Indian Fights On Texas Frontier. A History Of Exciting Encounters Had With Indians In Hamilton, Comanche, Brown, Erath And Adjoining Counties

E. L. DEATON

Publication: C M Boynton, 1894, Hamilton, Texas

First Edition. Cloth. Introduction. 199pp. Elias L. Deaton came to Texas with his family, as a 10 year old boy, settling in northeast Texas in 1843. In 1851 he went to Ft. Gates, then on the edge of the Texas frontier, with his brother Thomas. They hauled goods for the federal government to early central Texas settlements and forts, including Fort Phantom Hill. They had frequent encounters with the Comanche Indians, many of which Elias later wrote. Having read Wilbarger's Indian Depredations In Texas, Deaton decided to write a book about his early life on the frontier. Deaton believed that, for lack of information, Wilbarger had omitted many stories about Comanche, Hamilton, Brown, and Erath counties where there had been many encounters with hostile Indians. Deaton spent 7 years writing Indian Fight On Texas Frontier, first published in 1894. In later years, portions of his book were frequently cited in Texas newspapers and publications such as J. Marvin Hunter's Frontier Times. Deaton was present at many of the events he described, thus serving as a primary source. Almost all of the events that Deaton related were experienced by himself, a close relative, or a neighbor. His account of Dove Creek is important, as it records the Texans attack on a peaceful village of Kickapoo Indians, which in turn soundly defeated the Texans. A fight in which Deaton was wounded. Deaton wrote of Comanche attacks on his own family and his fears for their safety. His closeness to events aids the authenticity of his descriptions. Deaton's description of the killing of schoolteacher Ann Whitney by the Comanches while she was protecting her schoolchildren in Hamilton County in 1866 is often cited, and is aided by the fact that his niece Dora had been one of Whitney's students, and his brother Thomas was part of the search party that recovered the schoolchildren abducted by the Indians. His personal description of the 1854 Indian Council ar Fort Chadborne, Texas, where government agents attempted to persuade Plains Indians to adopt reservation life. A young man, with little to do, Deaton walked among the camps of the various tribes in attendance and observed their customs; watching their war dances, sun dances, foot races, and shooting matches. He called what he saw "the grandest scene of my life." A truly rare first-hand account of early Indian-Fighting days in Texas. Our copy is missing the original wrappers and is bound in red cloth. The title page has several old archival tape repairs. Additional old, archival tape repairs to the fore-edge of the second and third pages, as well as the upper fore-corner of the last 9 pages, with no loss of text. A good+ copy of a rare and very fragile work. This work is very rarely offered. To our knowledge, only 5 copies exist in institutions. Also included is a copy of the scarce 1927 reprint by Floyd J. Holmes, of Fort Worth, Indian Fights On The Texas Frontier, signed by Holmes. Both are protected in a handsome clamshell box with title, author, and years of publication in gilt on leather label on spine.