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Quanah Parker: The Last Comanche Chief
In 1836 a band of Comanche raided Parker’s fort on the Navasota River in eastern Texas and carried off a young girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, who would assimilate completely into the Comanche way of life and grow up to be the mother of one of the last Comanche chiefs, Quanah Parker. At the time of Cynthia Ann’s capture, the nomadic Comanche had effective control of much of Texas country, but the influx of settlers from the Eastern states ensured that a bloody conflict between the two cultures would ensue.
Although the horsemanship and combat skills of the Comanche were excellent, Texan superiority in firearms made the eventual outcome inevitable. The Texas Ranger John "Rip" Ford describes the Battle of Antelope Hills in May 1858 as follows:
The head chief Iron Jacket had ridden out in gorgeous array, clad in a coat of mail, and bore down on our red allies. He was followed by warriors and trusted for safety to his armor. The sharp crack of five or six rifles brought his horse to the ground and in a few moments the chief fell, riddled with balls.
According to Ford, the outcome of the battle made it clear for the first time that Indians could be pursued and caught in the buffalo region; the country beyond the Red River could be penetrated and held by white men; and the Comanche could be followed, overtaken and beaten, provided that the pursuers will be laborious, vigilant, and willing to undergo privations. The Comanche were viewed as exasperated by the success of Captain Ford’s troops, and the victors began to think that the Indians needed to be wiped out to prevent them from taking revenge. In his account, Ford mentions the bravery of his comrade Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross who was to be involved in the recapture of Cynthia Ann Parker in 1860, helping to apprehend her along with her small daughter and removing her from Comanche life forever against her will.
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