Page 220 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

for people, household goods, and stock.
9
The “Last” Indian Wars and a Shift in Transportation and Routes
with the Southern Pacific was not working, because within a week the company announced that no coast- bound freight would be accepted. Soon special emigrant trains would run though, with provisions
Nana and his men slipped away with many of the troops’ horses and most of their supplies and am- munition.
The following day General Hatch arrived to take control of the situation. Two days after Hatch ar- rived, Nana and his men slipped by Fort Cummings in the night and returned to Mexico.94 The countryside once again settled into an uneasy quiet.
When Fourth Cavalry Lieutenant Colonel George A. Forsyth took command of the three cavalry and two infantry companies at Fort Cummings in November, the biggest problem he had to face was infectious diseases among his command. The troops had been denied hard liquor for several months as a result of President Hayes’ February 2 edict prohibit- ing the sale of intoxicating liquors on military reser- vations. Beer, however, was permitted. As a result, several “hog ranches” sprang up around Fort Cum- mings to supply the liquor that had been denied the men and also to supply them with women and the opportunity for gambling. An inspection of the hospital turned up a number of soldiers suffering from various communicable diseases that had spread as a result of their visits to these “ranches.”
Forsyth decided to take drastic action. He directed Carpenter to order three barrels of Ken- tucky whiskey for sale at the trader’s store. At first Carpenter demurred; he had gotten in trouble before with post commanders over selling whiskey. Forsyth convinced Carpenter that he would shield the trader from any retribution from the army. Soon the whiskey was installed, selling for 15 cents a drink or 2 for 25 cents. During the first 10 days, Forsyth punished only two men for being drunk. In six weeks, one of the “ranches” disappeared; in three months two more followed; and within five months, the last one, located at the railroad station, was for
95
sale with no takers.
It did not take Carpenter long to overstep his
bounds. On January 13, 1882, he was reprimanded for exceeding the agreement with Forsyth. He was selling liquor by the bottle rather than by the drink. He was ordered to cease this activity immediately and to prohibit the sale of liquor to any enlisted man who was in the slightest degree intoxicated. A fur- ther modification was sent to Carpenter in March, directing him to close the bar to enlisted men
96
Apparently officers could drink as late as they were inclined.
In addition to Indian and liquor problems, the
The railroad gave Dudley something new to
grumble about. He complained that he had to keep
a guard of three men and a noncommissioned officer
at the siding because the railroad did not have an
agent at Fort Cummings Station. He also fumed that
the boxcars with stores for the fort were left standing
on the siding, unlocked and unsealed. Furthermore,
his officers hesitated to remove anything without a
railroad representative present because civilian
merchandise was frequently shipped in the same 91
car.
In March, Dudley prepared to make long-awaited
use of two civilian facilities. On March 24, Dudley indicated that the Lyons had at last departed. He requested that the government consider letting him use the vacant rooms for officers’ quarters and the stables for military horses. Two days later, he made preparations to ship the first military units from Fort
92
Cummings by rail.
This more efficient method of moving soldiers was
none too soon, because about this time the Apache problem began to heat up again. Old Nana, perhaps 70 by now and suffering from arthritis, crossed into New Mexico in July. During the next six weeks, pursued by Lieutenant John Francis Guilfoyle with his Apache scouts and various elements of the Ninth Cavalry, Nana would travel 1,000 miles, fight several engagements, most of which he would win, and kill between 30 and 50 soldiers and citizens.
By mid-August, Nana and his band penetrated the area around Lake Valley, a few miles north of Fort Cummings. Second Lieutenant George Washington Smith was at Lake Valley with 44 men of Ninth Cavalry Companies B and H when he received the news that Nana was nearby. Smith took 17 enlisted men and 20 citizens, led by mine superintendent George W. Daly, to follow Nana’s trail. They entered Gavilan Canyon about mid-morning on August 19, 1881, and triggered a vicious ambush. Smith and Daly were both killed in the first volley. Another citizen and two soldiers were killed and several wounded before Sergeant Brent Woods and the survivors were joined by the rest of the troops from Lake Valley, led by a Sergeant Anderson. The soldiers and citizens managed to disengage, but
promptly at half-past eight.
206