An army of Comanche Indians, about four hundred in number, had extended one of their raids coastward, and reached the town of Linnville. They set fire to and burned down the town, leaving it in complete ruins, from which it never revived. First having plundered all the stores and warehouses, murdered several of the citizens, and carried others off into captivity, among whom ,was a lady, a Mrs. Watts, who had but lately become a bride 'and whose husband was butchered in her sight. Edward Burleson, Felix Huston, Ben McCulloch, Edwin Waller and others, assembled together what force they could, on hearing of this outrage, and started on the war-trail to intercept the marauders. In all, some seventy men from the vicinity of Austin, Victoria, Gonzales,and Seguin were in the company.
The Indians were loaded down witi spoils and booty, to which, they clung with great tenacity of purpose. Among other articles many of them had brought off blocks of gay and gaudy colored ribbon, and in the hurry of pursuit one end of the ribbon would "become loosened and it would gradually unroll from the block and trail out behind the fleeing savages. It was indeed a ludicruous scene, the painted savages scouring across the prairies in terror, on their wild ponies, "bloody with spurring, fiery red with speed," and the lengths of glaring ribbons trailing behind them like the tail of a comet and hanging out as signals to the pursuers of the track of the. Indians, and as proofs of their hellish mission lately consummated. When the whites came up with the Indians, the contest was short. Many of the latter were killed-nine in one slough where they had "bogged down," and all of their plunder, including dry goods and quite a number of mules and horses, was recaptured. Among the captives released by this victory were two white ladies, the Mrs. Watts spoken of and another lady whose name is forgotten, and a negro woman.
More information on Linnville
Account of the Raid on Linnville
Linnville (Ghost Town)
Linnville and Victoria are attacked by the Comanches
Site of the Town of Linnville
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