Indian Raid in Comanche
Comanche, Comanche County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of boldest depredations in Texas history, made in May 1861, during the "Bright Moon". A braying mule wakened town after nearly all horses were stolen. Citizens spent rest of night molding bullets. Pursuit began at dawn, under command of Capt. James Cunningham, assisted by 17 boys and men, using hounds. Posse finally caught Indians on Brown's Creek (about 36 mi. SW), killing 19 in close fighting. White men's only casualty was a slight wound given to Capt. Cunningham. Relentless pursuit of Indian raiders was key to a town's survival on the frontier. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In May 1861, under a bright moon, raiders swept through Comanche and made off with nearly all the town's horses — one of the boldest such raids in Texas history, foiled from total surprise only by a braying mule that woke the townsfolk. The citizens spent the night molding bullets, and at dawn Captain James Cunningham led seventeen men and boys with hounds in pursuit. The posse overtook the raiders on Brown's Creek some thirty-six miles away in a close, deadly fight.
Why it matters
The raid captures the constant peril of the Texas frontier during the Civil War years, when settlers defended isolated communities against Native raids largely on their own.
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Related people
- · James Cunningham
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Fleming Oak
Comanche, TX
In 1854, when a boy named Martin V. Fleming camped in this grove with his father, he ducked behind this very oak to escape a raiding party riding through the trees. Decades later, as paving crews moved to cut the tree down, the grown "Uncle Mart" faced them off with his gun and saved it. The Fleming Oak still stands as a living witness to Comanche County's frontier days.
Comanche County
Comanche, TX
First settled by five families in 1854 and organized in 1856, Comanche County was named for the Comanche people, whose hunting grounds were being overtaken by settlers. Early years were hard — raids on livestock, farmers kept from their fields, and near-starvation in 1861 relieved only by food from Bell County. Railroads arrived in 1880 and 1890, and an oil boom followed in 1918–1920.
George Washington Gentry
Comanche, TX
A member of Stephen F. Austin's colony, George Washington Gentry came to Texas in 1835 and settled in what became Washington County, working as a farmer and surveyor. He took part in the Texas Revolution, fought in several skirmishes with Native peoples, and helped defend San Antonio during the 1842 Mexican invasions led by Vasquez and Woll before later moving to Comanche County.
Site of Indian Creek Community
Comanche vicinity, TX
Founded in 1851 by John A. McGuire, Indian Creek was among the first settlements in Comanche County, and its most vital structure was a double-walled stockade called "Double Pens"—a fortified storehouse where women and children sheltered during Indian raids while the men were away. As the frontier quieted, the refuge gave way to civic life: a school in 1876, the Indian Creek Methodist Church in 1880 with its famous two-week summer camp meetings, and a cemetery whose first burial came that same year. Services ended in 1958, leaving the community to memory.