The border vidette., 1929-01-12
TUCSON IN Is47

Judge F. Adams, of San Louis
Obispo. CAL, a partner of Mr..
Frank Proctor, is in the city.
Judge Adams is an old pioneer.
the oldest in fact in Arizona to
day. He was first here in 1847
when Tucson was q Mexican
garrison. A command of sixty
men under Lieut.. Schoonmaker
left for Fort Bliss, Texas, as
bearer of dispatches to General
Kearney. then in California.
They reached Tucson in Novem /
Der and attempted to take the
fort, but having neither cannon
to knock it down nor ladders to
scale the walls, they were oblig
ed to content themselves with
holding the town, which con
sisted of about 25 families at
tached to the Mexican garrison
stationed here.
One walled square constituted
the town proper. The rear end
or side of every house was built
10 to and against the wall, with
the doors-windows there were
none-opening into the interior
plaza. The mode of ingress and
egress was through two immense
doors made of heavy timber put
solidly together. The rear of
the houses adjoining the wall
were built four or FIVE feet
higher than the front Or sides
and thus afforded an effective
breast work to shoot from in
case of attack. The fort was
also q walled square about $50
feet ia diameter. It was situat
ed about 800 yards from the
town square. 1t was built of
adobe. The walls were about
IL feet high and commanded by
bastions situated at opposite
corners and so constructed as
to infilade the walls from the
point Of each angle. They were
supplied with one small cannon.
which, however, did no damage.
The attacking party could do
nothing but ride around the
walls. as the garrison refused to
come out. 10 this class of man.
oeuvering they had q mule kill.
ed and that made up the sum
total of casualties on both sides.
The Americans pitched their
camp by one of the big gates of
the town and to guard against
surprise, stationed pickets both
inside and out. On the fourth
day they were joined by q detail
of five men from Fort Bliss,
who had been sent after them to
order their recall. On the fifth
day they began their return
march up the Santa Cruz, fol.
lowed by the Mexican garrison.
When between Tucson and San
Xavier they surprised a camp of
three Apaches and killed them.
They killed another near San
Xavier. and still another at or
near Canoa. The Mexican gar.
rison made q great show of pur.
suing them, but whenever the
Americans faced about they
would scamper back in the direc.
tion of the town at q great rate.
Judge Adams said that be sub
sequently learned that the gar.
rison claimed to have won a
great victory. but if they did it
consisted largely in keeping out
of the way.
1. 10 April, 1849, in company
with the party of Texans under
Capt. Schoonmaker, they camp
ed one night on the Mimbres
River, in New Mexico, when
they were attacked by q party
of Apaches and part of their
stock stolen. They followed the
Apaches into the Mimbres noun.
tains, where i'll luck still waited
for them. In the fight which
followed Captain Schoonmaker
and six men we're killed and the
balance of their stock taken.
Then they cached their provis.
ions and footed it back to Fort
Bliss.
At this post Colonel Marcy
was Quitting to survey the
boundary line between the Unit.
ed States and Mexico. Mr..
Adams joined his command as
private and was at once assign.
ed to the division of topographi.
cal engineer. The company to
which be belonged consisted of
thirty-two men, there being less
than hundred men in the en-
tire force. They broke camp
June /, 1849, and headed for
Cow Springs ;thence they march
od tO tho head watorS 0f tho