Headwaters of the Nueces River

22 February 1856; Rocksprings, Texas: On 14 February, Capt. James Oakes with Company C, 2nd Cavalry, left Fort Mason to pursue a band of Waco Indians who had been raiding settlements. The soldiers trailed the Wacos for three days until they cut the Indians' path, then they chased them for six days. When the soldiers found them, the band proved to have only six to eight warriors.

In the ensuing fight, a trooper wounded a Waco and, having used up all his ammunition, killed him with a rock. Two other Indians may have been wounded. Two soldiers were wounded, as were six army horses. Oakes and his men captured all the Indian horses and property, then made the long trip back to Fort Mason. Along the way, as they ran out of food, the men killed and ate several lame horses. Oakes was later recognized for being the first 2nd Cavalryman to have killed an enemy Indian.

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