[1] The then governor of the province, Juan Antonio Bustillo y Ceballos, led a force of about 160 cavalry soldiers, 60 auxiliary natives from the Texas missions and a large horse herd which left San Antonio de Béjar on 22 October, advancing northwards to the San Gabriel River, where they expected a contingent of Allied Teyas natives which failed to show.

After a five-hour battle where the Spanish proved superior thanks to their leather protections and muskets, the Apaches fled from their camps, leaving behind 30 captives and a large horse herd.

[8][9] As new Spanish settlers arrived, San Antonio grew into a town and four missions were founded in the area to Christianize the nearby Coahuiltecan natives.

[11] Raids and attacks upon isolated groups of settlers and troops escalated into a larger clash in September in which 20 Spanish soldiers who were chasing Lipans who had stolen horses from the garrison were ambushed by a force of 500 warriors.

[12][13] Captain Fernando Pérez de Almazán, in charge of the Béjar garrison, requested the Marquis of Casa Fuerte, viceroy of New Spain, permission and reinforcements to mount a punishment expedition against the Lipans.

[1] Bustillo left San Antonio on 22 October 1732, with 157-160 Spanish soldiers, 60 auxiliary natives, one cannon, 900 horses and mules and 140 pack-loads of supplies.

[1] In order not to alert the Apaches, and also the gather help from native allies, they made a long detour by marching north to the San Gabriel River.

On 8 December, after six weeks of search, an Indian scout named Asencio reported that he had located four enemy rancherías numbering about 400 buffalo-hide tipis up the San Sabá.

[15] Bustillo left behind his horse herd and the supplies under a heavy guard and advanced to the Apache villages with 100 soldiers, preceded by Indian scouts.

The battle lasted five hours, after which the Apaches, discouraged by the death of one of their chiefs, who had a silver cane, abandoned their rancherías and fled into the high ground.

A Spanish ambush foiled them, but despite this they continued to follow Bustillo's force, stealing 20 horses along the march straight back to San Antonio, where the expedition arrived 15 days after the battle.