Across the Fence; Prelude to the Red River War of 1874

As the first visible arc of the rising sun pushed against the bounds of a dark horizon and the soft pink light of pre-dawn spread across the north Texas plains, nearly one thousand Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne warriors seemed to erupt from the earth. Like lava pouring from the cauldron of the blazing, morning sun they swept forward in a mass of rage and revenge against the buffalo hunters at Adobe walls. Had it not been for the cracking ridgepole in Hanrahan’s saloon, several hours earlier, the entire settlement of 28 men and one woman would have been caught sleeping and unprepared. The massac...