Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-11
HERO MEDAL UNDER CLOUD
Distribution of Unearned Honors for
Apache Campaign.
FACTS FROM OFFICERS DIARY
Army Circles stirred by Major
BensOn's Contribution TO the
History Of Famous
Campaign.

Campaign.
The recent award OF a medal of honor
for gallsntry in the campaign against the
Apaches in 1886 (the general being an army
doctor at the time). and General o. o.
Howard's story Of that campaign, pub
lished In the Army and Navy Journal of
April Is, 1903. have provoked a spirited
controversy in army circles. Major II. c.
Benson OF the Fifth cavalry, stationed at
Fort Yellowstone, Wyo., who was an active
participant in that campaign, throws con-
siderable light on the events In dispute and
puts a cloud on the title to some Of the
medals awarded. In a letter published
by the Army and Navy Journal of July .
Major Benson says:
Having q great dislike for Engaging In
controversies, 1 have never seen fit to
reply to many OF the Incorrect statements
made in past years with regard to this
1.-THE Geronimo) campaign, largely because
these articles we're written by people who
carried no weight-being people who were
not connected with the army and were not
presumed to know the conditions. In the
present case. however, when a person OF
General Towards standing and reputation
writes an article and states The forego-
Ills - NIhG III oFO1g P0A NAA @At 80
glad 70 concur fully In these statements.
I was commanding the military division
at the time Of this expedition" while as a
matter OF fact he knew nothing about the
exact conditions, being at the time in
san Francisco, and when many of his
statements are not only misleading, but
totally untrue, II seems to me that the time
has arrived when certain Impressions
should be corrected and the real facts
stated.
As relates to the following statement:
"Captain Lawton and DR.. Wood were the
only men who endured the whole five
months Of hard work" This IL not true.
The expedition lasted a little less than four
months and / was present during the en-
tire time. and as a matter Of fact was on
the expedition longer than either Captain
Lawton or DR.. Wood
Beginning of the Chase.
On April 20, 1885, I was at Fort Bowie,
having Just mustered out a company Of
Indian scouts which I had commanded dur
ing the expedition undertaken by Major
Writ Davis and later commanded by Cap
tain ]. H. Dorst, both OF the Fourth cav
airy. On this date I received a telegram to
proceed to Huachuca to the
Lawton expedition. I reached Fort Hua-
chucha on the evening OF May !, and on
arrival learned tina information had been
received that the hostiles had the previous
day attacked a ranch near Calabasas, kill
ing some people, and had carried off q
sister-in-law OF q man named Peck. AS
Captain Lawton's expedition was not ready
to proceed as a whole, I wac directed TO
take a portion of II CTroop B of the Fourth
cavalry and proceed by forced marches
over the border and a X possession OF the
trail, in order that the portion OF the treaty
with Mexico. which required that the troops
In pursuit should follow on the trail be
| complied with. I arrived late on the sec
ond day at Nogales. About an hour after
I arrived In this town, a soldier or Cap
tain Lebo's command Of the Tenth cavalry
rode In with his horse nearly exhausted
and reported that Captain Lebo had had a
T FIGHT with the Indians and that but a few
~ the soldiers had been able TO escape. !
,r,msdiateIy teleEraphed to General Miles
stating that there was no question Of
course that Captain Lebo had had q fight
hut that the soldiers D report OF the nsh'
was undoubtedly untrue, and asked IN
struct,ons. I was directed to proceed az
ono TO where Captain Lebo was to take up
the trail at that point, ] left az IL p. M
that same day, and reached Captain Leoo
camn IN the Pinto mountains about moor
of the 4th. Captain Lebd had had a very
.,,,f fight with the Indians the previous
~ IN which he'd had had one mar knheo
80 one man wounded. and in which nsn'
7 Isutenant p. H. Clarke Justly won a meu
~ honor. Captain Lebo's commahu 20.
u,,tbout rations and was mucn eNh"u77S
:. a. had been relentlessly pursuing INV
Tnd,ans for several days and mao iihS
L.-+ak.n them. As the trail was '" D'
.,,rned over to Captain Lawton On :"
.-,val and Captain Lebo was "'"
-ot,ons he told roe that ] could hANe N
.rau as well then as later l a
,o,raA on the I'd at Nogales by rive =,
.oo,ta who had been sent out oy
.ho.a five. but one could SPEAK S-
80 7 had previously known MN 1s
a., AZ Alcatraz Island. where ne "es !,
d. a nfteen-year sentence Tor "u'"'
the Cibaku campaign
D~tfficuItIes Encountered
took up the trail on the morhins
r.h ana as the Indians expected lu%,
-.rs,,,t they selected the worst poe
e,ntrv 10 travel over. During TINS my
80, three of my sixteen mules over ="
Ia. Of the mountain, as we "Ne
ohlIssA 10 slide down slopes composed =
- only. and there was not
oo.,Dg AZ the bottom to enaple lhe III
- 20 recover their balance ana lhe'
-,.ah.d ovar the cliffs. After toio"lh'
t.au Cor some six or seven hours IN
TnS,sn soouts became greatly excited an
s.o,,nsd TO follow the trail. allowed tou
.hom 20 drop to the rear, but compehe'
..Chimney," the one who coulo speaA N