Battle at Fort Lancaster

Battle at Fort Lancaster. The only Texas army post ever attacked by Indians. On December 26, 1867, the 40 soldiers and officers of Company K, 9th Cavalry, were attacked at Fort Lancaster by an estimated 400 Kickapoo and their allies. The battle began when the teamster leading the horses to water, William Sharpe, was lassoed, dragged away, and killed. While the others turned the herd back to the fort, troopers Andrew Trimble and Eli Boyer were likewise killed., At the fort the company formed a crescent-shaped skirmish line to face the enemy charging from the south, west, and north. The troopers' resolve and steady fire from their Spencer repeating rifles saved the day with no further losses. When the army horse herd stampeded during the battle, the attackers began to withdraw., The Kickapoo Tribe , The Kickapoo were originally farmers and buffalo hunters from the Great Lakes region, but readily adapted to life on the Texas prairie. Today the tribe numbers over 2,500, living in Oklahoma, Nevada, Texas, and Mexico., Buffalo Soldiers , American Indian tribes respected the fierce fighting ability of the African American soldiers and gave them the name "Buffalo Soldiers.", "Had this stampede not occurred, it is doubtful if the defense against such overwhelming odds could have been successful." , - Captain William Frohock