There were five men in the party; they were cow hunting. They had left the comfort of their homes in the area along the coast known as the Walton Valley and traveled northwest in the yearly search for their free-range cattle. After several days of search, reports were received of Indian raids nearby, around the upper Shoal River. Two Hart family farms had been attacked by a large band of braves coming down from the Alabama region. One brother’s large extended family had been surprised during the evening livestock feeding and massacred, while the other, hearing gun shots, had fortified...