The Texas Canyon Battle Where U.S. Cavalry Captured 1,400 Native Horses — Then Destroyed About 1,000 Of Them

They left the rest.

What they left, Mackenzie’s troops burned.

The Horses: Why The Number Matters

The 1,400 horses.

This number appears on the Texas Historical Commission marker.

The same marker provides the breakdown: 1,000 were later destroyed.

Other sources give slightly different numbers.

The Legends of America account gives “more than 1,100 horses that were later slaughtered.” The Adam Paine Wikipedia article, describing a Black Seminole Scout’s service at Palo Duro, says “captured or destroyed 1,400 horses.” The Grokipedia account says “more than 1,400 horses” with “over 1,000” slaughtered.