The argus., 1895-12-26
"REMINISCENCES.
Personal Experiences and Rec
elections Of Arizona, Dur
ing the Past Thirty
Three Years.
The Embellishments OF Camp Ord, and
Other Matters Connected
Herewith.
by a. T. BAsrA.
CHAPTER II.

toned in the foregoing chapter, af-
forded secure retreat for the
Apaches, and practically almost an
insurmountable barrier against any
successful pursuit of them by the
military. During the earlier part of
the year 1869, Apache depredations
were almost OF daily occurrence, aud
had reached that stage at which the
commanding officer of the Southern
district determined to chastize the
red devils and try and put stop to
their develtry. General Deven hav-
ing obtained reliable information
that great many Indian outrages
then being committed in southern
Arizona, were not, as usually sup
posed, perpetrated by the Chirica-
hua Apaches under old Cochise, but
that large number were committed
by the tribes mentioned in chapter
one.
Early in June, 1859, Major Green,
the commandant at Camp Goodwin,
received orders from headquarters at
Camp Mcdowell, to take all his
available force and with himself at
its head, to at once put into execu-
ton a vigorous campaign against all
Apaches ranging over the country
lying north of the Gila. Accord
ingly, Colonel Green, at the head
of four troops of cavalry, and par
ty of ''tame Apaches" under Chief
Manuel, in pursuance of his orders,
began his perilous march into the
wilds of the unknown mountains to
the northward, After many days of
hard marching, clambering and
climbing over almost inaccessible
mountains, the command finally en-
camped July q, 1869, near the juno
ton of two mountain streams, now
known as the East and West forks
of White river, about one-fourth of
mile west of the present site of
Fort Apache. At various times and
places along the line of march, hos
tiles were frequently met with, who
were routed by the troops, and their
corn-felds destroyed. In these nu-
merous encounters some few Apaches
were killed and others more or less
wounded.
The reader will pardon another
short digression, as it is necessary to
a clear comprehension of the nara
ton.
On the 18th day of July, 1869, G.
E. Cooley, Henry Wood Dodd and
the writer of these "reminiscences,
accompanied by small party of
Coyotero Apaches under Chief Es-
coh-pah (accent on the middle sylla-
ble) and Mexican cautivo named
Miguel, the chiefs interpreter, we
pulled out of the Zuni villages, with
the ostensible purpose in view of
hunting a supposed fabulously rich
placer gold mine, known to many in
New Mexico as the doc. Thorn
story" Before leaving the Pueblo
de Zuni, situated in New Mexico,
about twenty miles east of the boun-
dary line between that territory and
Arizona, Captain Cressy. of the Sd U.
S. cavalry, stationed at Fort Win
gate, with detachment of his
troops as escort for himself and the
POST interpreter, came over to the
villages to have conference with us
before we were permitted to start
upon our wild-goose chase into the
unknown wilds of the Apacheria.
The truthful writer should never
sacrifice the truth of fact and Incl
dent to the mere elegance of diction
or a glittering or pleasing romance;
however much he may desire, by al |
lowing his imagination to run wild
into the realms of the picturesque;
but ON the contrary he should stick
TO plain facts, for it is well known
that the simple truth is stranger
than fiction" Therefore, l will |
here record the humiliating fact,
that Captain Cressy's visit to us did
not partake so much of a social
nature as one could have wished,
but his real object was for the ex-
press purpose of insrecting our out
fits, to see that Eve uns," instead of
f.<..x.<~ <<<.1l l<...<%-- ..-x-. - =. 80