On August 10, 1838, twenty-one Texas Rangers under Colonel Henry Wax Karnes camped along Seco Creek in Medina County when approximately 200 Comanche warriors attacked without warning. The Rangers, including future frontier legend Jack Hays, found themselves outnumbered ten to one. Karnes immediately ordered his men into a nearby ravine where thick brush provided cover against the mounted attackers.
The Texans developed an effective defensive strategy despite their numerical disadvantage. Six or seven men fired while others reloaded, creating continuous volleys that prevented the Comanches from overrunning their position. This rotating fire technique allowed the Rangers to maintain steady resistance throughout the engagement.
The Comanches launched three separate charges, fighting with determination and tactical discipline. However, the battle turned decisively when Chief Isemani fell dead and Chief Casemiro sustained serious wounds. Twenty Comanche warriors lay dead with an equal number wounded. The war party gathered their casualties and withdrew to their village.
The Rangers achieved a decisive victory but paid a price. Colonel Karnes, who directed the defense from an exposed bluff position, suffered wounds during the engagement. Several Ranger horses were killed, though no Texan deaths were recorded. This August clash demonstrated how defensive positioning and disciplined fire could overcome superior numbers.
The engagement represented another chapter in the violent frontier conflict between Anglo-Texan settlers and Comanche bands defending their territory. Colonel Karnes had raised his Ranger companies specifically to patrol and defend the Texas frontier, authorized by the Republic just eight months earlier in December 1837.
