The Battle of the Bloody Patch was a clash between Texas Rangers and Caddo Indians that occurred in 1840 amid the Texas-Indian Wars.
In response to Texian president Mirabeau Lamar's strong anti-Indian policies, Caddo Indians joined other tribes in launching hundreds of raids on the Republic of Texas. In 1840, Captain Dewey R. Sinscott endeavored to lead a force of Texas Rangers into the heart of Indian country, intercept any war parties they came across, and bring their scalps back to the Republic as a sign of victory. However, Sinscott's 22-man party was attacked by Little Red Hare's 50 Caddo warriors at a patch of desert that would come to be known as the "Bloody Patch"; of Sinscott's 22 men, 19 were killed, leaving only three terrified survivors to flee back to the Republic in defeat.