I don't know if it's true, but I've read (on-line, so it must be true) that there are no documented accounts of attacks on wagon trains by Native Americans. Can anybody confirm that?
Quote:
It was in the same year that Satanta and Big Tree made their famous raid in Northwest Texas, upon which occasion they attacked a wagon train belonging to Henry Warren, while en route on the military road leading from Jackboro to Fort Griffin, in Shackelford county, The Indians killed seven out of the twelve teamsters, then fired the wagon train, with one of the teamsters chained to the wagon wheel, while yet alive, to be consumed amid the torturing flames.
Bighunter43 said:Bighunter43 said:BQ78 said:
Maybe you are thinking about on the Oregon Trail?
There are numerous incidents of wagons being attacked after the migration to the Oregon Territory. One that pops to mind quickly is the death of Britt Johnson and his teamsters at the hands of Kiowas on their way to Jacksboro. Britt Johnson was the black man who the John Wayne character is based on in the movie The Searchers.
Oh and to gruesome up the story. Britt put up a pretty good fight to the last, his body was surrounded by over 50 brass cartridges. The Kiowas killed his beloved dog after the fight, gutted Britt and stuffed the body of his dog into his abdominal cavity. So much for the Noble Savage!
BQ78.....I've talked about a new book before by Glenn Frankel "The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend" and Frankel was apparently given The Searchers author Alan LeMay's notes by the family, and discovered that LeMay based it more on Cynthia Ann Parker's Uncle...James Parker, who spent years searching for her was a devout Indian hater. ( I mean, The Searchers has a 9 year old girl being searched for by her Uncle)....LaMay moved the story to after the Civil War and of course added lots of fictional characters. The book does say LaMay researched Britt Johnson, and 64 other Indian abductions....but LaMay definetly was focused in on James Parker as Ethan Edwards....I've seen the Britt Johnson misconception for years however. Frankel's book is meticulously researched and Its a great read with lots of Quanah and Cynthia Ann information, some of it never before published as he found it in the archives at UT (tu)! Plus....for anyone who likes the Searchers, the number one ranked western of all time by some services....it's a must read! (If you can get past Monument Valley as West Texas)
As far as wagon train attacks, a few happened in the Oregon Trail (The Shoshone)...but they were rare!
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/books/book_reviews/the-searchers-the-making-of-an-american-legend/article_f9afef7a-8055-11e2-aaaa-0019bb30f31a.html
I agree that the Searchers is a compilation of various historical characters and events. I always assumed and read that Ethan was based on Britt Johnson as well until Frankel stumbles on the fact that LaMay even traveled to Elkhart Texas to interview living members of the Parker family. The parallels with Cynthia Ann and her uncle James Parker and Debbie and Ethan are pretty similar. (Apparently James had little to do with her upon her return.....ie...."She's Comanche!! She's been living with a buck!" ) Earlier, I referenced the UT library archives, however I looked back in the book and I was wrong....Frankel found new information about Cynthia Ann in the State Library archives. In all, I think the Searchers is Ford's and Wayne's best picture!!BQ78 said:
That book is on my list to buy and read, I've heard good things about it.
Definitely the book and movie are a melding of many historical events and fiction. For example the village raid with the US cavalry is based on the Battle of the Wa****a, which wasn't even against Comanche, it was Cheyenne. I think the Ethan character's adventures are very similar to Johnson but I can also see the similarity to Parker as well. Definitely a melding of both.
KIowa, Kichi and Comanche were not pretenders by any means..BQ78 said:
Maybe you are thinking about on the Oregon Trail?
There are numerous incidents of wagons being attacked after the migration to the Oregon Territory. One that pops to mind quickly is the death of Britt Johnson and his teamsters at the hands of Kiowas on their way to Jacksboro. Britt Johnson was the black man who the John Wayne character is based on in the movie The Searchers.
Oh and to gruesome up the story. Britt put up a pretty good fight to the last, his body was surrounded by over 50 brass cartridges. The Kiowas killed his beloved dog after the fight, gutted Britt and stuffed the body of his dog into his abdominal cavity. So much for the Noble Savage!
Bighunter43 said:
Come on guys..........haven't yall seen How the West Was Won!!
Lyman's Wagon Train, Red River Wars, Texas Panhandle, 1874. Perhaps first US Army use of "mechanized" warfare.tamc1956ag said:
I am out of my lane on this one, but I enjoy the topic. Somewhere I read about a group of soldiers who were attacked by Indians and the men were lying in wagons for defense. As I remember, the Indians did NOT defeat the soldiers...anyone heard of this?