Council House Fight facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Council House Fight
Part of Texas-Indian Wars
The Plaza and the Council House in San Antonio
Date March 19, 1840 Location San Antonio, Republic of Texas Result Entire Comanche peace delegation killed
Belligerents
Texas Rangers and Texas Militia	Comanche
Commanders and leaders
Hugh McLeod George Thomas Howard Mathew Caldwell (WIA)	Muk-wah-ruh  †
Strength
Approximately 100	33 chiefs and warriors, and 32 family members and/or retainers
Casualties and losses
7 killed 10 wounded (most from friendly fire)	35 killed 29 captured and imprisoned

The Council House Fight was a sad and violent event that happened during a peace meeting in San Antonio on March 19, 1840. It was a very unequal fight between Texas soldiers and leaders and a group of Comanche chiefs. The meeting happened during a ceasefire. Its goal was to trade prisoners and make peace after two years of fighting.

The Comanches wanted their homeland, called the Comancheria, to be officially recognized. The Texians wanted the Comanches to release Texian and Mexican people they held as prisoners.

The meeting ended with 12 Comanche leaders shot inside the Council House. Another 23 Comanches were shot in the streets of San Antonio. 30 Comanches were taken prisoner. In return, the Comanches killed 13 of their Texian prisoners in a cruel way. This event destroyed any chance for peace and led to many more years of fighting.

Why the Fight Happened

At that time, the Comanche people were not one big unified group. There were at least 12 different parts of the Comanche nation. They had as many as 35 independent roaming bands, also known as villages. These bands were connected in many ways, but they didn't have one main leader.

Because there was no central leader, one band couldn't force another band to return prisoners. Chiefs Buffalo Hump and Peta Nocona never agreed to give back any prisoners to the Texian settlers.

In January 1840, after years of war and a major smallpox sickness, three Comanche messengers were told that peace was possible if they returned their prisoners. These included a dozen white captives and a dozen Mexican captives. Several Comanche bands then came to San Antonio asking for peace. They offered to send a large group of their leaders in 23 days to make a new peace.

However, only one white boy was returned as a way to start negotiations. Colonel Henry Wax Karnes met them and listened. He agreed to talk, but he warned them that lasting peace could only happen if the Comanches gave up all the prisoners they held. It was thought there were about 13 prisoners.

Albert Sidney Johnston, who was the Texas Secretary of War, had told San Antonio officials to take the Comanche delegates as hostages if they didn't bring all the prisoners. In March, Muguara, a powerful eastern Comanche chief, led 65 Comanches, including women and children, to San Antonio for peace talks.

About the Prisoners

The day after the fight, one Comanche woman was set free. She was sent back to her camp to report that the Comanche prisoners would be released if the Comanches released the 15 Americans and several Mexicans they held. They were given 12 days to return the prisoners.

On March 26, a white woman named Mrs. John Webster came into town with her three-year-old child. She had been a Comanche prisoner for 19 months and had just escaped. She had to leave her 12-year-old son with the Comanches.

Two days later, a group of Comanches returned to San Antonio. Chief Isanaica (Howling Wolf) and one other man rode into San Antonio and shouted insults. The citizens told him to find the soldiers if he wanted a fight. But the army commander, Captain Redd, said he had to follow the 12-day ceasefire. Redd invited the Comanches to come back in three days. But Isanaica and his men left, fearing a trap.

Of the 16 prisoners the Texians wanted back, 13 were killed in a cruel way as soon as the Comanches heard about the Council House Fight. Only three prisoners who had been adopted into the tribe were spared. This was part of the Comanche's response to the breaking of the ceasefire.

On April 3, when the ceasefire deadline ended, another group of Comanches appeared. They wanted to trade prisoners again. They only had three prisoners with them: Webster's son Booker, a five-year-old girl, and a Mexican boy. Booker told them that the other prisoners had been killed when the Comanche woman returned to camp with news of the Council House Fight. These three prisoners were returned after their adoptive families agreed to give them up.

The Comanche prisoners were moved from the city jail to the San Jose Mission. Then they went to Camp Cooke at the start of the San Antonio River. Several were taken into people's homes to live and work, but they ran away as soon as they could. Eventually, all of the Texians' Comanche prisoners escaped.

Newspaper Report from the Time

The Texas Sentinel newspaper on March 24, 1840, reported on "a recent battle with the Comanches at San Antonio."

It said that on March 19, 65 Indians arrived with a little girl named Miss Lockhart. She had been taken from Guadalupe a year and a half before. She said she had seen other prisoners at their camp a few days earlier. Colonel W. G. Cooke, who was the acting Secretary of War, decided to take hostages to ensure the safe return of the prisoners.

Soldiers were ordered to surround the council room. The Comanche chiefs were told they were prisoners and would not be freed until they returned the white prisoners. One chief tried to escape and stabbed a guard. A general fight then broke out. Captain Howard was stabbed while trying to stop a chief. He ordered the guard to shoot the Indian, which was done. All 12 chiefs were then shot.

Outside, Captain Reed's company was attacked by Comanche warriors. The Indians fought fiercely and were pushed into stone houses. From there, they fired arrows and rifles. A few managed to cross the river, but Colonel Wells and his men chased them and killed all but one Mexican. One warrior hid in a stone house. He refused to surrender and killed several Texian men. The building was set on fire, and he was shot as he tried to escape.

In total, 35 warriors were killed, along with two women and three children. The Texians lost 7 killed and 8 wounded. A Comanche woman was released to go to her tribe and ask for a prisoner exchange. She promised to return in four days with the Texian captives. Colonel Burleson was asked to prepare an expedition against the Comanches.

What Happened Next

The Comanches were very surprised by what the Texians did. Historian Stanley Noyes wrote that breaking a council agreement was almost unthinkable for the Comanche people and other Native Americans.

Because of this, the Texian prisoners were killed. Chief Buffalo Hump then led hundreds of Comanche warriors on raids against many Texian villages. This was called the Great Raid of 1840. The Texians were also shocked and disgusted by the Comanches' actions in killing the innocent prisoners.

At least 25 settlers were killed in the Great Raid. Others were taken prisoner, including Mrs. Crosby, a granddaughter of Daniel Boone, who was later killed by her captors. Goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen. One city was burned to the ground, and another was damaged. The Texian militia fought back, leading to the Battle of Plum Creek in August 1840. This battle eventually stopped the raids.