Battise Village (Upper Coushatta Village, Ben-Ash's Village)
Battise Village, also known by variations such as Baptiste Village or
Battiste Village, was a significant historical settlement established
by the Coushatta (Koasati) Indians in the early 19th century. It served
as one of three principal Coushatta communities along the Trinity River
in what is now the region encompassing San Jacinto and Polk counties in
East Texas. The village was part of the broader migration and
settlement patterns of the Alabama and Coushatta tribes, who are
Muskhogean-speaking peoples originally from the southeastern United
States and members of the Upper Creek Confederacy. These groups began
migrating westward in the late 1700s due to pressures from European
colonization, diseases, and conflicts, eventually crossing into Spanish
Texas around the 1780s. The Spanish encouraged their settlement to act
as a buffer against French and American influences, granting them lands
in southeast Texas, including the resource-rich Big Thicket area
suitable for hunting, fishing, and agriculture.
Location and Geographical Details
Battise Village was positioned as the "upper" or northernmost of the
three main Coushatta villages on the Trinity River. It was situated on
the west bank of the Trinity River in San Jacinto County, directly
opposite the mouth of Kickapoo Creek and near the present-day area of
Point Blank. Some sources place it in western Polk County near the
modern site of Onalaska, reflecting the fluid boundaries of the era,
but it extended into what became San Jacinto County. The village was a
key point along the Coushatta Trace, a historic trail that crossed the
Trinity River at this location. This trace was a narrow footpath and
road extending from Coushatta villages in Louisiana southwest through
Texas to La Bahía (modern Goliad), serving as a trade and travel route
for Native Americans, Spanish colonists, and later figures like Sam
Houston during the Texas Revolution. The trace passed through areas
including present-day Newton, Jasper, Tyler, Polk, San Jacinto, and
Walker counties, connecting to other villages like Cane Island and
Peach Tree. The village's location was documented in surveyors'
field notes for original land grants, including those for James H.
Duncan and Isham T. Patrick, and it even influenced boundary
definitions for Liberty County during the Republic of Texas period
(encompassing modern Polk and San Jacinto counties). By the 1830s, the
three Coushatta villages, Battise (upper), Long King’s (middle), and
Colita’s (lower), had a combined population of around 600, with
residents living in cabins, cultivating crops like corn, beans, and
sweet potatoes, raising livestock, and hunting in the surrounding
woodlands. No
physical remnants survive today, as much of the area was inundated by
Lake Livingston in 1969, but it is referenced in historical surveys,
maps, and tribal oral traditions. Ben-Ash Hill is approximately
two miles west at about 30.75° N, 95.23° W. Much of the area is now
under Lake Livingston, with no exact GPS from surveys, but referenced
in 19th-century land grants and maps like the 1856 Polk County GLO map.
Historical Significance and Key Events
The Coushatta, including those at Battise Village, navigated complex
relationships with European powers, accepting gifts and alliances from
Spanish, British, French, and American entities while maintaining
autonomous villages linked by language, clan, and marriage. By
the 1830s, it housed warriors, families, and served as a base for
hunting, farming, and diplomacy. During the
Mexican period (1824–1835), they retained land allowances, and in 1835,
Mexican authorities ordered white settlers off Coushatta lands to
secure their loyalty. The tribe supported Texans in the 1836 Texas
Revolution, aiding settlers during the Runaway Scrape by ferrying them
across the Trinity and providing supplies at Long King’s Village; they
also served as scouts for Sam Houston at the Battle of San
Jacinto. As a Native American village predating
Anglo-American colonization, it had no "founders" in the European sense
but was led by chiefs like Ben-Ash, who played a pivotal role in
interactions with the Republic of Texas. The village's history is
intertwined with broader Coushatta experiences, including land grants,
treaties, and eventual relocation to reservations.
Early Leaders, Associated Figures, and Biographies
As a tribal village, it lacked European-style "founders" but was shaped
by Coushatta chiefs and interacting settlers/officials. Below is a
table of all documented individuals, with biographies compiled from
sources. Family details are sparse, as tribal records emphasize
communal rather than individual lineages.
Chief Ben-Ash (ca. early 1800s–1844)
Primary Leader/Chief of Battise Village
Born likely in the Southeast
(Alabama/Louisiana region) amid Coushatta migrations; became chief in
the early 19th century, overseeing the upper village during Texas's
transition from Mexican rule to Republic. Resided on Ben-Ash Hill;
participated in Republic of Texas Indian affairs, receiving gifts
(e.g., blue flaps, sheeting, utensils, beads, tobacco, gun worth $9.25)
from commissioners in 1843. Attended a May 13, 1844, council at
Tehuacana Creek for boundary talks, horse recovery, and presents. Died
in 1844; his widow received a passport from Sam Houston on October 17,
1844, to return to the tribe near Smithfield on the Trinity. No
children or extended family named in records, but he is honored in
Alabama-Coushatta tribal chief lists as a key 19th-century leader.
Ben-Ash's Widow (ca. 1800s–unknown)
Spouse of Chief; Resident
Unnamed in records; received a
passport from Sam Houston in 1844 after Ben-Ash's death, allowing safe
passage back to Coushatta lands near Smithfield. Represents the
personal impacts of tribal displacement; no further details on her life
or family.
In 1835, a treaty promised land rights between the Angelina, Neches,
and Sabine Rivers, but it was not ratified after Texas independence,
leading to ongoing tensions. In 1840, the Republic of Texas
Congress granted two leagues of land (about 900 square miles) as
permanent reservations for the Coushatta: one for Colita’s Village and
one for Battise Village. Surveys were conducted and field notes filed,
but these grants were ineffective due to prior claims by white
settlers. By the late 1830s, ferry services like Duncan's Ferry (later
Patrick's Ferry) operated at the Coushatta Trace crossing near the
village, lasting until the early 20th century. George T. Wood, Texas's
second governor, established a plantation near Battise Village in 1839.
Population estimates from 1850 by explorer William Bollaert suggest
around 500 warriors across Battise and Colita’s villages combined.
However, increasing white settlement, conflicts, and epidemics led to a
decline in the 1840s, with residents gradually relocating to other
Coushatta sites like Long King’s or Colita’s villages, or back to
Louisiana. By 1856, a General Land Office map of Polk County no longer
showed the village. Ben-Ash was the chief of Battise Village during the
early 19th century. He played a role in tribal affairs during the
Republic of Texas era.
Decline and Legacy:
Population dwindled in the 1840s due to settler encroachment and
disease; by 1856, it no longer appeared on General Land Office maps of
Polk County, with residents relocating to Colita's Village or the
eventual Polk County reservation (established 1854).
Archaeological evidence, such as prehistoric shell middens nearby,
suggests long-term Indigenous occupation, though much is submerged.
In 1844, Republic of Texas President Sam Houston issued a passport to
Ben-Ash's widow, highlighting the village's diplomatic ties. Nearby
villages were led by figures like Long King (principal chief of the
middle village until around 1838), Colita (who succeeded Long King and
led the lower village until his death in 1852), Tempe (successor to
Long King in the middle village), and Long Tom (who followed Tempe).
After the Coushatta integrated with the Alabama tribe on a shared
reservation in Polk County by 1859, leadership transitioned to unified
chiefs like John Scott (1871–1913), Bronson Cooper Sylestine
(1936–1969), and Kina Robert Fulton Battise (1970–1994).
Current Status and Modern References
Battise Village no longer exists as a populated settlement; its site is
now submerged under Lake Livingston, a reservoir created in the late
1960s that flooded much of the historical Trinity River valley in San
Jacinto and Polk counties. There are no indications of a modern
community or active site by that name.
Historical markers and references to Coushatta sites exist in the
region, such as one for a Coushatta village and burial ground on Farm
Road 233 near Goodrich in Polk County (about three miles southeast),
but this is not explicitly tied to Battise Village.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, federally recognized and based on
a reservation in Polk County (established in 1854 and expanded in
1928), preserves the cultural legacy of these historical villages
through oral histories, community programs, and tribal governance.
Modern discussions often focus on the tribe's adaptation to
contemporary life while maintaining traditions, as noted by tribal
leaders like Herbert Johnson in historical accounts.
For further exploration, resources like the Texas State Historical
Association's handbook or the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe's website provide
detailed archival information.
Additional:
Colita (ca. 1780–1852)
Associated Chief (Lower Village)
Leader of nearby Colita's Village;
contemporary of Ben-Ash, involved in similar diplomacy with Houston.
Granted land in 1840; remained in San Jacinto County until 1906
descendants joined reservation. No direct family ties to Ben-Ash noted.
Long King (ca. 1780s–1838)
Associated Chief (Northern Village)
Predecessor influence; led Long
King's Village upstream. Died before Ben-Ash's peak; tribe under his
guidance aided Texians in Revolution.
Other Coushatta Chiefs (e.g., Canasa Gimingu, Chickasaw Abbey, Mingo)
Tribal Leaders
Contemporaries mentioned in Coushatta
histories; involved in Texas treaties but not specifically tied to
Battise Village. Represent broader leadership network.
Daniel P. Coit (ca. 1800s)
Liberty County Chief Justice; Boundary Describer
In 1837, wrote to Secretary of State
James P. Henderson defining Liberty County's northern boundary to
"Battiste" village, aiding legal claims.
James P. Henderson (1808–1858)
Republic Secretary of State/Governor
Received Coit's 1837 letter; later first Texas governor (1846–1847); oversaw Indian policies affecting Coushatta.
George T. Wood (1795–1858)
Nearby Planter; Texas Governor
Moved to Texas 1839; established
plantation near Battise Village; second Texas governor (1847–1849).
Interacted with tribe amid land disputes.
James H. Duncan (ca. 1800s)
Land Grantee
Received grants encompassing parts of the village site; operated Duncan's Ferry there.
Isham T. Patrick (ca. 1800s)
Land Surveyor/Grantee
Survey notes described land "immediately above the upper Coushatta village"; later Patrick's Ferry replaced Duncan's.
William Bollaert (1807–1876)
Explorer/Observer
In 1850, estimated 500 warriors in Battise and Colita's Villages; accounts quoted by anthropologist John R. Swanton.
Sam Houston (1793–1863)
Republic President
Issued 1844 passport to Ben-Ash's widow; long ally to Coushatta, recommending 1854 reservation.
For further exploration, consult Alabama-Coushatta tribal archives or TSHA for evolving research.
