The Fort Parker Massacre of May 1836 is a well-known story in Texas. The story's reach is now worldwide, with a detailed and comprehensive Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Parker_massacre
"The Fort Parker massacre of May 1836, also known as the Fort Parker raid, was an event in which U.S. settlers of the Parker family were killed in an attack by a contingent of Comanche, Caddo, and Wichita fighters. During the attack, Cynthia Ann Parker, then 9-years-old, was captured and spent most of the rest of her life within the Comanche Nation, later marrying Chief Peta Nocona and giving birth to a son, Quanah Parker, who became a prominent leader of the Comanches and a war leader during the Red River War of 1874–75. Cynthia’s brother John Richard Parker was also captured and remained with the Comanches for six years before his release was negotiated. He was unable to readapt to Western society and chose to return to the Comanche Nation.
History
Fort Parker was established about two miles (3.2 km) north of present-day Groesbeck, Limestone County, Texas, United States, by Elder John Parker (1758–1836), his sons, Benjamin, Silas and James, with other members of the Pilgrim Predestinarian Baptist Church of Crawford County, Illinois. Led by John and Daniel Parker, they came to Texas in 1833. Daniel's party first settled in Grimes County, then later moved to Anderson County near present-day Elkhart and established Pilgrim Church. Elder John Parker's group settled near the headwaters of the Navasota River, and built a fort for protection against Native Americans. It was completed in March 1834. Fort Parker's 12-foot-high (3.7 m) log walls enclosed four acres (16,000 m2). Blockhouses were placed on two corners for lookouts, and six cabins were attached to the inside walls. The fort had two entrances, a large double gate facing south, and a small gate for easy access to the spring. Most of the residents of the fort were part of the extended family of John and Sarah Parker.
The massacre
Soon the settlers were making their homes and farming the land. Several had built cabins on their farms, and used the fort for protection. Peace treaties were made with surrounding Native American chiefs.[citation needed] Following the massacre of Anglos at the Alamo, the Comanche and other local tribes were emboldened to retake their lost lands.
On May 19, 1836, a large party of Native Americans, including Comanches, Kiowas, Caddos, and Wichitas, attacked the inhabitants of Fort Parker. In her memoir, Rachel Plummer wrote that "one minute the fields (in front of the fort) were clear, and the next moment, more Indians than I dreamed possible were in front of the fort."
One of the Indians approached the fort with a white flag. No one believed the flag was genuine. Silas Parker wanted the five men present to man the walls and fight as best they could. Benjamin Parker felt that by going out he could buy time for the majority of the women and children to flee out the back (small) gate. He felt that there was simply no way that five men would be able to hold the Indians out more than a second or two, as they could use ropes to scale the walls. He felt that the war party would then kill everyone in the fort, and the unsuspecting men in the fields. He argued with Silas that they had to barter their lives for time for everyone else. Their father agreed with Benjamin.
Benjamin knew he was going to be killed. According to Rachel Plummer's account, Benjamin returned to the fort, after his first talk with the war party, and told his brother and father that he believed they would all be killed, and that they should run swiftly to the woods. Silas again argued with him, telling him they should push the big gate shut, and man the walls. Ben pointed out, rightly, Rachel said, that there was no time, and their "course was decided." He told her, "run little Rachel, for your life and your unborn child, run now and fast!" She said he then straightened up and went back outside.[7] She recounted how Silas told her to watch the front gate, after Benjamin had gone out to talk to the Indians the second time, when she herself wanted to flee, while he ran for his musket and powder pouch. "They will kill Benjamin," she reported her Uncle Silas saying, "and then me, but I will do for at least one of them, by God." At that moment, she said she heard whooping outside the fort, and then Indians were inside.
The 3–5 minutes bought enough time that the majority of the women and children did get away. Rachel Plummer, who was pregnant, was afraid she would not be able to keep up while carrying her two-year-old son, and so she stayed in the fort.[7] She began running after seeing the Indians come into the fort, holding her little boy's hand, while behind her she said she saw Indians stabbing Benjamin with their lances, and then she heard "Uncle Silas shout defiance as though he had a thousand men with him. Alas, he was alone, and soon dead." Lucy Parker, who also had a small child, stopped to argue with her husband Silas, begging him to come with her. Elizabeth Duty Kellogg stopped to gather up their savings, $100 in coins, before she attempted to escape.
Benjamin Parker was killed, and before the fort's gates could be closed, the raiders rushed inside. Silas Parker, who was outside with his brother, was killed before he was able to get back inside the gate. Samuel Frost and his son Robert were killed inside the gate, as they attempted to flee. John Parker was castrated and then scalped. His wife came out of the woods when she saw his torture and was captured. Lucy Parker and her youngest two children were initially captured but were rescued by David Faulkenberry as he ran up to the fort from the fields. Her two oldest children, however, along with Rachel and her son, and Elizabeth Kellogg were successfully kidnapped.
In all, five men were killed, some were left for dead, two women and three children were captured, and the rest escaped into the wilderness. . . ."
More on the Fort Parker Massacre Memorial statue can be found here:
Smithsonian Art Inventory
"Roy Weldert and W.H. Dietz fabricated the base of the memorial and ordered the sculpture from Italy. When the sculpture was installed in 1932, Fort Parker Memorial Park was known as Glenwood Memorial Cemetery.
The statue honors the Fort Parker "martyrs." On March 19, 1836, Comanche and Kiowa Indians attacked the fort, killing Silas M. Parker and four others, wounding three, and capturing several residents, including Cynthia Ann, the Parker's daughter.
Three members of the pioneer Parker family stand side-by-side atop shaft. Silas M. Parker, stands about to leave the Fort, holding the barrel of a rifle with his right hand, the butt of which rests on the ground. He holds the rim of his wide-brimmed hat with his left hand. He is dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, a vest, pants and knee-high boots. To his left is Lucy Parker wearing a head covering and full-length dress, her head turned towards her husband. Her left hand rests on the shoulder of their young daughter, Cynthia Ann Parker, who stands beside her. The sculpture is mounted upon a shaft with a square column at each corner. The shaft rests on a tiered base set on a wide platform with two steps on each side."