The Captain of the Militia of the Colorado District, James J. Ross,
transmitted to me the following report bearing date of the 4th Instant.
"In compliance with your orders of the 28th of last March, in which
you inform me that a party of Tahuacanos had left their villages
on their way to the Colorado, under the pretext of looking for the
Tancahues, and order me to watch and attack them if they should be
seen in this neighborhood; I lost no time in sending spies to the
frontier, and yesterday, at noon, I received information that sixteen
Indians of said nation had arrived near the settler Asa Anderson's
house, about five Leagues below the road to La Bahia on this river.
I collected the militia, and by ten o'clock at night, I mustered
thirty-one men, with whom I marched eight Leagues, and attacked the
Indians at daybreak. It was not an easy matter to get at them in their
position; they were on a deep creek, the banks of which are covered
with a dense thicket and chaparal, which induced me to divide my
men into two parties. One party under the command of Lieutenant
Rawson Alley, commenced the attack in front, from the bank of the
creek, while I took position with the other in the bottom of the little
run, above the place where the Indians were so as to be able to fire
on them when they crossed the creek. This disposition had a good
effect. At the first fire of Alley's party, the Indians ran for the
bottom, and there received a volley from my party. Eight Indians fell
dead, and five were wounded and escaped to the thicket. We took
five fire arms, seven bows, and a considerable number of arrows and
quantity of ammunition. The thickness of the Chaparal prevented
us from pursuing the fugitives, who scattered in various directions.
There is sufficient reason to conclude, from the signs of blood and
other indications on their trails, that only three of the sixteen
Indians will ever reach their villages. Each Indian had a leather rope
and noose, and they were all on foot, having with them only one horse.
They were a portion of the party who, last fall, stole horses at the
Atascosito crossing on this river. I found among their property
some papers which show that one of their dead was the chief called
Cordero, and that two other chiefs named Lisaque and Guichupa were
killed. It affords me great satisfaction to be enabled to say that the
men obeyed my orders with alacrity, and behaved well during the
attack. I send you herewith the papers I found."
In consequence of this incident, I gave orders to the captains of
Militia in this Colony, to have their men ready at a moments notice;
and I would send spies to the Indian villages to watch their
movements and ascertain their intentions. I apprehend no danger of an
attack on the Colony by these Indians, as, according to information
I have received, the party destroyed by Captain Ross was the only
one that visited this neighborhood for the purpose of stealing, and
the other chiefs disapproved their conduct. I will leave today for
the upper road from Bexar to Nacogdoches; I may there receive
information that will compel me to open a campaign against the Waco
and Tahuacano villages, in which case I shall report to you in due
season.
Which I have the honor to report to you, enclosing the papers and
documents found in the possession of the routed party.
God and Liberty
Stephen F. Austin
Town of San Felipe de Austin, April 6th, 1826.