Page 214 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

The “Last” Indian Wars and a Shift in Transportation and Routes
Figure 48. Victorio. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Historical Society, #19705.
On September 18, 1879, about 20 miles above Hillsboro, Victorio laid an ambush for Captain Byron Dawson and 46 Navajo scouts and men from the Ninth Cavalry. The troops and scouts were pinned down and even when aug- mented by 54 men (mostly militia) from Hillsboro led by Captain Beyer, the sol- diers could do little more than extricate themselves from the trap. Second Lieutenant Matthias Walter Day crossed 200 yards of open space under heavy fire and rescued one of his wounded soldiers. Captain Beyer wanted Lieutenant Day court-mar- tialed for disobeying orders, but Con- gress instead awarded him a Medal of Honor, although Day would have to wait until May 7, 1890, for the award. The Whites lost five soldiers, a citizen, Jack Hagan, and two Navajo scouts. In
addition, two soldiers received serious
wounds, and most of the soldiers’ sup-
plies and horses were lost to the
40 Apaches.
Once again, the civilians experienced the next major blow. Victorio, aug- mented by Mescalero Apaches, attack- ed a Mexican freight train near Magdelena Canyon in mid-October
41
-50
Apaches. Thewarwouldnotbetrulyoveruntilthe
Final surrender of Geronimo in 1886.
In July of 1878 three civil indictments had been
handed down in Silver City that would have far reaching consequences. Victorio was charged with one count of murder and two for horse stealing. Victorio became aware of this action and in late August 1879 the Apache misinterpreted the presence of some New Mexico officials at Tularosa. J udge Warren Bristol and Prosecuting Attorney Al- bert Jennings Fountain were only members of a hunting party, but Victorio thought they were about to arrest him again. Consequently, he and about 60 warriors fled the reservation, crossed the Tularosa Basin and Rio Grande, and sought the sanctity of the Black Range. Near Ojo Caliente they raided the Ninth Cavalry’s horse herd, killed 5 soldiers and 3
civilians and escaped with all 46 of Captain Ambrose
42
While Major Albert Payson Morrow gathered his
Eugene Hooker’s Company E horses.
39
200
They strucknextatLloyd’sRanch,aboutninemilessouth- west of Colorado (present-day Rodey), where they killed at least five people and slaughtered the animals. A small rescue party from Colorado was driven back resulting in the deaths of four more citizens. Reinforcementsweregathered,butthat
party of approximately 35 was also repulsed.
Word of the attack also had been sent to Mesilla, and another relief party was formed to help out. The group followed the old road toward Magdelena Canyon but ran into a large number of Apaches. Five men were killed, including Samuel Jones’ son, William T. Jones. Finally, a party of about 75 men from Mesilla, Las Cruces, Dona Ana, and other villages, led by William Logan Rynerson, gathered and followed the same route. They buried the dead, including the teamsters, before moving on to Lloyd’s
and wiped out all 10 drivers.
Ranch where they arrived much too late.