The Battle of Pease River

In November of 1860, Peta Nocona led a war party against more settlers who had set up farms on Comanche land. The war party killed 23 people and returned to their encampment on the Pease River near the present day community of Crowell. The Governor asked Sul Ross to raise a company of Texas Rangers to chase down the Comanche war party. He was joined by a party of ranchers led by Charles Goodnight and 21 US army cavalry troopers. Most of the Comanche band had already moved to a new location and only a small party with the winters supply of food remained. The rangers attacked the settlement and killed all of the Comanches except for a blue-eyed woman with a child they captured and two boys who escaped. The woman was Cynthia Ann Parker and her youngest child, Prarie Flower. The two boys who escaped were twelve year old Quanah and his younger brother. Sul Ross is credited with killing Peta Nocona in the battle.