Peta Nocona - Cynthia Ann Parker and Peta Nocona

Cynthia Ann Parker and Peta Nocona

For his role in leading the attack and the allegiance of his warriors to his leadership, Peta Nocona band was recognized as the preeminent band and became known afterwards as the Noconi or Nokone. Peta Nocona married Cynthia Ann Parker, a white captive who had been adopted by the Comanche. A great tribute to his affection to Cynthia was that Peta never took another wife, though it was common among the Comanche for such a successful war chief to do so. The couple had three children, famed Comanche chief Quanah Parker, another son named Pecos ("Pecan"), and a daughter named Topsannah ("Prairie Flower").

However, the Texans never gave up on finding every last one of the children and women captured during the Great Comanche raid and subsequent ones in the following years. Although hundreds were either ransomed or eventually rescued in daring Texas Ranger and Scout expeditions, thousands remained in the hands of the Comanche. In reprisal, the Texans launched a series of retaliatory attacks on Comanche settlements, finally forcing the war-chiefs to sue for peace. The negotiations for the end of hostilities and the return of the captives was to take place in San Antonio. However at the subsequent negotiations, the Comanche's aggressive posture and known behavior of quickly attacking anyone led to series of confrontations during the meeting and a full scale violence in the Battle of Pease River, Peta Nocona's wife and children were captured and his band scattered on December 18, 1860 in a battle with Captain Lawrence Sullivan Ross and his Texas Rangers and Militia at the Battle of Pease River.