Site of the 1759 Taovayo Victory Over Spain
Saint Jo, Montague County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Col. Diego Ortiz Parilla, a commandant of Presidio San Saba (near the later site of Menard) had grave Indian problems in 1759. Priests and others were killed in Comanche attacks on Mission San Saba. Comanches and their friends were allied to Frenchmen, who were trading deep in Spanish domain. Parilla wished to whip the Comanches and expel the French. With 380 soldiers and Indian support to a total of 600 men, he left San Antonio in August. A victory over some Tonkawas on the Brazos as he marched north gave him false confidence. When he arrived at this site in October, he saw Red River forming a moat around a fort. His Apaches tried in vain to span the river and invade the fortified Taovaya village. He saw 14 or more Frenchmen; a French flag was flying. Indians played drum and fife and had plenty of guns and ammunition. He bombarded the fort with cannons, but after losing 52 men in a 4-hour battle he was glad that nightfall gave him a chance to withdraw. He was pursued for many days as he retreated to Presidio San Saba, which he reached on Oct. 25, 1759. The Taovaya Indians were later known as Wichitas, and continued to resist white men until the 1870s. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1759, Spanish commander Diego Ortiz Parrilla marched north from San Antonio with some 600 soldiers and Indian allies to punish the Comanches and their French-armed allies after the destruction of Mission San Sabá. At this bend of the Red River he found a fortified Taovaya (Wichita) village flying a French flag, its defenders well supplied with guns. After a four-hour battle cost him 52 men, Parrilla withdrew under cover of night and was harried for days on his retreat—a stinging defeat for Spain on its northern frontier.
Why it matters
The battle marks one of Spain's most humiliating frontier defeats and reveals how well-armed, French-allied Plains nations checked European ambitions deep in the continent's interior.
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Related people
- · Diego Ortiz Parrilla
Related events
- · Battle of the Twin Villages
Themes & tags
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