy whom Ross brought to Waco and named Pease Ross...The whole incident lasted twenty minutes-thirty at the most."

First Battle of Adobe Walls (November 1864)

The First Battle of Adobe Walls was a battle fought against the United States Army and the Comanche Allies of

, and the Plains

Apaches The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

. The battle began when

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

attacked a

town In response the Kiowa and Comanches launched a counterattack of over 1,000 men. The battle was long and drawn out almost to the point of the United States army running out of ammunition.

Red River War (June- September 1874)

In 1874 what came to be known as the

Red River War The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes from the Southern Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of flatland in Nort ...

(or Buffalo War) began. With the total population of the

tribe reduced to only around 3,000 in total, divisions began to appear within the tribe. About two-thirds of the remaining Comanche now resided on the reservation, often labeled the “tamed Comanche” or “broken Comanche”. About 1,000 Comanche however continuing to roam the plains. Most of these Comanche would be considered civilians with only about 300 being actual warriors. The unsettled Comanche joined forces with warriors from likeminded factions of Kiowa, Kiowa Apache, and Southern Cheyenne and gathered together in the North Texas panhandle near the four major forks of Red River. The federal government responded by sending forty-six companies of soldiers, the largest force ever deployed against Native Americans by the U.S., under the command of General Mackenzie. The majority of the Red River War was conducted in guerrilla warfare and search-and-destroy tactics. The conflict ended with the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, when General Mackenzie was able to conduct a surprise attack on the Comanche settlement. This led to the destruction of most of the Comanche’s resources and the seizure of 1,424 horses.

External links

Map of Comanches battles and skirmishes in 1850-1861

Map of Comanches battles and skirmishes in 1861-1865

Map of Comanches battles and skirmishes in 1866-1876

Map of Red River War 1874-1875: Comanches and Kiowas vs the US Army

Map of Comanche raids in Texas 1839-1869

References

Wars involving the Indigenous peoples of North America Indian wars of the American Old West Wars between the United States and Native Americans Native American history of Texas Wars fought in Texas Texas–Indian Wars Military history of Texas 1820s conflicts 1830s conflicts 1840s conflicts 1850s conflicts 1860s conflicts 1870s conflicts Comanche history