History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888, Volume XVII, Part 59

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Oak, Henry Lebbeus, 1844-1905
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: San Francisco : The History Company
Number of Pages: 890

USA > Arizona > History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888, Volume XVII > Part 59
USA > New Mexico > History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888, Volume XVII > Part 59

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Hualapais

Mineral Park"

1. Kingman

135-

Ft.Mojave

Holbrook

River

Needles

Ft. Whipple

PRESCOTTO +

"Ft. Verde

St.John

William

Fork

Mojaves

Wickenburgo

La Paz

:P.

Ft.Apache

Ehrenburg

Pimas

Riven

Y C

Salt

"G Globe

3.Carlos

GRAHAM

Pilhas

Casa Grande

C.Grant

Safford

Yuma City

Ft.Grant

oAjo

Ft. Bowie+

AP.pagos

-321

CRISE

Sonoita

Tubac

Tombstone

Chirichhuas

Arizona

114

113

112

i.cna

110

Suppai

Moqui & Pueblos

Colorado

TXT

CALIFORNIA

Colorado

ayampa

Agua

FtaMcDowell

Apaches

Florence

-Yumas

Gila River

S.Javier Tucson

Quijotoa

Ft.Lowell

INDIANS OF ARIZONA.

9 Agents for this tribe were M. O. Davidson in 1864-5, Levi Ruggles and C. H. Lord in 1866 et seq., R. A. Wilbur in 1871-4, and John W. Cornyn in 1875. A school has been kept up at S. Javier, with good success, under the sisters of St Joseph, though sectarian attacks on the Catholics have not been wanting. The principal fault of the Pápagos has been their possession of so much valuble land near the city. There were many encroachments by wood-cutters, and many settlers held on to their farms till 1882, when they were forcibly ejected by the Ind. under Agent Wheeler. This led to appeals from the legislature on behalf of the settlers, and to much controversy. In 1885 a sheriff attempting to serve a writ was forcibly resisted by the military;

Sunset

Rio.

Phoenix

552

INDIAN AFFAIRS IN ARIZONA.

The Apache country proper was that part of Ari- zona lying east of the Santa Cruz in the south, and of the Verde in the north. In 1864 the Apaches had for several years waged war upon the whites, hostili- ties being for the most part confined to the south-east, because the north was not yet occupied by Americans. From 1862, however, the Colorado gold placers drew a crowd of miners, who pushed their operations east- ward to the Prescott region. They were not much troubled by the Indians at first; but from 1865, as Apache land was penetrated by prospectors, and the frontier became settled, the war was transferred, or rather extended, to the north-west; and with the dis- affection of the Hualapais and Yavapais, mainly caused by outrages of the whites, the field of hostilities was widened to a considerable distance west of Prescott. For about ten years this warfare was continuous and deadly. During this period about 1,000 men, women, and children were murdered by the Apaches, of whom perhaps 2,000 were killed, with a loss of probably not over 150 soldiers. The loss of live-stock and destruc- tion of other property was of course great, and all real progress in the territory was prevented. The Apaches did not fight battles, except when cornered; their idea being primarily to steal, and then to kill without being killed. They attacked individuals or small parties from ambush, and fled to their mountain strongholds, often inhumanly torturing their captives. By nature and the education of centuries, they were murderous thieves; and they looked forward to a life-long strug- gle with the whites as a natural and their only means of subsistence. The people of Arizona, feeling that they were entitled to protection, but appealing for it

and the same year there was a threatened war with the Pápagos, in conse- quence of a quarrel about the possession of a spring. The Ind. rescued a prisoner from the sheriff, and a force of volunteers marched out from Tucson, but an amicable settlement was finally reached. Ariz., Laws, 12th sess., 291-2; S. F. Chronicle, May 9, 1883; Sac. Record-Union, March 9, May 18-20, 1885. I have seen no original record of the Gila reserv. of 1882, but it is shown on govt maps, and mentioned in Ariz., Hist. (E. & Co.), 179, where is given a list of the 15 Papago rancherias, with a pop. of 2,925. A few Pápagos have al- ways lived with the Pimas, and a few Apaches Mansos with the Papagos.

553

THE GOVERNMENT AT FAULT.

in vain, became excited and desperate as the years passed by, doing and countenancing many unwise and even criminal acts. The government at Washington, vaguely aware that there were Indian troubles in Ari- zona, which were very expensive, and not realizing any difference between Apaches and other hostile Indians, simply furnished from 1,000 to 3,000 troops to garrison the posts, made imperfect arrangements for supplies, with an occasional change of commander or military organization, ignored for the most part all appeals, and left the problem to solve itself. Officers and sol- diers did their duty well enough, striking many hard blows, which after a long time became in a cumulative sense effective. If any of these parties is to be blamed on the whole, it is not the citizens, the military, the Apaches, or even the newspapers and Indian agents, but the government, for its half-way measures, its des- ultory warfare, and its lack of a definite policy, even that of 'extermination,' which is sometimes attributed to it. True, a somewhat consistent policy was devel- oped in the end; but I cannot think there was any need of so long and bloody and costly a process of ev- olution. From the first there was no real difference of opinion among men with practical knowledge of the Apaches respecting the proper policy to be adopted. The Apache must first be whipped into a temporary or partial submission, then made to understand that it was for his interest to keep the peace, and finally watched and taught, if possible, better methods of life. The result might have been effected, so far at least as it ever has been effected, in two years.

I shall not here chronicle the series of Apache atrocities, name the victims, or even summarize the record for places or periods. Neither is it proposed to detail the military record of campaigns, or deal minutely with annals of companies, commanders, or posts. Still less shall I find room for the many con- troversies that continuously arose from one phase or another of this unfortunate Apache business. To

554

INDIAN AFFAIRS IN ARIZONA.

treat all these matters in such a manner as to utilize fully the mass of evidence before me with justice to all interests involved, would require a whole volume. Yet though compelled by limitation of space to avoid particulars, especially in relation to persons, I hope to present all the general aspects of the subject in a clear and impartial manner.10

We left the Arizona posts, as part of the depart- ment of New Mexico, garrisoned in 1863 by the Cali- fornia volunteers. In 1864, having had much success in fighting eastern Apaches and the Navajos, General James H. Carleton turned his attention to the west, confidently expecting to subdue the foe and remove

10 My general authorities are cited in note 2. Additional references are mainly to other and special sources. Here should be mentioned Massacres of the Mountains. A History of the Indian Wars of the Far West. By J. P. Dunn, Jr, M. S., LL. B. Illustrated. N. Y., 1886, 8vo, ix., 784 p., map. Chap. xii., 'death to the Apache,' and xxi., 'cruelty, pity, and justice,' re- late to my present subject. This book is the latest, best, and indeed almost the only connected view of the Apache wars extant. Both in matter and manner it merits high praise.

Military commanders in Ariz. were: Gen. J. H. Carleton, 1864-5; Gen. John S. Mason, 1865-6; Col H. D. Wallen in the north, and Col C. S. Lovell in the south, 1866-7; Gen. J. I. Gregg and Gen. T. L. Crittenden, 1867-8; Gen. T. C. Devin, 1868-9; Gen. Wheaton, 1869-70; Gen. Geo. Stoneman, 1870-1; Gen. Geo. Crook, 1871-5; Col A. Kautz, 1875-7; Gen. O. B. Willcox, 1877-82; Gen. Geo. Crook, 1882-6; Gen. Nelson Miles, 1886.

The principal or permanent forts and camps in Arizona are as follows: Ft Whipple, named for the explorer, in Yavapai co. near Prescott, established in 1863 in Chino valley, over 20 m. farther north, but transferred in 1864, and later made headquarters of the department. Ft Verde, named for the river, in Yavapai co., was estab. in 1864 as Camp Lincoln, the site being slightly changed in 1871. Here was an Ind, reserv. for several years. Camp Date Creek, in s. w. cor. of this co., was estab. as C. McPherson in 1866, the name being changed in 1868. Here also was a temporary asylum for Ind., and when the Ind. were moved in 1879 to Verde the post was abandoned.

Ft McDowell, named for the general, in Maricopa co., was estab. in 1865. Ft Apache, in Apache co., was estab. in 1870, and was known as C. Mogollon, C. Ord, and perhaps C. Thomas. This fort was on the Ind. reserv. estab. in 1870, the agency being later moved to S. Carlos. Ft Mojave, in Mojave co., was estab. in 1858, being abandoned for a time in 1861-3. Camp Thomas, named for the general, in Graham co., was estab. in 1875, on the Gila, above the site of old Camp Goodwin of earlier years. Fort Grant, in Graham co., was originally from 1862 at the junction of the S. Pedro and Arivaipa, where Ft Breckenridge had been estab. since 1859. It was transferred to its present site in 1873. Camp Lowell, in Pima co., named for Gen. C. R. Lowell, was the Tucson post from 1862, permanently estab. and named in 1866. Ft Hua- chuca, Cochise co., named for the mountain range, was estab. in 1876, but had been preceded by C. Wallen since 1874, a little farther north; that by C. Crittenden farther west, in Pima co., in 1867-74; and that hy the old Ft Buchanan of 1855-61. C. Rucker was a post farther east after 1880. Fort Bowie, in Cochise co., named for the colonel of a Cal. regiment, was estab. by the volunteers in 1862, becoming a permanent post from 1863.

555

CARLETON'S EFFORTS.

the humbled survivors to the Pecos reservation of Bosque Redondo. The people were equally hopeful, and for nearly a year active war was waged in differ- ent directions. The result was over 200 Apaches killed, but very slight perceptible progress toward permanent success. The general was, of course, se- verely criticised, and his grand campaign declared a failure; yet there is really little fault to be found with Carleton's policy or his general management. The radical error was that the means were not supplied for properly following up his blows.11

The great war between north and south was now ended, but instead of sending 10,000 troops to Ari- zona with authority to raise two or three regiments of native volunteers, the government transferred the territory from the military department of New Mexico to that of California. General McDowell sent Gen- eral John S. Mason to take command, with a reën- forcement of California volunteers, raising the force to about 2,800 men. Four companies of Arizona volunteers, two of them composed of Pimas and Pápagos, were also mustered in, doing excellent ser- vice. Mason took command in June 1865, but for want of supplies, and by reason of various blunders con- nected with the change of departments and command- ers, preparations were not complete till November; and the following campaign, though including sev- eral effective expeditions, was on the whole perhaps even less successful than that of Carleton. Mason was not a very brilliant Indian fighter, and did not escape abuse, yet it does not clearly appear how any

11 A company of volunteers under King S. Woolsey took a prominent part in this campaign, beginning operations before Carleton arrived, and being warmly commended by the legislature. Ariz., Jour., 1864, p. 44, 127, 244; Id., Acts, 1864, p. 68-9. One of the Woolsey's achievements, the 'Pinole treaty,' has been condemned as an outrage. Fifty Tontos, being assembled in what is now Gila co. for a big talk, were attacked at a signal and 31 (or 19 as some reports have it) were killed. W. claimed to have knowledge of in- tended treachery on the part of the Ind. A few days later Capt. Tidball and his Californians killed 63 of the same tribe. For memorial to congress for aid against the Apaches, see U. S. Govt Doc., 38th cong. 2d sess., H. Mis. Doc. 18, 19. See also Poston's Speech, in H. of R., Mar. 2, 1865.

556

INDIAN AFFAIRS IN ARIZONA.

officer could have done much better in his place. In April 1866 he reported 900 Apaches on a temporary reservation at Camp Goodwin, and believed that by offering on the one hand food and protection, and on the other incessant attack from all directions, perma- nent success might be achieved. But the campaign was interrupted by the gradual withdrawal of the vol- unteers; and in May or June Mason was removed.12

Mason's successors were Colonel H. D. Wallen in the north and Colonel Charles S. Lovell in the south. They were succeeded by General J. I. Gregg and General T. L. Crittenden, respectively, early in 1867. The volunteers had been replaced by regular troops to the number of 1,500 or 2,000, soon considerably increased. In October Arizona was formally declared a military district by order of General Halleck. Mc- Dowell visited this part of his department in Decem- ber. In 1868 General T. C. Devin assumed the command, being succeeded apparently for a time in 1869-70 by General Wheaton. General Ord, the new department commander, visited Arizona in 1869.

12 During this period there was comparative security in the s. E .; hut in the Prescott region the Apaches were worse than ever, the Yavapais and Hualapais being also on the war-path. Of the Cal. volunteers, all mustered out in 1866, a good account is given in the S. F. Call, Aug. 3, 1886. The reinforcements of 1865 included the 7th inf. Cal. vol., Col Charles H. Lewis, and the Ist battalion Native Cal. cavalry, Maj. Salva- dor Vallejo, and later John C. Cremony. On the Ariz. volunteers, also mus- tered out before Oct. 1886, see report of adj .- gen. in Ariz. Jour., 1866, p. 250-4. Gov. Goodwin went to Cal. to work for the interests of his territory, returning with Gen. Mason. In Dec. '65 a comp. of rangers killed 23 Apaches 85 miles E. of Prescott. In Feb. '66 Lieut. Gallegos with his Ariz. vol. killed 30 or 40 in a three-days raid from C. Lincoln. In March Lieut. Cervantes in the saine region killed 22, and the Pimas in a raid from their villages killed 25. In July the settlers were ordered by the Ind. to quit Skull valley, and at a ' big talk ' on the subject, Lieut. Hatton having arrived with reenforce- ments, and the Ind. making a treacherous attack, 32 were killed. In '66 there was a false report widely circulated that 2,000 Ind. had taken Ft Good- win and killed all the garrison. It was in Nov. '66 that Supt Leihy and his clerk, W. H. Everts, were killed by Ind. at Bell's Cañon. For tabular state- ment of Ind. depredations 1865-75, see U. S. Govt Doc., 43d cong. 2d. sess., H. Ex. Doc. 65; 43d cong. Ist sess., Sen. Rept 12; H. Mis. Doc. 16. Gen. C. A. Whittier made a tour of inspection in the spring of 1866; and Gen. James F. Rusling in the winter of 1866-7. The latter's report is found in U. S. Govt Doc., 40th cong. 2d sess., H. Mis. Doc. 153, 36 p. The narra- tive portion was expanded into Across America; or, The Great West and the Pacific Coast. By James F. Rusling, late Brevet Brigadier-General U. S. A. N. Y., 1874, 12mo, 503 p., with cuts. Pages 355-424 relate to Arizona.

557

PROGRESS OF 1866-70.

Meanwhile the war continued much as before in 1866-70, there being no cessation of Apache hostili- ties, and the troops, though in some respects less effi- cient than the volunteers, engaging in many expeditions that were by no means without results. I cannot entirely agree with the idea of Dunn and others that the experience of these years was a trial and failure of the 'extermination' policy. It seems to me that while none of these officers was the equal in skill or experience of him who finally achieved success, yet their policy did not differ very radically from his, and their efforts contributed in the aggregate very largely to his success. Moreover, Carleton's efforts to remove the Indians to a New Mexican reservation, and the protection and feeding of hundreds of Apaches at Camp Goodwin and elsewhere under Mason and his successors, show the germs of later success in this direction also. Indeed, as I have said before, in both branches of the matter was success being slowly evolved, where no evolution was really necessary, could the government have been persuaded to do its duty.13

13 Gen. Devin's report for 1868 shows that in the northern districts in 46 expeditions 114 Ind. had been killed, 61 wounded, and 35 captured. In the south little had been done, though Cochise had promised to keep the peace. Much work had been done at the forts, and several new posts had been es- tablished. The force this year was two regiments of infantry, and 9 comp. of cavalry. Gen. Halleck thought a larger force was needed, that nego- tiations were useless, and that Ariz. should be made a separate department. The inspector favored concentration of forces and the abandonment of small posts, which was not approved by Gen. McDowell. In 1869, according to re- port of Inspector Jones, the Camp Goodwin temporary reserv., estab. by Gen. McDowell in 1866, was broken up at the end of 1868, Gen. Devin stop- ping rations because the Ind. would not surrender murderers or agree to settle permanently; there had also been a temporary reserv. at Camp Grant, where many Pinal Apaches were fed in 1867-8, but this was also abandoned, the Ind. refusing to agree to proposed terms. At Camp Reno in 1869, how- ever, Delche's band of Tontos and others were at peace, and doing some work for whites. In Pima co. for the year ending July 17, 1869, 52 whites were killed and 18 wounded by Apaches; and in the next year 47 killed and six wounded, besides the destruction of property worth $10,000 according to lists pub. in the papers. In 1870 Delegate McCormick presented in congress a list of 144 murdered recently by Apaches, stating that this was not over half the real number of victims. In 1870 special efforts were made without much success to organize and arm the militia. A member of the legisl., A. M. Er- win, was among those killed in 1868. Ariz. Jour., 1868, p. 269, Powell's Ex- plor., 126-31, and Tyler's Posts and Stations, 3, contain some information for 1869 et seq. See also Overland Monthly, i. 202-9; Clifford's Overl. Tales, 309;

558

INDIAN AFFAIRS IN ARIZONA.

In these years the people of Arizona became dis- couraged, not to say exasperated, and clamorous for various reforms. They declared the force utterly in- adequate, and regular troops unfit for Indian service ; complained that they were not permitted to raise vol- unteers and finish the war in their own way; desired Arizona to be made a separate department; were in- dignant at the suggestion of any policy but that of incessant warfare; and protested against all half-way measures. They regarded the temporary reservations and feeding-stations as so many depots of supplies where the Apaches could recruit their strength for new atrocities. Newspapers of Arizona and Califor- nia reëchoed the popular outcry. Governor and legis- lature were in full sympathy with the people. There was much difference of opinion between military in- spectors and other officers as to what should be done. It was a period of excitement and exaggeration, of intemperate expression, of unreasonable views, of nu- merous outrages perpetrated upon the Indians. And the people as a whole are not to be blamed. It is not easy to be calm and philosophical while one's relatives and friends are being butchered from week to week.

As a result of this agitation, or at least in the midst of it, in 1869 Arizona and southern California were formed into a military department with headquarters at Fort Whipple; and in the middle of 1870 General George Stoneman assumed command. The war went on as before, and mainly because the change failed to bring any immediate relief, the new general was cen- sured even more severely than his predecessors. He

Hobbs' Wild Life, 316-39. A memorial of the legisl. to congress in 1870, Ariz., Acts, 1871, p. 142-3; U. S. Govt Doc., 42d cong. Ist sess., H. Mis. Doc. 16, was published in pamphlet form as Arizona, Memorial and Affidavits showing outrages perpetrated by the Apache Indians in the Territory of Arizona, during the years 1869 and 1870. Published by authority of the legislature of the Terri- tory of Arizona. S. F., 1871, 8vo, 32 p. The affidavits show 178 murders, and 3,768 head of cattle and horses stolen. See also McCormick's speeches in congress Feb. 28 and July 11, 1870, in Hayes' Scraps, Ariz., iii. 136; Cong. Globe, 1869-70, app. 615-18. Gov. Safford's Narrative, MS., 42-7, contains a study of the Ind. troubles; Conklin's Pict. Ariz., passim, contains much on the subject; as does the Arizona Resources, etc., S. F., 1871, pub. by authority of the legislature.

559

STONEMAN'S RULE.

was thought to spend too much time in red-tape de- tails of military organization, in establishing new posts and improving the old ones; while he also looked with too much favor on the feeding-stations where the Indians continued to assemble in increasing numbers. At the same time Stoneman was blamed in the east for his excessive severity in attacking all Apaches for the offences of a few! I find in his theory and prac- tice little ground for censure. He believed that by furnishing rations and blankets to a few he could in- duce others to come in and thus advance the work of subduing all. The temporary reservations proved that progress had been made, being an essential link in the evolutionary chain; but the people feared, with some reason, such apparent success as might result in a patched-up peace, a suspension of campaigns, and a reduction of force, to be followed inevitably by a new and more disastrous outbreak.

Unfortunately, the popular feeling led to the commis- sion of a gross outrage. In the spring of 1871 a band of Apaches surrendered to Lieutenant R. E. Whit- man at Camp Grant, and being unwilling to go to the White Mountain reservation recently set apart tem- porarily by Stoneman, they were allowed to live near the post on the Arivaipa, rationed as prisoners of war, performing some useful work, especially in the cutting of hay, behaving well so far as could be known to the officers in charge, and increasing in number to about 300. The citizens were indignant at this feeding of the Apaches, refused to believe that they had sub- mitted in good faith, and found satisfactory evidence that the unceasing depredations in the south-east were committed by these very Indians. At the end of April 40 citizens and 100 Pápagos from Tucson and vicinity marched out to the camp and killed 85, all women and children but eight, and captured some 30, who were sold by the Pápagos as slaves. The per- petrators of this crime to the number of 108 were tried for murder later in the year and acquitted.

560

INDIAN AFFAIRS IN ARIZONA.

Whether the Arivaipa Apaches were guilty of the thefts and murders imputed to them it is impossible to know, strong evidence being produced by the citi- zens on one side and by the officers on the other; but in any case the massacre of women and children was a crime in justification of which nothing can be said.14 In June 1871 General George Crook succeeded Stone- man in command of the department. His reputation as an Indian-fighter gained in other fields, his openly expressed condemnation of the vacillating policy and desultory warfare of the past, his idea of a reservation as a place where the Apache must be forced to remain and work for a living, and above all his energetic preparations for an effective campaign against .the hostiles, won for him at once the confidence and ad- miration of the people. For three months Crook carricd on his preliminary operations to culminate in a general aggressive movement from which the great- est results were expected by all, when the good work was interrupted in a manner that was most exasperat- ing to all but the Apaches.

In 1867 a board of peace commissioners for the management of Indian affairs had been appointed at Washington, being made permanent in 1869, and the

14 The act was generally excused and defended by the Arizona press and people. Lient. Whitman, though a worthless fellow in several respects, seems to have had remarkable tact in gaining the confidence of Indians, many of whom, persuaded that the military had no part in the outrage, were in- duced to return nnder their chief Eskimenzin; but soon one of the returning parties, by some blunder not clearly explained, was fired npon by a squad of soldiers, and the Indians fled to the mountains more hostile than ever. The trial of the C. Grant murderers is reported in the S. F. Alta, Feb. 4, 1872. Whitman's report is in Ind. Aff. Rept, 1871, p. 69; and a good account of the whole affair is found in Dunn's Massacres, 719 et seq. The Prescott Miner of Oct. 14, 1871, gives a list of 301 persons killed by the Apaches since 1864. In May Lieut. H. B. Cushing was killed in a tight with the foe. In Nov. the Wickenburg and La Paz stage was attacked, and six men were killed, in- cluding Fred. W. Loring, a young man of literary and scientific attainments connected with Wheeler's survey, whose fate made a sensation in the east, doing much to call attention to the real state of affairs. I met him in S. F. earlier in the year. The day before his departure for Ariz. he had his hair cut very short, jocularly remarking in my Library that the Apaches would find it difficult to take his scalp. The gov. in his message of this year pre- sented a very gloomy picture of the prospects. There had been reports in Feb. about abandoning many posts and reducing the force; indeed, such orders seem to have been issued.

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History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888, Volume XVII, Part 59

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Oak, Henry Lebbeus, 1844-1905 Publication date: 1889 Publisher: San Francisco : The History Company Number of Pages: 890

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Oak, Henry Lebbeus, 1844-1905
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: San Francisco : The History Company
Number of Pages: 890