USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. V > Part 14
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"1st. The creation of Arizona into a sepa- rate command, with its commander at some central station, as at Sacaton, for instance.
"2nd. In the concentration of the troops in large commands, as, for instance, the six com- panies in the district of Prescott, into one post, within from twenty to thirty miles of Prescott, maintaining outposts at the settlements, if nec- essary, and south of the Gila, having only Camps Goodwin and Bowie, one post near old Fort Buchanan, and a company at Sacaton.
"Had the assistant inspector general been out here for the last two and a half years, he might have been able to discuss this question more sat- isfactorily with reference to the remedies he proposes, for they have both been tried, and the unsatisfactory condition of affairs he has noticed in the course of his inspection, and
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which existed when his proposed measures were in force, would have to be accounted for other- wise than he suggests.
"When I came to the command of the depart- ment of the Pacific, in July, 1864, Arizona formed part of the district of New Mexico, and when it was added to my command, its inhabi- tants were greatly rejoiced. It was a claim to their consideration to have been prominent in having had the change effected. At first I had been averse to having the Territory, but yielded to the desire of others, when I came to see that it drew its supplies from this place, and that I had, in fact, to care for it, without having the authority to control it.
"On its being placed under me, I made of it a district ; appointed a general officer to command it; sent him more than a brigade of troops (at one time thirty-six companies), more men, and better men for the purpose, and, with some exception, better officers, than are there now.
"He had full authority in the matter of dis- tributing his troops, in making contracts and purchases for their supply; was furnished with everything he asked for, that had to come from here; had authority to institute courts-martial ; and in short had all the authority, in every particular, that I, as department commander, at this moment possess.
"His posts were larger than the assistant inspector-general suggests, for he appreciated, as I most fully do, all the evils of small com- mands.
"Near old Fort Buchanan, which is one of the points the assistant inspector-general recom-
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mends, he had a post of seven companies, four companies at Fort Grant, five companies at Goodwin, four companies at Fort Whipple, at one time six, and six companies at Camp McDowell.
"His headquarters were at Yuma, Prescott, and at the very place suggested by the assistant inspector general, Sacaton.
"His men were of the best; they were self- reliant, intelligent, hardy, quick to take care of themselves wherever sent. He had two suc- cessors, who had their headquarters at Sacaton.
"Did this command as thus ordered, and these large posts, give that absolute security to the people and property all over Arizona, without which affairs may be properly said to be un- satisfactory ? Were men suffered by the In- dians to go alone within their reach, unmo- lested ? Were cattle always safe even under the fire of a sentinel? No.
"The assistant inspector general, speaking of what he calls the results of the present policy, says that men were even killed a few miles ahead of and behind him, and that animals were killed and driven off from a corral not fifty yards from a detachment of seven men specially designed for their protection. Well, the same was done under the state of affairs which he thinks would prove a remedy.
"It is to be well borne in mind, in considering matters in Arizona :
"1st. That the Apache kills and robs as a means of livelihood. It is his normal condition. He has been at it for forty-seven years, if not, indeed, for centuries.
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"2nd. That there is no confederation or al- liance between the several tribes, frequently none between the bands of the same tribe (or, if there has been, it has been of no practical importance).
"3rd. That the hostile Indians all live in the most remote and inaccessible parts of the Ter- ritory, to which it is difficult for the whites, under the most favorable circumstances, to penetrate.
"4th. That the portions of the Territory (with few exceptions) inhabited by the whites, are seamed with mountain ridges, which, like the plains between them, are bare of trees, and from which the roads and the settlements are as plain to the sight of the stealthy Apache, as is the pit of a theatre to a spectator in the gallery.
"5th. That this physical condition of the face of the country enables the Apache to make a sure calculation what to do. and what to avoid. He can, from his secure lookout in the mountain side or top, see for miles off exactly how many persons are moving on the road, and how they are moving; he knows exactly where they must pass, where only they can get a drink of water; he never has occasion to take any risk, and it is his law never to take any.
"6th. That having been at this business for years, and having an exact knowledge of every ridge, every pass and ravine, and being entirely unencumbered with any luggage, camp or gar- rison equipage, and being able to go for days on an amount of food on which a white man would sink from exhaustion, he can strike and escape before any one but the one stricken has
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knowledge of his presence; and if he is too hard pressed to carry off his booty, he has only to abandon it and gain one of the inevitable moun- tain ridges, and he is safe from any pursuit that a white man, either on foot or horseback, can make.
"Bearing these facts in mind, it is easy to be seen that a large post will not prevent an as- sassination or a theft. Witness what was done last month, near one of the largest posts in Ari- zona, where there are five companies, and near which two men were killed while fishing; and what occurred a few days ago in Nevada, where a man, who was fishing near the post, was shot in the head by an Indian concealed behind a rock. Neither large posts nor small posts will prevent these things so long as the Indians are in a state of hostility, any more than murder and robbery will not be committed in the vicinity of a large city. This is well illustrated by the following slip from to-day's paper, August 14, giving an account of a raid in the vicinity of Prescott, Arizona Territory.
" 'On Thursday, at noon, a band of Indians jumped the herd kept by Mr. A. G. Dunn, and at the time grazing within half a mile east of the centre of the town of Prescott. An alarm was immediately given and our citizens turned out in force, but being mostly on foot they gave up the chase. In an hour Lieutenant Purdy and twenty-five cavalrymen from Whipple were on the track, with several citizens well mounted ; but after an absence of twenty-four hours they returned, having been unable to follow the trail. In the herd were five horses belonging to
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O. Allen, one to Sheriff Rourke, one to Ben Block, and one to the Governor, making some five or six valuable saddle animals the Indians have taken from him within three years. This is a great country. Yesterday the Indians ran off the stock from Bower's ranch, at the Point of Rocks, seven miles from Prescott, but they were pursued and the stock recovered.'
"But it may be urged large posts are not for defensive purposes; they are to enable large bodies (see report on camp Grant) to move into the mountain fastnesses and homes of the hos- tile.
"The celerity and, above all, the secrecy of movement of a body decreases with its size. These large posts, established as indicated by the assistant inspector general, would be at a long distance from these mountain fastnesses, and long before the large body, encumbered by its pack train, could gain them, the Indians would know of its movement, and would have fled only to be seen making insulting gestures from a distant mountain ridge, or found hang- ing on the rear and shooting from some secure hiding place, on the pack train as it wound through some gorge or canyon.
"The reports of expeditions carried on in the way suggested have almost invariably ended with the statement that, after leaving their camp and marching for several days over a bar- ren country, meeting no one, they finally saw smoke from distant hills or mountain ridges answered by other smokes, and after pushing on with their command over almost inaccessible mountains and impassable canyons, they found
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their rations would only last them long enough to get back to camp, and so they returned with the men and horses shoeless and used up, their promenade having no other effect than to embolden rather than to subdue the enemy.
"This is illustrated by the following account, taken from to-day's paper (August 14) of a scout in the Verde district, Arizona Territory.
"'On the ninth day their track got very fresh, and we ambushed in some willow brush until night. We had been obliged to travel in the day-time, owing to dark nights and the roughness of the country. We were across Salt river, in what is known as the Salt River coun- try. Just about sunset we started, and we had not traveled one hour when we were fired upon from the top of a very steep sided mountain. In fact, it was almost impossible for a man to climb it at all. The first notice we had of them was a volley of balls and arrows. They did not use their guns after the fire, but kept up a cloud of arrows with a perfect looseness, as though 'twas no trouble to make them. None of our men were hit. We returned the fire, but were unable to determine how many, if any, were hit, as at each volley the Indians would drop to the ground. They danced, shouted, and called us all the pet names their vocabulary affords, I presume. We prospected around the mountain and found there was no way to get up to it with- out the sacrifice of many valuable lives; and then the Indians could run from us, and having been discovered, and many signal smokes having been sent up, we gave it up as a bad job and returned to the post.'
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"In other words, to place the troops in large bodies involves with the limited number at com- mand, few posts at a great distance apart, and these posts, as proposed, nearer the whites than the Indians.
"This, in a country like Arizona, would neither protect the settlers nor punish their enemies.
"It may be asked if it is not necessary, for safety as well as efficiency, that a force going after these Indians should be large in order to effect anything. Such does not seem to be the opinion of two of the best commanders in Ari- zona.
"Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Price, command- ing the district of the upper Colorado, reports that in his expeditions after the Indians, he has ascertained, 'that the Hualapais are a very cowardly race, and that ten good cavalry men could probably disperse the whole tribe if they could be caught on the plain; but they are very fleet runners, and have a large tract of country to range over.
" 'The most hostile band is led by Chief Cherum (war chief of the Yavapais), in the Cerbat range. They have committed nearly all of the murders and depredations.
" 'They are well acquainted with the ways and manners of the white man, and many of them are armed with superior weapons, which they well know how to use from behind rocks and safe places. The officers from Prescott say they would prefer fighting five Apaches to one Hualapai.'
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"In southern Arizona a detachment of forty officers and men sent out from Camp Wallen, a two-company post, were judged sufficient by one of our most celebrated Indian fighters, Colonel McGarry, to penetrate the haunts of Cochese, which they did successfully, destroying one of his rancherias and putting his men to flight.
"That more was not done was due, the colonel states, not to the want of numbers, but to the broken down condition of the horses when they came up with the Indians.
"With the exception of the troops in the dis- trict of the Verde, when they fell into the hands of an officer unsuited to his duty, there has not been a party sent out from a post in Arizona that has not driven the Indians wherever they could come up with them, or find them. One company of cavalry from the district of Pres- cott, last month dispersed and drove what is reported to be a combination of the Hualapais tribe and the Piutes. (See recent reports of General Gregg and Colonel Price.)
"Take for instance, the expeditions sent out from Camps Wallen, McDowell and Whipple.
"It is, I think, beyond a question that the de- fect is not in the quantity, but in the quality of the force. It is not so much a large body, but an active one that is wanted-one moving with- out any baggage, and led by active, zealous offi- cers, who really wish to accomplish something, and who are able to endure fatigue, and willing to undergo great personal privations.
"I grant the existence of all the evils named by the assistant inspector general, as incident to small posts, and were it possible, I would
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never have the garrison of a post less than a regiment; and if obliged to make detach- ments never have one less than two companies, and never suffer these companies to be absent for more than a few months at a time. I would also never send raw recruits into the field, never have artillery act as infantry, or the latter as cavalry. The question with me, however, has been one of necessity, not of choice, or, at least, but a choice of evils.
"The assistant inspector general thinks a bet- ter state of affairs would follow if all the six companies in the district of Prescott were con- centrated at one camp near the town (within twenty to thirty miles of it), with outposts at the settlements, if necessary. Has he calcu- lated the number of these outposts ? If he com- menced with sending a few men to this ranch or that mill, other ranches and other mills would ask and have a claim for as much; and then, when all the defensive arrangements were made, some succeeding inspector would have the op- portunity of repeating his report, 'that animals have been driven off from a corral not fifty yards distant from a detachment of seven men, specially designed for their protection.' And then, how would protection be given the road from La Paz to Prescott over which the sup- plies have to be hauled ? By a detachment from the large camp? How protect the road from Maricopa and Wickenburg, over which the mail is carried between southern and northern Ari- zona ? By another detachment? Thus much for the defensive arrangements. The offensive movements against the Apaches would have to
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be carried on as far as beyond the Verde, beyond Grief hill.
"I do not think it well to protect the road from the river, and from the Gila to Prescott, by troops stationed at the latter place. Sup- plies would have to be hauled to Prescott, and then hauled back over the road. It is a ques- tion if the camp at McPherson had not better be at La Paz, where, on the application of the superintendent of Indian affairs, another post will have to be made ; and there would be no ques- tion, if it were not that the road from the Gila, coming into the La Paz road near McPherson, also needs protection.
"The offensive force given by the ten com- panies of cavalry is, as has been proven, large enough to go anywhere into Arizona, and the post on the Verde is near enough the haunts of the Indians for the infantry there to accomplish something if they had a commanding officer suited to the service.
"As the assistant inspector general does not mention the district of the Verde, I will not now refer to it.
"As to the arrangement of troops south of the Gila, I find the only change that is suggested is that the posts of Camps Wallen and Tubac should be consolidated into one post at old Fort Buchanan; that the posts at Tucson and Grant should be abandoned. As to the first it is with General Crittenden and Colonel McGarry to do so or not, as they with their experience may judge best. The company at Tucson is neces- sary for escorting trains, etc., from the depot V-15
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to the surrounding posts, and this duty can be better done by detachments from a company there than by drawing one from the more dis- tant camps, and can be maintained at a less cost. I have tried in vain to do away with Camp Grant, and once had issued the order for it to be abandoned but was obliged, by the representa- tions of the commanders and the inhabitants, to re-establish it.
"I come now to the assertions made by the assistant inspector general, 'that, indeed, it may well be doubted if life and property have ever been less secure in Arizona than at this time.' He adds, 'and certainly, since traveling through the Territory in 1857 and 1859, I have never known the roads so dangerous as they are now.' In justice to myself and the service in Arizona the following facts are to be borne in mind :
"1st. That when the whites first came to Arizona the Apaches were friendly to them. The following extracts are from the journals of Emory and Johnstone of their march to Cali- fornia under General Kearney in 1846:
" 'October 20 * * The general sent word to the Apaches he would not start until 9 or 10; this gave them time to come in, headed by their chief, Red Sleeve. They swore eternal friendship to the whites and everlasting hatred to the Mexicans. The order, quickness, and quietude of our movements seemed to impress them. One of the chiefs (Apache), after eye- ing the general with apparent admiration, broke out in a vehement manner: 'You have taken New Mexico, and will soon take California; go then and take Chihuahua, Durango, and Sonora,
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we will help you. You fight for land, we care nothing for land. We fight for the laws of Montezumna and for food. The Mexicans are rascals ; we hate and will kill them all.' * * * " 'November 4. * * * The Apaches gave us to understand that a marauding party of their people were in Sonora. The broad, fresh trail of cattle and horses leading up the Aroya induces us to believe that they have returned, successful, of course.
" 'November 5. * * The bed of this creek was deeply cut, and turned at short angles, forming a zigzag like the boyaux laid by sap- pers in approaching a fortress, each turn of which (and they were invulnerable), formed a strong defensive position. The Apache, once in possession of them, is secure from pursuit or invasion from the Mexican. * * *
" 'Nature has done her utmost to favor a con- dition of things which has enabled a savage and uncivilized tribe, armed with the bow and lance, to hold as tributary powers three fertile and once flourishing States : Chihuahua, Sonora and Durango, peopled by a Christian race, country- men of the immortal Cortez. These States were at one time flourishing, but such has been the devastation and alarm spread by these children of the mountains that they are now losing popu- lation, commerce, and manufactures at a rate which, if not soon arrested, must leave them uninhabited.'
"Captain Johnstone says :
" 'October 28. * * * Around the south- east base of this is a broad trail leading towards Sonora, where the Apaches go to steal.
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" 'October 29. * * * About five miles from camp we fell upon the great stealing road of the Apaches. It is hard beaten and in places, many yards wide, filled with horse, mule, and cattle tracks, the latter all going one way from Sonora.
" 'October 31. * * * Captain Moore and Carson shook hands with them (Gila Apaches), but they would not be induced to come into camp. They had been dealt with by Americans in the employment of Chihuahua, who had hunted them at $50 a scalp, as one would hunt wolves, and one American decoyed a large num- ber of their brethren in rear of a wagon to trade, and fired a field piece among them.
"'November 2. * * Some Apaches (Pinoleros) showed themselves on a hill top early this morning. * * * The high peaks afford fine points for lookouts, upon one of which is always seated one of their number, like a sentinel crow on the highest limb of the ad- jacent tree, watching over the safety of his thieving fraternity. Their wigwams scarce peep above the low brushwood of the country, being not more than four feet high, slightly dug out in the centre, and the dirt thrown around the twigs which are rudely woven into an oven shape as a canopy to the house. A tenement of a few hours' work is the home of a family for years or a day; like wolves they are ever wall- dering.
" 'November 4. * * Here we fell into another Indian trail, larger than that we were upon; both were fresh, signs of cattle lately driven from Sonora. These Indians have now
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been seventeen years living by the plunder of Sonora; when they are required to stop it will require either money or powder to make them obey.'
"2nd. That they so remained as a general thing until the breaking out of the rebellion.
"3rd. That at the time referred to by the as- sistant inspector general there were, I think, but two posts in the country now known as Ari- zona-Forts Buchanan and Breckenridge.
"4th. That all the country north of the Gila was unsettled and almost totally unknown by the whites. Prescott, and the farms and mines near, and the roads leading to it, and all the settlements north of the Gila, were established since the breaking out of the rebellion.
"5th. That if life and property were more secure in 1857 and 1859, it was not because of the existence of a better policy then than is now pursued; not because the one post in south- ern Arizona gave more protection than do many posts now established, some of which have been much larger than the one referred to. It was due, not to better protection against Indian hos- tilities, but to the fact that there were fewer hostilities to guard against, and fewer, much fewer, points to guard. The Indians who used to prey on Sonora and Chihuahua now find men and property to murder and steal near their haunts. Instead of the long, broad trails to Sonora mentioned by Johnstone, they now make short ones to the roads and property of the whites in Arizona. All that mountainous coun- try running from northwestern to southeastern Arizona is infested by different bands of hostile Indians, who now have to be guarded against
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and who gave no insecurity to the whites in 1857 and 1859. Even in southern Arizona, Cochese's band, which is the only one whose raids we have now to guard against, was friendly.
"The comparison is therefore in every way unjust. A fair one would be between the state of the country as it was when I first took charge, and what it is since 'my policy' has been in operation. The condition of the country when I received it was fully described in my report of March 23, 1866, as follows:
" 'Their (the Apaches) murdering and ma- rauding forays have been carried on from the sixty miles north of Prescott to the Sonora line, all along the valley of the Hassayamp, the Verde, the Agua Fria, the Gila, the Santa Cruz, San Pedro, Sonoita, Arivaipa, and Arrivaca, in Skull valley, on all the roads leading to Prescott and to Wickenburg, and from the Pimas to Fort Mc- Dowell-everywhere, in fact, where there was life or property to be taken. The Territory was reduced to so low a point for want of troops, at the time of its being transferred to my com- mand, that it was fast being abandoned. Tubac was entirely abandoned. All the farms in the upper Santa Cruz and in the vicinity of Tucson, on the Sonoita and the San Pedro, were aban- doned. Valuable mines were given up, as no one could venture to go into the valley to either cultivate the land or herd the stock, so that the country produced no food.'
"It has so far recovered under the measures I have taken that I was justified in saying in that same report as follows:
*
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" 'The valley of the Santa Cruz is again peopled and planted. Every house in Tubac and every farm in its vicinity is occupied. Tucson, I was told by those who were to be believed had improved two hundred per cent.
" 'The establishment of Fort McDowell and the raising of two companies of Pimas and Maricopas have given heart to central Arizona.'
"A most convincing proof of the protection given is in the fact that the flour, beans, and forage raised in Arizona are now sufficient for the citizens and for the troops, and purchased by open competition for the latter at prices one- third and one-fourth and one-half of what has hitherto been paid.
"Flour is now as cheap in central Arizona as in New York.
"That part of Arizona between the Pimas and Fort Yuma, which was once the scene of some horrible atrocities committed by the Apaches, is now safely traveled without escorts.
"The assistant inspector general refers to my having been able to make but one tour through the country in the three years it has been under my command.
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