homes in the southern-
most part of the Indian
Territory (Oklahoma).
However, Quanah flatly
refused to acquiesce, and
his Kwahadie band con-
tinued raiding, stealing
horses and livestock. For
three years the renegades
despoiled frontier settle-
ments, seemingly impervi-
ous to defeat, until 1871.
That year Gen. William
Tecumseh Sherman ar-
rived on the Southern
Plains, determined to
crush the last remnant of
Indian resistance. The Co-
manches’ principal oppo-
nent was Col. Randall S.
Mackenzie, Fourth U.S.
Cavalry, a brilliant leader
of mounted troops. How-
ever, he met his match in
Quanah, terror of the
Texas Panhandle. After
much indecisive skirmish-
ing, the Comanches bested the troopers in two
hard skirmishes, and Mackenzie withdrew for
the winter. The following spring, he directed a
concerted effort to cut off the Comanches
from New Mexican traders who brought them
guns and ammunition. In September 1872, the
Fourth U.S. Cavalry also won a heavy engage-
ment at McClellan Creek, and the bulk of the
Comanche nation sued for peace. Quanah,
however, remained defiant and slipped away
from his captors back to the Staked Plains.
In addition to direct military action, the tra-
ditional Indian way of life was being under-
mined by the activities of white hunters of
buffalo. The lumbering beast was essential to
Native American life, providing meat and fur.
The hunters were equipped with the latest
firearms, and they eviscerated the already
dwindling stocks of buffalo. Deprived of food
and clothing, Comanches and other Plains In-
dians were forced to endure deprivation and
discomfort during the
winter months. Since 1872
Quanah had laid low,
until he learned that a
party of hated buffalo
hunters were encamped
on the South Canadian
River at an abandoned
trading post known as
Adobe Walls. He then
called a council with the
Kiowas, Cheyennes, Ara-
pahos, and his own band
to make war. On June 27,
1874, Quanah led several
hundred warriors against
the interlopers at Adobe
Walls. The affair lasted
four days, but the 28
hunters, stoutly sheltered
and being expert shots,
repulsed every assault.
Quanah then drew off,
having precipitated the
first battle of the so-
called Red River War. The
army responded by dis-
patching Colonel Mackenzie after the raiders.
After much futile maneuvering, the Americans
stumbled upon a previously unknown Indian
sanctuary along Palo Duro Canyon, which was
deeply recessed in the earth. Apparently, the
Native Americans felt so secure against attack
that security was lax and no sentries were
posted. On September 28, 1874, Mackenzie ex-
pertly infiltrated his men into position, and the
ensuing attack routed the defenders. Losses
proved light on both sides, but the troopers
killed upward of 1,000 ponies, robbing the In-
dians of their mobility. Thus deprived of
horses, food, and shelter, the onset of winter
finally convinced remaining Comanche bands
to surrender. Quanah, as usual, held out the
longest, but deprivation and suffering induced
him to lay down his arms in June 1875. Shortly
after arriving in Indian Territory, he inquired
about his mother and, upon learning of her
death, adopted Parker as his surname.PARKER, QUANAH
Quanah Parker
National Archives