Sparks, Barry and Holland

Originally published in "Indian Depredations in Texas" by J. W. Wilbarger, Austin, Texas 1889.

During the year 1838 three men, Sparks, Barry and Holland, were killed by the Indians on the south side of Richland Creek, about twelve miles from where the town of Corsicana now stands. These three men belonged to a surveying party and were killed by Indians who had placed themselves in ambush near the line they were running. The rest of the party escaped by 1838 flight. William F. Sparks was a well known land locator from the town of Nacogdoches, and his names as surveyor is attached to a great number of land titles in that region of the country. These three men were never buried, as there were wn friendly hands near to administer the last sad rites of interment. Some of the surveying instruments of this party were found twelve or thirteen years afterwards about four miles south of Corsicana. About one year after this occurrence there was a battle fought by Captain Chandler and Lieutenant William M. Love at the head of about forty Texans, with a large body of Comanche Indians. This was a running fight and was continued about ten miles. A number of the Indians were killed, while the Texans only lost one man. At the commencement of the engagement the Indians began to retreat and ran to their encampment, which was stormed by the Texans, when nearly four thousand dollars of property was captured. The gallant Colonel C. M. Winkler, late of Corsicana, who so nobly won honors under General Lee, of Virginia, participated in this fight. (See narrative of J. Eliot in Texas Almanac for 1868, p.52) Colonel Winkler has since been district judge, was a member of the Thirteenth Legislature, and at the time of his death, May 13, 1882, was one of the judges of the Court of Appeals. We are sorry that we are not in possession of a full account of the battle. [We have been informed that it was Richard Sparks that was killed instead of his son, William F. Sparks, who in April, 1886, resided in Johnson county.]