Battle of Blanco Canyon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Blanco Canyon
Part of the Comanche Campaign
Blanco Canyon, seen from the west rim, on Highway 82
Date October 10, 1871 Location Near Blanco Canyon, Texas 33°39′52″N 101°10′32″W / 33.66444°N 101.17556°W / 33.66444; -101.17556 (Blanco Canyon Battlefield) Result Inconclusive, Comanche village escapes capture
Belligerents
United States 4th Cavalry Regiment (United States), Tonkawa scouts	Comanche Kotsoteka and Quahadi Band
Commanders and leaders
Ranald S. Mackenzie (WIA) Clarence Mauck	Quannah Parker
Strength
600 men, including 20 Tonkawas	300-400
Casualties and losses
1 dead, 2 reported wounded, including Col. Mackenzie.	5

The Battle of Blanco Canyon was an important fight in Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie's first big effort against the Comanche people in West Texas. This was the first time the Comanche were attacked deep inside their homeland. It was also the first time a large army explored the heart of Comancheria, the Comanche lands. On August 12, 1871, a government agent named Lawrie Tatum asked Mackenzie and Colonel Benjamin Grierson to start an expedition. They were to go after the Kotsoteka and Quahadi Comanche groups. These groups had refused to move to a special area called a reservation after an attack on a wagon train. Colonel Mackenzie put together a strong force. It included eight companies of the Fourth United States Cavalry, two companies of the Eleventh Infantry, and twenty Tonkawa scouts.

Starting the Campaign: Where and When?

New information suggests this battle happened in southeastern Crosby County. It was about seven miles east of where people first thought it was.

The army gathered at an old camp called Camp Cooper. This was on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River on September 19, 1871. The force began marching northwest on September 30, 1871. They hoped to find the Quahadi village, where warriors led by Quanah Parker lived. People believed this village was in Blanco Canyon. This was near the start of the Freshwater Fork of the Brazos River. It was southeast of where Crosbyton, Texas is today.

On the fourth night of their march, the group set up a main camp. This was where the Salt Fork of the Brazos and Duck Creek met, near today's Spur, Texas. The next day, Colonel Mackenzie decided to leave his infantry soldiers to guard the camp. He then rode with his cavalry toward Blanco Canyon. He hoped to surprise the Comanche and strike them in their home territory.

The Battle in Blanco Canyon

In the afternoon of October 9, 1871, the cavalry reached the White River and Blanco Canyon. This was the first non-Comanche military group to enter Blanco Canyon. The Comanche had become very powerful on the plains. Near midnight, Quanah Parker himself led a small Comanche group. They rode quickly through the cavalry camp, scaring away about seventy horses and mules.

As the chasing cavalry reached the top of a hill, they found a much larger group of Native Americans. These warriors were waiting to ambush them. The cavalry fought their way out, but one soldier was killed. This was the only army death of the whole campaign. Lieutenant Robert Goldthwaite Carter and five men stayed behind to fight the Comanches. The rest of the unit pulled back. This brave action on October 10, 1871, earned Lt. Carter the Medal of Honor.

Mackenzie's main group and the Tonkawa scouts heard the gunfire. They moved forward and likely saved the smaller group from being wiped out. More Comanches had managed to surround the retreating soldiers. When the main cavalry arrived, Quanah Parker and his warriors pulled back. The Comanches fought their way up the walls of Blanco Canyon. They shot at the approaching soldiers and teased their Tonkawa enemies. Then they disappeared from the army's sight. They went over the Caprock Escarpment and onto the Llano Estacado, a flat plain. During this, Carter hurt his leg on a rock.

Continuing the Expedition

Colonel Mackenzie chased the Native Americans for the next few days. He forced them to leave behind their lodge poles, buffalo hides, tools, and most of their belongings as they ran. These items were vital for the Comanche to live. Losing them meant the coming winter would be very hard, with no shelter or stored food. The army was able to catch up with the fleeing warriors on the afternoon of October 12, 1871. Their families slowed the warriors down.

Mackenzie could not attack them because a sudden "blue norther" arrived. This was a winter storm from the Great Plains. Strong winds, blinding snow, hail, and sleet stopped the cavalry's advance. This allowed the Comanche to get away safely again. The cavalry continued chasing them the next morning. But the bad weather and conditions let the Comanche disappear into the storm. Mackenzie told his troops to follow what the scouts thought was the Comanche trail for about forty miles. This was almost to where Plainview, Texas is today. Mackenzie's men and horses were getting tired, and they were low on food. So, he sadly turned back.

Returning to Blanco Canyon

On October 15, 1871, the cavalry went back into Blanco Canyon. Army scouts saw two Comanches watching the troops from the canyon walls. In the short fight that followed, the two Comanches were killed. Mackenzie himself, along with another soldier, were wounded. Even with his wound, Mackenzie and his force continued to the mouth of Blanco Canyon. They rested there for a week, waiting for supplies from Henry Ware Lawton.

On October 24, 1871, Mackenzie decided to keep going with the campaign. He started marching toward the start of the Pease River. However, his wound became too painful. He put Major Clarence Mauck in charge. Mackenzie stayed with the other wounded and dismounted troops at Duck Creek. On November 6, in the middle of a snowstorm, Major Mauck's group returned. On November 12, 1871, Mackenzie's force reached Fort Griffin. They arrived at Fort Richardson on November 17.

What Was the Result?

Colonel Mackenzie thought the whole expedition was not successful. His command had marched 509 miles. They lost one life and many horses. He felt they had only scared one group of Comanches. However, he had marched deep into Comancheria. He also mapped the area while doing so. He went into a part of the Llano Estacado that no Americans, except for traders called Comancheros, had ever seen. He destroyed the winter supplies of the Comanches he found. He also temporarily drove them from their homeland. The lessons he learned about fighting on the plains from the Battle of Blanco Canyon and this trip were very helpful. They prepared him for the Red River War a few years later. This war eventually led to the last free Comanches giving up.