After watching the Lonesome Dove miniseries from 1989, starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones as two colorful Texas Rangers, I became very interested in the history of Texas and the wars fought against Mexico and the Commanche. I had been absorbing every piece of Western media that I could get my hands on, whether fact or fiction. I was particularly interested in getting at the truth of the dynamic between American settlers and the American Indians after discovering some shocking stories about the French and Indian War. From what I gathered while watching Lonesome Dove, the Commanche were the most brutal and warlike Indian Nation and their reign of terror overshadowed all others.
Empire of the Summer Moon was often recommended on forums when people asked for books on the Texas Rangers despite it being focused on the Commanche. I was wary of a book focused on the Indian side of the story because contemporary critics and academics are just as guilty of painting a one-sided picture as the old establishment they rail against. I am pleased to report that this book pulls no punches and paints an accurate, balanced and harsh picture of both the Indians and the Texans. This is in line with what I learned from the French and Indian Wars; if we consider each side in the context of their times there are no good guys or bad guys. There was only a harsh and brutal fight to survive.
The Commanche had been pushed out of the North by enemy Indians in their distant past, but when they found wild Spanish Mustangs in the South their culture changed. They developed their horsemanship to a level at or beyond that of the Mongols or other horse tribes of Asia and Europe; when American military forces encountered the Commanche they remarked that they were the best mounted cavalry force they had ever seen. A mounted Commanche brave could launch three to five arrows before the first one hit the ground and they could even fire from a position under their horse's neck, keeping their body away from danger. The Spanish were utterly unable to handle the Commanche and invited Anglo settlers into their Northern lands primarily to serve as a buffer in the zone adjacent to Commanche territories. The new Anglo Texan settlers quickly learned that they were also no match for the Commanche; with nothing but muzzle loading arms they could not hope to keep up with the Commanche rate of arrow fire. The Commanche were the only Indians who fought from horseback; everything learned from the Indian wars fought on foot back East did not apply.
TBC