History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado, Part 9

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 844

USA > Colorado > Arapahoe County > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 9
USA > Colorado > Denver County > Denver > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 9

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).

As a mining town, probably Leadville has no superior on the civilized globe. It has grown from a few miners' cabins in 1877 to a thriving, pros- perous city, with thousands of inhabitants, and its future seems still bright with abundant promise, The Denver & South Park Railroad is now com- pleted and in operation to a point within thirty miles of the carbonate metropolis, and is going ahead with a prospect of reaching Leadville early in the spring. Work on the railroad up the Arkansas Valley has been suspended by litigation. but it is expected that it, too, will be completed next summer. With two lines of railway, Leadville will take a new lease of prosperity.

CHAPTER XIII.

HISTORY OF THE FIRST COLORADO REGIMENT.

THE question, Is Colorado for the Union, or | will it declare for secession ? was early forced upon the consideration of the people, far removed though they seemed to be from the scene of active operations. But the war no sooner broke out than it was evident that the emergency was arising. The

Southern element was strong in society. Geor- gians had first discovered gold in the country, and this had led to the influx of a large Southern popu- lation. In the latter part of August, 1861, the news of the battle of Bull Run reached Denver. This resulted in the secession element boldly avowing

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

hostility to the Union, raising secession flags, buying up arms, and in other ways making prepar- ations to declare for the Confederacy. But Gov. Gilpin was a stanch Union man, and surrounded himself at once with men who were prominent in public life and alive to the emergency. But a short time elapsed before the first Colorado regi- ment was organized, with the following officers :

Colonel, J. P. Slough ; Lieutenant Colonel, S. F. Tappan ; Major, J. M. Chivington.

Captains-Company A, E. W. Wynkoop ; Com- pany B, S. M. Logan ; Company C, Richard Sopris ; Company D, Jacob Downing; Company E. S. J. Anthony ; Company F, S. H. Cook ; Company G. J. W. Hambleton ; Company H. George L. San- born ; Company I. Charles Mailie ; Company K, C. P. Marion.

Recruiting offices were opened at various points, and, in two months, the necessary complement of men were secured and they were in barracks on the Platte, about two miles from Denver. The camp was called Camp Weld, in honor of the then Secretary of the Territory. No definite authority had been given the Governor, as yet, to raise troops, but his drafts on the United States Treasury to defray the expense of clothing and sustaining the force were duly honored, and his action thus indorsed by the Government.

To this judicious and prompt action of Gov. Gilpin is no doubt due the fact that Colorado escaped the civil convulsions that desolated other portions of the Union. An armed force of a thousand men was well calculated to " preserve the peace," even in so isolated a part of the country and among such a scattered population.

But months of idleness in such a rough camp naturally brought about a great deal of dissension and many desertions. It was difficult to keep in perfect discipline such a motley set of volunteers. while the doubts as to their acceptance into the service of the Government had its natural ten- dency to cause disaffection.

In the first days of the year 1863, an express arrived from the South with the news of the

advance on New Mexico of three or four thousand Texans under Brig. Gen. H. H. Sibley, and a call for assistance. If the regiment had promptly started, it would probably have prevented the Tex- aus from entering the Territory. Put the troops, having been mustered into the service, could only be moved out of Colorado by orders from head- quarters. Application was made to Gen. Hunter for authority to send the regiment to the aid of New Mexico, and when the desired orders reached Denver, the regiment received the word to march with a great deal of satisfaction, for idleness, that mother of mischief, had been very busy of late in sowing the seeds of dissension in the camp. Noth- ing to do had become intolerable to these men, accustomed to rough, stirring work ; and the news from New Mexico, of Texan invasion, had become as a beacon star of their existence. On the 22d of February-a day hailed as a good omen for the cause in which they were engaged-the regiment left Denver.

Companies E and F reached Fort Wise-now Fort Lyon-where an order met them from Gen. Hunter, assigning them to the support of Col. Canby in New Mexico, with New Orleans as the ultimate point of destination, the balance of the regiment meeting them at the foot of the Raton Mountains on the 7th of March. The march to Fort Union, which was a hasty one, caused by rumors that the Texans were threatening the fort, brought them there on the 13th. Here was found some four hundred regulars, who welcomed the arrival of the volunteers with cheers, as it was evi- dent that the Texan forces were triumphantly sweeping the country about them, and the troops at the Fort totally inadequate to check their prog- ress.

On the 14th, news from Gen. Canby announced his capture of a large train coming from the South with an escort of one hundred and fifty men. Gen. Sibley was reported at Santa Fe, with recruits rapidly coming in.

On the 22d, the regiment, accompanied by two light batteries, Capts. Ritter and Claflin, Capt.

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

Ford's company of volunteers and two companies of the Fifth Infantry, Col. Slough in command, his force numbering about thirteen hundred, left Camp Union for Santa Fe. When within twenty miles of this point, information was received of the approach of a force of eight hundred Texans. On the night of the 24th, Lieut. Nelson, with twenty men, met and captured a picket guard of the enemy and sent them back to the reserve.

The battle of Apache Canon cecurred on the 26th. (This point had already been made historieal in the annals of warfare by the stand made by the Mexi- can General, Armijo, during the Mexican war.) About four hundred men, equally divided into infantry and cavalry, under command of Chiving- ton, here met a force of fully double their number. This force was encountered about six miles inside the cañon at about 2 P. M .. and were met by the troops and driven, after three different stands had been made, out of the cañon. The loss was five killed, thirteen wounded and three missing. The rebels lost, as near as could be learned, forty killed, seventy-five wounded and one hundred and eight prisoners, including seven commissioned officers.

On the 27th, Col. Slough arrived with the re- serve and camped upon the battle-ground. On the morning of the 28th, Companies A, B, E and H, of the First Colorado, Ford's company, and A and G of the Fifth Infantry Regulars, were detached from the command and sent to the left to cross the mountains to get in the rear of the enemy. The balance of the command. numbering about six hundred, moved foward toward Santa Fe. When in the cañon of Pigeon's Ranche, the pickets were driven in. The enemy was approaching. The nen, not being aware of their close proximity, were engaged in filling their canteens with water, with their arms stacked in the road. They were called to attention, and Capt. Kaster, of Company I, was ordered to advance on the right ; Capt. Downing with Company D, on the left of a narrow canon, and met the enemy as they approached, in order that the balance of the command could form and give them a warm reception. Capts. Ritter and

Claflin, of the Regulars, moved their battery in the cañon, advancing and firing, the balance of the command being used as supports. The battle lasted about nine hours, victory finally resting with the Union forces, but with a loss of a large num- ber (134) of killed and wounded. But the enemy's loss was much greater, as taken from their own Surgeon's books ; two hundred and fifty-one being killed, two hundred wounded, and over one hundred prisoners, out of a force of eighteen hundred. On the evening after the battle, the detachment under Maj. Chivington, that had been sent over the mountains, rejoined the commaud. He had left camp in the morning, crossed the mountains with no regard to obstacles, routes or aught else save direction, and succeeded in gaining the rear of the enemy. Scattering their rearguard to the winds, he blew up and destroyed their supply-train of seventy wagons, containing all the ammunition, provisions, clothing and other supplies of war that they had in the Territory, spiked one six-pounder with a ramrod and tumbled it down the mountain, and then regained the eamp. This was no doubt the irreparable blow that compelled the Texans to evacuate the Territory, and its audacity was one of the main causes of its success.

It was the intention to renew the battle the next morning, but daylight dawned upon a retreating foe, and on the 2d of April, the regiment entered Fort Union. An absence of eleven days of travel, in which two battles, redounding to their credit, had been fought, had given the troops a right to the rest that seemed to be before them. But this rest was of short duration. Hardly had two days elapsed before orders reached camp to break up. Gen. Canby had left Fort Craig, and the regiment was ordered south to divert the enemy's attention or aid in driving him out of the country. About one hundred of the prisoners at Fort Union, released on parole, accompanied them, returning to their own party.

On the 10th, the troops reached a little town called Galisteo, about twenty miles from Santa Fe. Here information was received of Gen. Canby's

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

whereabouts. He had come up from Fort Craig, and, making a feint of attacking the enemy, who had fallen back on Albuquerque, had reached a small town at the head of Carnuel Pass, about forty miles distant. The Texans were reported as 2,000 strong, and, apparently satisfied with the experi- ence of Apache Cañon and Pigeon's Ranche, were not very eager for the fray. About this time, Col. Slough resigned his command and left for Gen. Canby's camp. Upright and honorable, of unquestioned ability and undoubted integrity, he seemed to lack in the elements that attract popu- larity. The movements succeeding the battle of Pigeon's Ranche, when, with troops flushed with victory and ready to complete the destruction of the enemy, orders were received to stop fighting, were dictated by an authority higher than his own, and he had only to obey orders. This he did, but resigned his commission shortly after, and the fact that the President at once nominated him for Brigadier General goes to prove that his services were appreciated, at least at headquarters.

On the 13th, the regiment joined Gen. Canby in the densely timbered hills of Carnuel Pass, where he was camped, with four pieces of artillery and 1,200 men. Here, April 14, Maj. Chivington was promoted over the head of Lieut. Col. Tappan, to the colonelcy of the regiment, subject to the ap- proval of Gov. Gilpin.

The battle of Peralta, occurring April 15, be- tween the troops under Canby and the force of Gen. Sibley, was almost a bloodless one. The rec- ords show that it would have been apparently easy for the Colorado troops to have attacked and routed the enemy ; but, for some unexplained rea- son, they were allowed to withdraw their forces, without any special hindrance from Gen. Canby. Col. Chivington offered to do battle with his regi- ment alone, but the offer was declined. A few artillery shots were fired, the army drawn up in line of battle for six hours, and then finally or- dered back, while the enemy took advantage of this to eross and make good their escape, going down one side of the stream while the Union army

marched along the other. The foe was constantly in sight for twenty-four hours before they finally disappeared. A few days afterward, while still on the march, word was brought that the Texans had buried all their artillery, burned their wagons, and were marching through the mountains toward Mesilla. The active campaign was evidently over.

For two months or more, the regiment camped at Val Verde, awaiting supplies, which had to come from Fort Union, 300 miles distant.

On the 4th of July, Col. Howe, Third U. S. Cavalry, arrived with a squad of officers from the States, and took command of the Southern Depart- ment, relieving Col. Chivington, who immediately proceeded to Santa Fe and procured an order from Gen. Canby for the First to march to Fort Union as soon as practicable. Thence, via Denver, he proceeded to Washington to get the regiment transferred, if possible, to a more active field of service, or, if he could not succeed in this, to have the men mounted; with what success will be noted later.

Shortly afterward, preparations were made for the march of the regiment, in detachments, by different routes to Fort Union.

Companies A, F and G left the camp on the 16th of August, arriving at Union on the 4th of September. Here Company F remained while A and G moved on to Fort Lyon. Companies C and E started up the river in July, passed by Fort Union, crossed the Raton Mountains and camped for a time on the Purgatoire, where they made some efforts to smoke out the guerrilla Madi- son, which were unsuccessful. They then pro- ceeded to Cimmaron to quell some disturbances among the Indians assembled there to receive their annuities, and finally marched to Fort Larned.

About this time, news of the following Special Order arrived :

EXTRACT.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, ST. LOUIS, MO., Nov. 1, 1862.

SPECIAL ORDER No. 36.

Pursuant to orders from the Secretary of War and the election of Gov. Evans of Colorado Territory, the First Regiment Colorado Volunteers, commanded by

very truly yours Willems 7 Phone

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

Col. Chivington, will be converted into a cavalry regi- ment, to be denominated the First Cavalry of Colorado.

The Quartermaster and Ordnance Departments will furnish and change equipments to suit the change of arms. * * The regiment will rendezvous in Colorado Territory ; headquarters at Denver.

By command of Maj. Gen. Curtis.

N. P. CHIPMAN, Colonel and Chief of Staff.

The welcome news soon traveled east and south to Larned and Union. In consequence, the com- panies at the former posts received instructions to report at Colorado City to witness the change from a regiment of volunteers to that of cavalry. Col. Clark, of the Ninth Kansas, refusing to recognize the order, Col. Tappan proceeded to Leavenworth and had the news confirmed by Gen. Blunt. December 13, the company left Larned and, travel- ing about four hundred miles, reached Colorado City about the end of December. D and G had also been ordered to Larned in the latter part of September. They tramped back over that weary interval in midwinter, destitute of fuel and with but scant transportation. Their horses met them on the Arkansas, and on the 1st of January-a welcome New Year's present-were issued to them. H, K and B came up the Rio Grande to Santa Fe ; thence the first two went on to Fort Garland, remained a short time and then marched to Colo- rado City. B repaired to Fort Union. D and I were the last to leave the lower country. They also came up the Grand Valley, halted at Union a day or two and then proceeded to Fort Lyon. F

was; in connection with B, assigned to garrison duty at Fort Union.

Gen. Canby was relieved, early in October, by Gen. Carlton of the California Volunteers, who established a new post on the Pecos, about one hundred miles southeast of Santa Fe, and Compan- ies B, F and L were assigned to that locality ; but while the preparations for the advance of the expe- dition were progressing, the news came that the regiment was to concentrate at Fort Scott, Kan., to be mounted. On the 13th of November, they bade final adieu to Fort Union, crossed the Raton Range, made the Arkansas, and in due time arrived at Colorado City instead of Fort Scott.

Early in January, 1863, all the companies had reached the point of concentration, whence they marched to Denver, reaching the city on the 13th, into which they were very handsomely escorted by the Third Regiment of Volunteers and a large concourse of citizens. Service had some- what thinned their ranks; they had undergone many hardships, had borne patiently with the con- tumely generally heaped upon volunteers by the regulars, had born their share of the brunt of battles bravely won and now were welcomed back by the admiring populace in the principal city of the State of whose early history they had made for themselves an imperishable part.

In 1865, the regiment, after doing scout duty and looking after the Indians, who were occasion- ally troublesome, was disbanded.

CHAPTER XIV.

HISTORY OF THE SECOND COLORADO REGIMENT.

seems proper, in giving a full history of the Second Colorado Regiment, to prefix it with a concise sketch of the raising and services of the two companies that formed the nucleus of the regiment and did such excellent work in New Mexico before the other ones were raised. These companies were incidentally mentioned in our account of the

doings of the First Colorado, with the intention of doing them more complete justice in their proper place, which we now proceed to do.

These two gallant companies were recruited under the order of Gov. Gilpin, principally in Park, Lake, Summit and Fremont Counties, one by Capt. Hendrew, with T. H. Dodd as First

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

Lieutenant and J. C. W. Hall as Second Lieuten- ant, and the other by Capt. James H. Ford, with Lieuts. De Forest and Clark, in the fall of 1861, and all rendezvoused at Cañon City about December 1st.

Hendrew, with his company, marched first to Fort Garland, suffering all the fatigue and hard- ships of a winter's march over the Sangre de Christo Range, where Maj. Whiting, of the regular army, waited to muster them into the service. Some indiscretions committed by Capt. Hendrew made the Major refuse to muster him in, and, as the men had been chiefly enlisted by Hendrew, they were allowed to choose between remaining under another Captain or returning to their homes. Eighty-four out of eighty-seven had come to stay, however, which speaks volumes for their patriotism and pluck. They were accordingly mustered into service on the 22d of December, with Dodd as Captain and Hall and Piatt as Lieutenants, and designated as Company B.

About this time, Capt. Ford arrived with his men, and Company A was thus mustered into service.

It was supposed that arms, accouterments, cloth- ing, camp and garrison equipage awaited them here. But in this they were mistaken, and, illy prepared as they were for further marching, two days after arrival at the fort, Company B was ordered to Santa Fe. Capt. Dodd started at once with six men from Company A to act as teamsters for the scanty ox transportation furnished him. They crossed the range, experiencing fearful hardships, and reached Santa Fe, a distance of 180 miles, on the 1st of January, 1862.

Arms, uniforms, etc., were issued here, and the men drilled for active duty for a few days, when orders were received for all the available troops to proceed by forced marches to the relief of Gen. Canby, who was being menaced at Fort Craig by the secessionists nnder Gen. Sibley. Company B was attached to the regular troops for this cam- paign, and in two days the command reached Albuquerque. From there, the march to Fort

Craig was rapidly continued, and soon reached Gen. Canby. On the 15th of February, Gen. Sibley appeared in force. On the 20th, some fighting took place, in which private Hugh Brown was killed.

The battle of Val Verde occurred on the 21st, in which the boys of Company B participated and gallantly acquitted themselves. During the battle, Capt. Dodd encountered a well-equipped and dis- ciplined battalion of Texan Lancers, under Maj. Lang, whom the company kept fighting long after the bugle had sounded a recall. Seventy-two of the lancers were killed, while Capt. Dodd lost only four killed and thirty-eight wounded, the most of whom ultimately recovered from their wounds. After the battle, Gen. Canby found himself without men enough to warrant him in following up the Texans. He remained cooped up at Fort Craig for several weeks, his supplies all cut off, and him- self and troops suffering severely for want of them.

Company A, meanwhile, started from Cañon City, reached Fort Garland, and thence took up the line of march for Santa Fe, with ox trans- portation. From Santa Fe they pushed on to Fort Union, enduring the usual amount of hardships. Here the First Colorado, under Col. Slough, joined them, and shortly after occurred the battles of Apache Cañon and Pigeon's Ranche, of which an account has already been given. Company A was with Maj. Chivington in his successful raid on the enemy's transportation, which he burned and utterly destroyed, with all its stores. Afterward, the command marched to Albuquerque, where a union was effected with Gen. Canby. At the run- ning fight at Peralta, Companies A and B both participated, it being the first time they had met since the parting at Fort Garland. They partici- pated in the pursuit of Sibley to the vicinity of Mesilla, during which there was some skirmishing. but no regular battles. After the enemy had dis- persed and made his escape in scattered bands to the Texan frontier, Companies A and B returned by easy marches via Santa Fe to Fort Union. They remained on duty in Gen. Canby's department

HISTORY OF COLORADO.

until the spring of 1863, when they united with the balance of the regiment at its rendezvous at Fort Lyon. The officers and men had already made for themselves a glorious record, redounding as well to the honor of Colorado. It was a brill- iant prelude to the future enviable history of the regiment. It need not be added that they were received with open arms by their comrades, whose laurels were yet unwon. Henceforth the history of Companies A and B is that of the regiment itself.

On the 17th of February, 1862, the Secretary of War anthorized Col. J. H. Leavenworth to raise six companies of volunteer infantry in Colorado, which, with four other companies already in service there, were to form the Second Regiment of Col- orado Volunteers, of which he was appointed Colonel. Reporting to Maj. Gen. Halleck, at St. Louis, then commanding the department of which Colorado formed a part, he was assigned at once to active duty in this department, without being per- mitted to proceed at once on his mission of recruit- ing and completing the organization of his regiment, and it was not until May, 1862, that he reached Denver to perform this duty.

In June, the following appointments were made : Lient. Col. T. H. Dodd. Captains-Company E. J. Nelson Smith; Company F, L. D. Rowell ; Company G, Reuben Howard ; Company H, George West ; Company I. E. D. Boyd ; Company K, S. W. Wagner.

Often, before a company was half enlisted. they would be ordered off on some detached service, which the critical situation of affairs at Colorado at this time urgently demanded. We find, from an examination of a journal kept during the sum- mer by Lieut. Burrell, such entries as the following: " Jan. 16 .- Expedition sent to assist anthorities in enforcing civil process in Vraie Run district.

"July 7 .- Gov. Evans orders another expedi- tion against Little Owl and Arapahoes, at Cache a la Poudre.

" July 18 .- Capt. Wagoner started to-day on another Indian expedition. by direction of Gov.

Evans, taking the Bradford road. Destination, Middle Park.

"Aug. 3 .- Capt. West, with Lieuts Howard and Roe, and detachments of Companies G and H, arrived at Fort Union, bringing in lost horses."'

Under circumstances like these, the recruits were detached and scattered before being fully organ- ·ized, even into companies, much less into a regi- ment, and then properly drilled for service. The Indian element upon Colorado's frontier, and, indeed. within her entire domain, was at that time in sympathy, to a great extent, with tribes within the boundaries of Texas, Utah and other Territories. who were under the influence of rebel emissaries, and encouraged to believe that the plundering of Government trains and the stealing of private or public stock and property was alike free booty for then as for rebels.

There were at this time, at Camp Weld, the recruiting station of the regiment, four mountain howitzers belonging to the Government, which Gen. Canby, commanding the department of New Mexico had, at the request of Gen. Blunt, at the time in command of the District of Colorado and Western Kansas, placed in charge of Col. Leaven- worth, for the protection of the Territory. These were entirely useless without artillerymen, and, in accordance with his instructions, he deemed it right and proper to enlist a company of men, under promise that, when they should be mustered in, it should be either as cavalry or a battery, having no doubt that his course would be approved by the proper authorities. How this was done will appear further on.

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History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado, Part 9

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838- Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 844

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co. cn; Vickers, W. B. (William B.), 1838-
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 844