Organizers say such events recognize the sacrifices of others.
“I really believe it’s important to honor those that went before us,” said Kathy Denton, Children of the Republic of Texas sponsor. The Elizabeth Lawrence Aldrich Children of the Republic of Texas chapter and the Former Texas Rangers Association is hosting Sunday’s ceremony.
Denton hopes knowledge about the sacrifices of others instills in younger people an awareness of the price paid for the freedom we have today.
“They need to remember those who struggled and fought to make this country a better place,” she said. “Without this, we will forget - if we don’t stop and ponder and think about our past.”
Capt. John Bird and Texas Rangers Lt. Thomas Gray, Sgt. Hiram Hall, Jesse Nash and Thomas Weaver are buried in a common grave. They were killed in the Indian battle that occurred in current day Temple in 1839.
Bird was elected captain of a company of Rangers on April 2, 1839.
He left Fort Milam with about 50 men and took 12 soldiers to face court martial in Bastrop. Along the way, they stopped at a deserted fort called Fort Little River to spend the night. The next morning, Nathan Brookshire, second-in-command, and Bird left the fort and stumbled upon three young Indians skinning a buffalo.
The following day, Bird and his company left Fort Little River to find the Indians. The Rangers chased the Indians for about five miles onto a hill. Brookshire figured the complete chase was about 11 miles.
As the Rangers were hunkered down in a ravine, the Indians retired to the top of the nearby hill where they held council and sent out smoke signals. To the dismay of the Rangers, Kickapoo, Comanche and Caddo Indians began to respond to the smoke signals. Eventually, 250 Indians showed up.
The Indians charged the ravine and the Rangers opened fire. Bird encouraged his men to fight well. The Rangers dropped many Indian warriors, but Bird’s losses were high. He lost Nash to an arrow wound, and Weaver to a rifle ball to the head. Gray was shot and died. Hall was struck by an arrow and would later die at the fort.
The Indians retreated twice but regrouped each time, attacking the Rangers. During the third attack, Bird jumped on the bank of the ravine to encourage his men. Unfortunately, this proved to be a fatal move by Bird; an arrow came flying from 200 yards away and hit Bird in his heart.
Later, Brookshire and reinforcements returned to the field to bury the dead Rangers, whose bodies had been mutilated by the Comanches.
Editor’s Note: Historic information for this story was compiled by Davis Denton, a student at Central Texas Christian School. His information came from “The Texas Rangers” by Walter Prescott Webb; “Savage Frontier” and “Bird’s Creek,” an article by Clay Coppedge that ran in TexasEscapes.com.
