August 3, 1841; Palo Pinto: Austrian-born George B. Erath, for whom Erath County, Texas, was named, came to America in 1832. He fought in many Indian engage ments, as well as at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. In July 1841 Erath gathered his Milam County militia, met with Capt. Eli Chandler's men from Robertson County, and went looking for Indians. They made slow progress up the Brazos River, having to deal with many sick men.
In the western Cross Timbers region, the Texans passed several aban doned villages. At the edge of the Cross Timbers, with supplies running low, the command was about to turn back when they spotted several Indians. Erath took twenty men to follow them, pushing hard along a trail that led into the mountains west of present-day Palo Pinto. Suddenly Indians, either Cherokees or Kickapoos according to Erath, opened fire on the men from behind a rocky cliff. Hidden within the rocks, the Indians were nearly impossible to see, and the canyon was narrow, giving Erath little room to maneuver.
Capt. A.J. Smith was killed in the first volley. Erath formed his men up in a little grove and returned fire for half an hour before Capt. William M. Love arrived with reinforcements. The combined forces charged the bluffs and drove the Indians from their position; the rough country made further pursuit impossible, however. The Texans buried Smith and headed home.
Erath figured that the Texans had killed and wounded several Indians. On 7 August, Erath and Chandler parted ways and Erath made his way home to Fort Bryant, south of present-day Temple, Texas.
