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.

Gadsden Makes a Purchase

By Nancy J. Farrier

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase made history. The United States bought 828,000 square miles of land from France for a price of 15 million dollars, approximately three cents per acre. This purchase included land from Louisiana up to the border of Canada, encompassing all or part of the land for 15 states. In 1853, the United States made a smaller, yet crucial acquisition referred to as The Gadsden Purchase.

James Gadsden, once a soldier serving under General Andrew Jackson, later worked for President Monroe. After Andrew Jackson became President, Gadsden fell out of favor. He’d always had an interest in railroads, and in 1839 he was appointed President of the South Carolina Railroad Company. His dream was to see a southern transcontinental railroad and he began to work toward that end.

In 1846 the United States entered into war with Mexico. The war lasted until 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and the United States gained ownership of much of the western half of what is now the continental United States of America. In the Arizona Territory, the new border ran along the Gila River, miles north of the current border.

Even after the Treaty had been signed, tensions between the two countries were high. Border disputes continued, and there was protection for new settlers heading west. Meanwhile, James Gadsden had been advised that the best route for the southern transcontinental railroad would be through the territory still held by Mexico. As the U.S. Minister to Mexico, Gadsden was sent by President Franklin Pierce and the Secretary of State to renegotiate the southern border of Eastern New Mexico and what would become the Arizona Territory. The change would accommodate the perfect route for the proposed railroad.

In September of 1853, Gadsden began talks with Mexican President Antonio de Santa Anna. After months of negotiations an agreement was reached. The proposed purchase price presented to the American government for approval was $15,000,000 for 45,000 square miles of territory. In April of 1854, the ratified agreement approved the amount of $10,000,000 for 29,670 square miles of land. Pierce signed the document and Santa Anna signed it on June 8, 1854. The procurement of the land figured out to a cost of thirty-three cents per acre.

The new border ran along the Rio Grande River and included the little presidio of Tucson. It would be several years before the United States of America would provide protection through its cavalry. In 1854, the inhabitants asked for a territorial government. One of the proposed names for Arizona was Gadsonia. Arizona became a Territory in 1863, and became a State in 1912.

Soon after his famous purchase, James Gadsden lost his position as U.S. Minister to Mexico. He also didn’t live to see the fulfillment of his dream in the southern route of the transcontinental railroad. President Santa Anna was ousted because of the unpopularity of his decision to sell the land to the United States of America.

Without Mr. Gadsden purchase we wouldn’t have some of the colorful history from the Southwest. Just think if there had been no Tombstone with a shootout involving Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. The beautiful Mission San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson wouldn’t be part of the United States of America. Part of our rich heritage includes Mr. Gadsdens purchase.

I used to live in the part of Arizona that joined the United States of America when Gadsden made his purchase. Have you ever traveled to Southern Arizona? Have you visited Tucson or the Catalina Mountains? Have you ever traveled the southern route by train?

Coming July 2013

Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest and interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.