Page 191 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

On May 6, 1866, Coopwood’s first coach east from San Antonio arrived in El Paso. It was fortunate that the stage was traveling with a massive escort of 40 men armed with repeating rifles, because as they approached the abandoned station at Escondido Springs the Apaches attacked in force. A large band of Mescaleros, led by Espejo, kept the stage and escort under siege for two days before seeking easier prey.
Magoffin and Hart were two of the passengers on the coach. Magoffin was carrying written authority from Texas Provisional Governor Andrew Jackson Hamilton to “organize” El Paso County by complet- ing appointee’s commission papers that Jackson had signed but left blank. Magoffin’s return to El Paso, especially with such plenipotentiary powers, created a turmoil that Captain David Hammett Brotherton soon quelled. The commander of Fort Bliss refused to recognize Magoffin’s authority or to allow any of the current officials to turn over their records to the
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new appointees.
Farther up the river, Samuel G. Bean had also
returned to his former residence. Bean’s property had been confiscated and sold to a Union army officer. However, Bean’s wife wrangled her way into the house and refused to leave, and the officer gra-
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ciously sold the Beans’ house back to them.
Some of the Confederates fled to Mexico following Appomattox. Major General Sterling “Old Pap” Price and some of his command crossed the border and fought unsuccessfully for Maximillian. Gran- ville Oury and his wife Mina were also among the Confederates who went farther south rather than submit to living under the authority of the Union. It did not take them long to become disillusioned in
Mexico, and they decided to return to Tucson. The Ourys split up to make their way back to the Territory. The route Granville took was considered too difficult, and it was feared that he might be pickedupbytheFederals. Minaandherbrother, Adam Sanders, traveled with Mexican trains to El Paso. From there they stopped overnight with Sam Jones in Mesilla before continuing west, after pick-
ing up an escort of four men for their wagon.
At Fort Cummings they were delayed four or five days because Captain Burkett did not have enough mentosupplyanescort. Theyweredelayedagain at Fort Bowie because there was a serious Apache threat at the time, and Major Gorman would not furnish an escort for them. When the threat abated
they continued, and a few miles east of Tucson they met Granville coming to meet them. The Oury’s temporary separation, like that of the North and the South, was over.
Indian Fighting and Post War Emigration
The Apaches continued to be a problem in the mineral rich hills and on the road between Mesilla and Tucson. Most of the Indians’ victims were civilians, but when the troops occasionally managed to engage them, the soldiers lost a few lives too. The military found it hard to run the Indians to ground unless the Apaches sensed an advantage and desired a confrontation. Cavalry horses or mules almost always performed better over a short period of time than the scrubby, ill-fed Indian ponies. Without their usual grain ration, however, the army’s horses soon lost strength when forced to survive on forage while the Indians’ mounts were used to it. In any case, the Indian was much more willing to ride his horse to death, cut off a chunk of meat for subsis- tence, fill the still-warm intestines with water, sling both over his shoulder, and set out on foot faster than
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most cavalry could follow.
Cavalry was something Fort Cummings was very
short of in 1867. Until late in the year, when it was
removed, only a token detachment of cavalry was
stationed at the post. As a result, there were few
expeditions against the Apaches. Therefore, it was
somewhat of a surprise when Captain Robert B.
Foutts reported the capture of an Apache woman in
late 1866. She had indicated that her people wanted
peace with the Whites, but they fled toward Mexico
because they were short of provisions. This was
almost certainly a ploy to distract the soldiers. The
woman, who created no problems, waited for an
opportunitytoescape. OntheeveningofJanuary7,
1867, accompanied by a laundress, she was per-
mitted outside the fort to visit a privy. Instead, she
80 ran away.
No doubt she was able to accurately communicate the garrison strength to her people. On March 14, about 30 Apaches attacked a settlement on the Mimbres River. One citizen, Anzel Hammond, was killed and another man was wounded. The attack took place at abandoned Fort Webster ap-
Chapter 6
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