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Cochise
Firsthand Accounts of the Chiricahua Apache Chief
By Edwin R. Sweeney UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS
Copyright © 2014 University of Oklahoma Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8061-4598-3
CHAPTER 1
THE BASCOM AFFAIR AT APACHE PASS
In early 1861, the Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise had already lived more than three-quarters of his life in relative obscurity, at least as far as Americans were concerned. To them, except for a few Butterfield Stage employees, frontiersman, and military officers in southern Arizona, he remained virtually unknown. The first American encroachment into his country was unobtrusive and hardly threatening. After all, neither side was looking for trouble, and the Americans had not appeared as adversaries, nor had they done anything to incur the wrath of the Apaches.
Because of their well-earned reputation as fierce and uncompromising warriors, the Apaches are sometimes characterized as warlike by nature. I suggested that in my first book on Cochise. But I would now argue the reverse. When Americans first arrived in Mangas Coloradas's country, the Apache chief treated them as friends, for they had not done anything to merit the designation enemies. Cochise responded in a like manner to Americans in 1858, for again, they had not done anything for Cochise to consider them adversaries. Americans earned this evolution from friend to foe through systematic abuses of the relationship and by egregious acts of treachery that took Apache lives. Only when Americans betrayed this trust did the Chiricahuas go to war.
In early 1861, a cavalier decision by a young lieutenant eviscerated Cochise's trust, and because the action resulted in the death of several relatives, including his beloved brother and two nephews, it led to a cruel and unmerciful no-holds-barred war.
BASCOM'S OFFICIAL REPORTS (TWO LETTERS)
Apache Pass January [February] 14, 1861 To: D. H. Maury Assistant Adjutant General Santa Fe, N.M.
Sir:
I have to report that agreeable to instructions from Colonel P. Morrison, to pursue the Indians and recover a boy made captive by them, I arrived here on the 3rd inst. and took six Indians as hostages until the boy should be delivered up. Ca-chis, the chief, denied having taken him but promised to get him if I would wait ten days. The day after he returned accompanied by Francisco, chief of the Coyoteros, and a flag of truce. Whilst I was holding the talk with them, they cut off and made prisoners of two overland mailmen who left the station at that time.
On the next day, they succeeded in driving off a portion of my herd (29 mules). They have also burnt a Mexican train between here and Fort Buchanan. Some of the bodies they tied to the wheels and burnt, and horribly mutilated the rest.
They also attacked one of the Overland stages, wounding the driver.
The Coyoteros are driven from their country by the Navajos, the latter being driven down upon them by the troops. There are now in my immediate vicinity between five and six hundred warriors under the command of Mangas Colorado [Coloradas]. Although I can report with certainty but five Indians killed, I think I may say twenty killed or dangerously wounded. I have two of my men slightly wounded.
I am, Sir, very respectfully yours,
G. N. Bascom Second Lieutenant, 7th Infantry Commanding Co C.
NA, RG 393, Bascom to Maury, January [February] 14, 1861.
* * *
Fort Buchanan, N.M.
February 25, 1861 To: Colonel P. Morrison, 7th Infantry Commanding Fort Buchanan
Sir:
I have the honor to report that in compliance with the foregoing orders, I left Fort Buchanan on the 29th ult. and arrived at Apache Pass on the 3rd inst. feeling confident that they had the boy. On February 4, I captured six Indians and told the Chief, Ca-ches [Cochise] that I would hold them as hostages until he brought in the boy. He denied having taken the boy, or having been engaged in the depredations in the vicinity of the fort, but said it was done by the Coyoteros and that they then had the boy at the Black Mountains, and if I would wait ten days at the Station he would bring him in; to this I consented. On the 5th Ca-ches returned accompanied by Francisco, a Coyotero chief, with about five hundred warriors, and carried a white flag. I went out to talk to them, but when about one hundred and fifty yards from the house, I began to suspect from their actions, that all was not right and refused to go further. Two [three] of the mailmen then left the station to go to the Indians. I ordered them back and told them that I had no prisoners to exchange for them if they were captured. They paid no attention to my orders but went into the ravine where the Indians were and were immediately seized by them; Francisco then jerked down his white flag and crying in Spanish, "Aqui!, Aqui!!," pointed to the party with the flag. I then took down my flag and gave the command and retreated to the Station house. The fire now became general, and was carried on briskly for some time. When the Indians abandoned the ravine, Sergeant Smith of Company "C" 7th Infantry, bearer of the flag was slightly wounded. Mr. [Charles] Culver, one of the captured men, in making his escape was severely wounded and one of the station keepers [Welch] killed. On the 6th Ca-Ches came on the hill and said he would give me Wallace and sixteen government mules for the prisoners. I asked him where he got the mules, his reply was "took them from a government train if course." I told him if he brought the boy also, I would trade for him. That evening there was a note written by Wallace stating that they had three other prisoners, Sam Whitfield, William Sanders, and Frank Brunner and that they would come in next day and exchange. While the herd was being watered in the morning, in charge of first sergeant James Huber and fifteen men[,] about two hundred Indians made a dash to get the herd, the party headed them off in the direction they first took but were unable to recover the herd, none of them being mounted (I had sent all the saddle mules with a party to escort Dr. [Bernard J. D.] Irwin from the post). They, however, followed the Indians keeping at a running fight for about a mile, doing considerable execution. I can report with certainty but five Indians killed, but think there were twelve or fifteen more killed or badly wounded. This includes all since my arrival in this Pass. Sergeant Daniel Robinson of Company "C," 7th Infantry was slightly wounded and one of the mailmen mortally wounded in the last action.
The Western stage was attacked about three miles from this place. The driver's leg [that of King Lyons] was broken by a ball. This stage was delayed here for several days and to First Lieutenant John R. Cooke, 8th Infantry, I return my grateful thanks for his kind advice and gallant assistance. This gallant officer, though much my senior in rank and experience[,] volunteered to take charge of the party at the spring on the morning of the 8th.
The Indians have burned a Mexican train between Apache Pass and Ewell's station, killing eight men that were with it, horribly mutilating some of the bodies, some of them were tied to the burning wagons whether before or after death, could not be determined. These I had buried.
On the 10th Dr. Irwin arrived from Fort Buchanan and turned over to me a Coyotero chief and 2 warriors together with a herd of 10 cattle. The cattle I killed, retaining the Indians as prisoners.
On the 14th the Lieutenants [Isaiah] Moore and [Richard] Lord arrived with about seventy men of D & G companies, 1st Dragoons, and on the 16th I joined them with 40 men of my command in a scout against these Indians. On the first and second days, we discovered neither camps or fresh signs of the Indians; on the third day, we discovered several camps varying from 10 to 75 lodges, all of which bore evidence of having been hastily abandoned several days previous. The property was all destroyed and the camps burned. Dr. Irwin discovered about four miles from the station the bodies of the four prisoners: Wallace, Whitfield, Sanders, and Brunner, where they had been murdered by the Indians. Finding no fresh signs of the Indians, we returned to the [stage] Station and on the next day started for Fort Buchanan. When on the scene of the massacre and within three hundred yards from the burnt train, I took the six warriors I had prisoner to the graves of the murdered man, explained through the interpreter what had taken place, and my intentions, and bound them securely hand and foot, and hung them to the nearest trees. The three remaining prisoners, a woman and two boys [Cochise's family], I have turned over to the guard at this post.
The men behaved excellently well, always ready for the discharge of any duty, the noncommissioned officers, zealous and untiring in the discharge of their duties.
Very Respectfully Yours, G. N. Bascom 2nd Lt. Infantry Commanding, Co "C"
NA, RG 393, Bascom to Morrison, February 25, 1861.
SERGEANT DANIEL ROBINSON'S ACCOUNT OF THE BASCOM AFFAIR
I was a Sergeant of "C" Company and had been ordered with an escort of 6 men to take charge of 4 wagons loaded with stores for the new post [Fort McLane] and left [Fort] Buchanan on the 16th of January arriving at Fort McLane on the 25th of the same month. During the trip going[,] our camp was visited by Apache Indians at Ewell's Springs about 18 miles from Apache Pass and again at the Pass on the following day. They exhibited quite a friendly disposition and left my camp at sunset, apparently satisfied with a gift of a little corn in the absence of anything better.
On the return trip, I met Lieut. Marmaduke (now Governor of Missouri) at Steens [Steins] Peak, he cautioned me to keep a good look out for Indians and informed me that there had been some trouble with them in the Santa Cruz Valley near Fort Buchanan. He was in an ambulance, had a small escort, and returning to his post (Fort McLane) having been on some duty at Forts Buchanan or Breckenridge. I do not remember which. He resigned the following April and went south.
On the morning of the 3rd of February, I was riding a mule some distance in advance of the wagons when I saw a mounted Indian approaching from the left at full speed. I halted until the wagons came up, and by that time, the Indian arrived and stopped within 80 or 100 yards off. He made signs that I did not understand and threw open his blanket to show that he was unarmed. He held up something calling repeatedly—"swap." I motioned him to advance and to my surprise it was a pair of scissors that he wished to swap for tobacco. I gave him part of what I carried in a small bag and declined to take his scissors. Then he rode off in the direction he came from.
I had been traveling through the San Simone [Simon] Valley all morning. Having broke camp at 3 O'clock, with the view of getting to the summit of the Pass by noon. I pushed on ahead of the wagons again, until I came to a high point of rocks where the road turned short to the left, and waited until the wagons came up, as we were soon to leave the valley and enter the Pass. To the right of the road about 4 or 5 hundred yards, and about the same distance in advance were several conical shaped hills. While looking in that direction, I saw a number of Indians on foot moving backwards in a bent position around one of the hills until they finally disappeared. They evidently intended that I should not see them, which looked suspicious and [I] remembered one of Lieut. Marmaduke's warnings. When the wagons came up, I informed the men that as we were about to enter the Pass, we must proceed cautiously and see that their pieces were loaded and to recap them. I also required the teamsters to keep their wagons closed, tied up my mule to the rear wagon, and pushed on with two men as an advance guard, leaving one man with each of the wagons to follow. As the Pass became narrower, I halted the teams and climbed up to the highest point so that we could overlook the road well to the west and east[;] in this manner we reached the summit above, a beautiful little plateau in the center of which was built the stage station[,] and about 1500 yards beyond up a ravine the spring was situated in an eastern direction from the station, which was kept by two men. I encamped midway between the station and the spring, led all mules to water, and then tied them securely to the wagons. While eating our noon day dinner, we saw the head of a small column of Infantry approaching from the south and soon learnt it was C Company under the command of Lieut. Bascom. He encamped about 200 yards west of the station and ordered us to move down. He questioned me closely about Indians. I told him all I have already stated. I then learnt that the Apache had run off some stock belonging to ranchmen in the Santa Cruz Valley and carried off a white boy belonging to a family named Ward, the father of whom was with the troops in the capacity of interpreter. The Apaches all spoke or understood the Mexican language in which Ward was well versed.
The object of Lieut. Bascom's mission was to find Cochise, the chief, of a thieving band of Apaches that made their headquarters in the vicinity of the Pass and levied [duties] on all Mexican[s] and all trains passing through[,] this being the usually traveled route from Santa Fe to points in Sonora.
The ranchmen in Santa Cruz Valley reported to the Commanding officer, [Lieutenant] Colonel [Pitcairn] Morrison, that it was Cochise's band that had committed the depredations referred to. From the station men, Lieut. Bascom learnt that the Indian camp was about two miles off and he finally induced one of them [James] (Wallace) to go to the camp and inform Cochise that he wished to have a talk with him.
I never knew the precise nature of Lieut. Bascom's instructions, but it was generally understood that he was ordered to the Pass to find Cochise and through him to find the boy and in the event of failure to hold Cochise as a hostage and bring him to Fort Buchanan.
The station keeper returned in due time with information that Cochise would be in the next day at noon[,] and at that hour he arrived with five of his band on foot. As it was about dinnertime, Cochise and a subchief were invited to eat at Bascom's tent. The other four in the Company tents (Sibley patent). In the meantime, Lieut. Bascom gave orders to the Sergeant of the Guard to post sentinels in the rear of the tents and not allow any of the Indians to leave without his permission. I was also ordered to have the herd brought in which were grazing around camp and have the mules tied up to the wagons. While thus occupied, I heard a shot at Bascom's tent and saw the Indians running off in different directions. It appeared that Cochise denied all knowledge about the boy and when informed by the Interpreter that he would be held until the boy was found, he and his companion drew out their knives and cut their way through the tent. One of them was pierced by the sentinel's bayonet. The other, Cochise, escaping on whom the interpreter fired a pistol, and it was said slightly wounded the chief. The other Indians cut their way through the Company tents in the same manner. One of them passed close to me, followed by a sergeant [who] had a musket in his hand. It seemed to me that the intentions of the Sergeant [was] to capture him alive [but] the Indian frequently picked up stones and threw them at him defiantly. Finally, the sergeant dropped long enough to load his piece[;] during this time it appeared he lost sight of the Indian and pushed on. The next I saw was the Indian jump up from behind a rock with his knife poised ready to strike as the Sergeant passed. The sergeant wheeled around in order to save his own life by shooting the Indian dead. The Sergeant told me afterward that the Indian made an attempt to stab him while making his escape from the tent, which was fully corroborated by other men. Two of them were captured, and two others made their escape, one killed.
Young officers were often entrusted with important duties, the execution of which affected their military standing more or less ever afterwards. By it, they were judged by their superiors and inferiors in rank[;] they may have been popular or unpopular socially and it never changed their status in military sense. The 1st Paragraph in Army regulations explains the manner in which orders shall be obeyed[,] and in this spirit, Lieut. Bascom tried to carry out his orders.
The events of the past hour were the beginning of troubles with the Apaches that never ended until 1872 [when] General Howard was sent from Washington as a Peace Commissioner. I have been recently informed by Captain Sladen, that at an interview or council, Cochise denounced the acts of that day to General Howard as "treachery" on the part of Lieut. Bascom.
It should be remembered that officers and particularly commanding officers of posts exercised a good deal of authority over Indians and had considerable influence with them, frequently demanding one or more hostages for crimes committed by a tribe....
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Cochise by Edwin R. Sweeney. Copyright © 2014 University of Oklahoma Press. Excerpted by permission of UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS.
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