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[[File:Feather_headdress_Comanche_EthnM circa1880.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Comanche Warrior Headdress, circa 1880.]]On the morning of June 27, 1874 , the Battle of Adobe Walls commenced. Billy Dixon heard the war bugle of the Comanche and Kiowa and managed to escape from his wagon in time to join several others in the saloon in the center of the settlement. On the southernmost end of the makeshift town was the Rath store, which is where six men and Mrs. Olds had gathered for protection. On the opposite end was the horse corral that protected eleven men. In the center of those two structures was the saloon, which served as a veritable fortress for Dixon, Hanrahan, Masterson, and six other men. In all, twenty-seven settlers were distributed among three separate buildings with no means of communication.<ref>Haley, 70.</ref>When the South Plains Indians initiated their attack it was loud and swift.
War tactics of The approach to combat by these specific tribes were swift, fierceemphasized their strengths - swiftness, athleticism and athleticferocity. The orders of battle were communicated by means of certain bugle calls, which led some to believe that a former soldier or army translator had aided the tribes in their assault. The attack began with a rapid charge toward the buildings. Once the target was reached, these magnificent horsemen circled the structures at a gallop while accurately firing their weapons; often times oftentimes from under the neck of the animal. T
Admin moved page What was the Significance of the 1874 Second Battle of Adobe Walls in Texas? to What was the Significance of the 1874 Second Battle of Adobe Walls in Texas
== June 27, 1874 ==
hey were then commanded to fall back, regroup, and charge again. When the first wave of the attack commenced at sunrise, Ike and Shorty Shadler were trapped in their wagon. The warriors circled the vehicle and upon hearing a noise, lifted the tarp concealing the brothers. Although they were still concealed, one of the men panicked and began firing his weapon, which resulted in the Indians firing in kind. The Shadler brothers were killed and mutilated in the wagon where they slept.
== Seeking Help ==
[[File:Adobewalls_battlefield.jpg|thumbnail|300px250px|left|Adobe Walls Battle Field.]]
That evening, under cover of darkness, a hunter named Henry Lease armed himself heavily and set out for Fort Dodge to beg assistance from the military. He arrived at the fort late that evening and asked for military support. Not one of the officers on duty had the authority to dispatch the cavalry; therefore, word was sent to the governor for permission. He was also too timid to act and shunned the responsibility to the military commander, General John Pope, who surprisingly denied the request. Although he was no lover of Native Americans, Pope adhered to the policies set forth in the Medicine Lodge Treaty and was not willing to jeopardize relations with the tribes by enabling the very men who breached the treaty agreements. General Pope disliked the tactics utilized by the hunters and realized the unjust manner in which they encroached on Indian lands and illegally hunted buffalo. Pope believed that the hunters had “‘justly earned all that may befall them,’” and that any troops he sent would be to “‘break up the grogshops and trading establishments rather than protect them.’”<ref>Richard N. Ellis, ''General Pope and the U.S. Indian Policy'' (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1970), 183.</ref>
== Conclusion ==
Most of the hunters abandoned the settlement, some stayed; however, to salvage what they could from their inventories. William Olds had been on guard duty in the watch tower overlooking the camp. While descending the ladder at the end of his shift, he stumbled and accidentally discharged his weapon, which landed a shot directly to his head. Mrs. Olds was waiting at the bottom of the ladder. Six weeks after the battle, all of the residents departed and the 6th Cavalry was ordered to guard the perimeter of the settlement in order to allow the Native Americans to return to gather their dead. Estimates vary greatly as to the number of Comanche and Kiowa killed; some reports stated the casualty number as low as nine, while others showed one hundred-fifteen. A cavalry scout reported that he encountered at least thirty Native American graves.<ref>Haley, 78.</ref>When the tribes departed with their dead warriors, the burned and destroyed any remaining structures at Adobe Walls then branched off into separate bands to continue fighting in Texas, New Mexico, Indian Territory (Oklahoma), Kansas, and southeastern Colorado. This battle marked the official beginning of the Red River War.<div class="portal" style="width:35%;">==Related DailyHistory.org Articles==*[[Why Was Vicksburg “The Gibraltar of the Confederacy?”]]*[[Interview:African American Soldiers During the Civil War: Interview with Author Bob Luke]]*[[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?]]*[[Gilded Age/Progressive Era History Top Ten Booklist]]*[[What Was the Significance of the Southwest in the Outcome of the Civil War]]</div>
==References==
