Camp Grant Massacre by Nancy J. Farrier

 

Camp Grant, Photo by John Karl Hillers
United States Army, Public Domain

In the Southwest, particularly in Arizona, in the 1860’s and early 1870’s, there were two types of Apaches. The Chiricahua Apaches chose to fight to try to regain their lands and their freedom, while the Aravaipa and Pinal Apaches chose to seek peace, settling down to farm. This disparity led to what happened on an April morning in 1871.

 

In February of 1871, six Apache women approached Camp Grant, Arizona, located where the San Pedro River and Aravaipa Creek meet. These women spoke with Lt. Royal Whitman about  a son who had been captured and taken prisoner. Lt. Whitman was kind to the women, giving them food and listening to them. Within a short time a camp was set up for the Aravaipa and Pinal Apaches a few miles upstream from Camp Grant. The Apaches settled there, planting food and hunting for game.

 

Meanwhile, the Chiricahua Apaches continued their raids, often killing settlers in their quest to win back their hunting grounds. In March of 1871, A baggage train was attacked and two men killed, a rancher was killed, and a woman kidnapped. Citizens in Tucson were appalled and sent a request for help to General George Stoneman who was in charge of Indian affairs in Arizona territory. Stoneman didn’t take them seriously, brushing off their concerns. (This later cost him his post and position as General.)

 

Tucson in the 1880's

After more attacks in April, some of the citizens of Tucson banded together to settle
the score. The vigilantes included William S. Oury, the mayor of Tucson. They snuck out at night and rode for two days to reach the Camp Grant area. There were 6 Americans, 48 Mexicans, and over 90 Tohono O’odham Indians in the group. When they reached the area, they set a watch at Camp Grant and took a hidden trail to the Apache camp.

 

Before dawn on the morning of April 18^th, 1871, the men entered the camp. They slaughtered 8 men and over 100 women who were all sleeping when attacked. Some of the women were raped. They took captive 30 children, taking them to Tucson and Mexico to be slaves.

 

Eskimizin - Chief of the Apaches
near Camp Grant. Public Domain

Most of the men of the Apache camp were out on a hunting expedition, which is why there were so few men in the camp. By the time the soldiers at Camp Grant were aware of the attack, it was over. They arrived to find the people murdered and mutilated. Lt. Whitman searched for survivors but only found one woman. He and his men buried the bodies.

 

An outcry was made when word got out about what had happened. The Apaches were under the protection of the soldiers at Camp Grant, and thinking themselves safe, were attacked and slaughtered while they slept. The Eastern press called it a massacre. President Grant informed the governor that if the perpetrators weren’t brought to justice, he would declare martial law for Arizona.

 

In October 1871, a Tucson grand jury indicted 100 of the vigilantes on 108 counts of murder. The following trial was a farce and it took the jury nineteen minutes to declare the defendants not guilty. The children who had been sold as slaves were never recovered.

This tragedy took place a few miles from where I live in Arizona. The thought of all those innocents being slaughtered breaks my heart as does the slavery of the children. I still can't understand the murderous intent that would have so many riding such a distance to commit this crime.

 

Have you ever heard of the Camp Grant Massacre? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.