New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-04-11
THE Navajo Cannafg.,.

| for examination.
! The Navajo Campaign.
| The st. Lons Republican publishes letter from
Santa Fe, written last month from which we extract
the following highly interesting particulars of the
recent successful campaign against the Navajo
Indians, in the wilds of New Mexico:
| The campaign against the Navajos, ordered last
| fall by Col. Fauntleroy, commanding the depart
| ment of New Mexico and commanded in the field
and just closed by Lent.-Co. E. R. s. Canbys Tenth
| United States Infantry, has been Of the most
successful and severe prosecuted against that tribe.
| Opening in September with troops hastily put in
the field, and such supplies as could be crowded
out to tem it has been carried all winter among
the crags and eanons of the Rocky Mountains, and
through the SHOWS of region as cold as New
York.
From early In October. water froze every night
in the mountains. The first snow fell about the
| middle of November. By the 26th Of that month
Tradition had held it impossible for active opera.
tons to be had in the Navajo country in mid
winter. The Indians have believed it.
They have been better subdued by the hard de-
termination by which column after another
was moved into the field this winter-the men
carrying their blankets and part of their rations
| marching, day after day, in the deep snow, and
sleeping at night without tents, while the ther-
mometer fell ten or fifteen degrees below zero !;
without water bther than melted snow, suffering
often, blinded and frost-bitten but following
the trails relentlessy until there was no place in
which Navajo could feel himself safe-than they
| could have been by sharp battle.
In six months their country has been traVersed by
| eighteen different columns and scouts, making an
| aggregate of marching of about three thousand
miles. Troops have followed the course of the San
| Juan from Abiquu to near Fort Defiance, and the
| trails from Albuquerque through Chusca, and from
| Fort Craig to the same post. Thence northward
| and westward strong column penetrated to the
Puerta Similar, nearly two hundred miles, over a
country almost impossible. Westward q camp
was made near the Moqui Villages; south and east
| a column marched to the Colorado river. A col
| umn leaving Fort Fauntleroy marched south
through zuni and to the country bordering the
Colorado in the direction of the Salt Lakes. A
second column from the same post followed the
valley of the Puerco to Beali's ROAD and secuted
in the country west of that river. third march
ing north and west from the same point operated
in the Chusca valley. The unexplored country
north of Fort Fauntleroy was penetrated by two
companies. column acted in the vicinity of the
San Mateo Mountain, {Mount Taylor) another
passed through and secuted the country south of
this mountain and near the Aqua Azul and the
Gallo. In the intervals between the movements
single companies have made scouts of less dura-
ton.
In nearly all of these movements the Indians
were met or traces of their recent presence were
found. In the march from Abiquiu q party Of
sixty was broken up, ten were killed and their
property taken. On the thirty days scout to
Puerta Simtar small party was destroyed at the
head of the Canon de Chelle. 1t was here the la
mented Captain McLane was killed. Soon after
another party attacked, some killed and large
focks taken. On this march both sides Of the re-
| nowned Chelle canon were swept and immense
| trails were followed a hundred and fifty miles until
| the Indians scattered and forced with theiI
families and hocks upon the arid desert bordering
| the Colorado.
Affairs of the pickets were of nightly occurrence
| sometimes dropping fire keeping up all night
the men becoming at last SO cool that they would
let an Indian creep up, holding their fire until they
were sure of him. A number were killed in this
| way. Some remarkable shots were made with
! long range riaes-single Indians being hit, to the
terror of their comparisons at eight hundred yards.
Two parties were attacked at different times near
| the river Vuerco; they were broken up, captives
being taken, their provisions destroyed and the
survivors left in midwinter without food cloth
ing. party was similarly routed in Chusca,
| north of Fort Fauntleroy-a camp was found, some
were killed aud number were taken prisoners
Two parties were encountered near Fort Defiance
Contrary to general expectation the Navajos have
nowhere in this war offered battle. They seem to
have given up the struggle at the outset They
have fled from whatever force attacking them, and
if pressed have deserted not only their Ocks, but
their women and children, rather than fghtn their
defense. The troops who entered the Navajo
country with exaggerated ideas of the daring of tile
foe they were to encounter, leave it feeling for
them, perhaps, too great contempt.
Some time before the termnuton Of the scouts,
the Indians were coming in begging for peace, and
runners had been sent by them to call in the far
therest portions of the tribe They ready for
any terms.
On the 18th of February treaty was made to
which, it is said, all the prominent chiefs {thiry
two in number) have become parties, by which
they not only bind themselves and their followers
to keep peace, but agree to limit themselves to
such part of the country as is assigned them and
to join with their warriors the troops for the exter
mination of any portion of the tribe which does not
submit It is probable that peace will be perma-
nent. That the Indians desire it is certain It is
equally certain that the border Mexicans will break
it for plunder if they can
These semi-barbarous half breeds 20 in the face
of law and treaty into the Navajo country as or
ganized bands of robbers, killing and pundering.
| And when the Navajos chase them, as they always
can, and carry the war, in their turn, into their
| miserable settlements, they come bowling to the
troops about depredations, and claiming, United
States citizens protection.
| 1t is hard for the Navajo mind to comprehend
| why the Mexican may plurder and kill him, but
not he the Mexican without the anger of the Great
Father at Washington. 1t is q wise provision Of
the treaty that the troops will protect the Nayajos
| from Mexicaus. 1t is difficult to realize how much
| the tribe has suffered this winter. We can form
| some idea from the wreched starving condition in
which they came into the posts-eating the filth
est garbage, even picking the grains of corn from
| the ordure of animals for food. And by their sad
story that it has been yery cold among the rocks
where they had hidden they dared light no fires
| there much cold, much hunger.n This, with
| a temperature below zero. Think Of the women
| and children.
| In the Navajo councils the women have q voice
| and vote, and they say: The men may go TO
war again if they please, but they and their children
will stay at the forts.' The warriors told Of some
| Mormons who came among them to sell arms, and
| to tell them they must stand up and fight, not
run away from the sOldiers'-and of whom the
| Indians fortunately killed one-that the troops had
| chased them on one scout more than hundred
miles, and had killed thousand women and child
| rem. OF course this is an exaggeration but many
| must have perished from exposure. 1t is the first
| time this nation has felt the pressure of long
campaign. They have seen their country entered,
| their enemies unchecked for day by the inciem-
encies of their winters, penetrating everywhere to
their Businesses they have had no rest for months
| and they have recognized at last the fact that no
ruggedness of their country, or asperity of their
| climate, can stop their white foes in movements
! once determined. They feel that if this war is tc
| be continued, themselves chased, their cattle
hunted, their planting grounds known, no food or
| hand, no crops to be made this year, they mnsl
perish, as people, by starvation they must have
| peace. -@'
| ANOTHER TEXAS CoNvENrIoN.--The Galveston
| News OF Saturday last has the following
| We were Informed day or so ago. by arrivals
| from Austin, that the submission clique there con-
| template endeavoring to get State Convention
| on their own account. Oar exESecutIye, HIS pre-
/ snmed, will issue the call and will do so as Cover
nor, to which position he still claims legal title.
| Weshould dislike TO have the State saddled with
| more aynensn on Sam HnuStOns account; but if