By Kristy McCaffrey
Camp Grant, Arizona Territory, 1870. |
In the 1860’s and 1870’s, the state of unrest in the southern
Arizona Territory varied widely. At times, depredations by Apache Indians was
severe, and led to an increased military presence in the area. There existed,
however, little unity among the tribes, and some of the more peaceful bands
suffered. The massacre at Camp Grant is one such example.
On April 30, 1871, a group of Pinal and Arivaipa Apache
Indians were slaughtered at Camp Grant, a crucial garrison located at the
outlet of Arivaipa Creek where it meets the San Pedro River, about sixty miles
northeast of Tucson.
Royal Emerson Whitman |
Several months prior, First Lieutenant Royal Emerson Whitman
assumed command of Camp Grant. A respected officer from the northern side of
the Civil War, he likely viewed his new commission as reaching the end of the
earth. Camp Grant was nothing more than a rectangle of filthy adobe buildings
around a dusty parade ground.
In February 1871, five old Indian women from a band of
Arivaipa Apaches came to the post under a white flag, searching for a boy they
believed was held prisoner. Whitman treated the women kindly, and they stayed
for two days. When they left, they asked if they could return with more of
their people. Whitman agreed. Eight days later they came with more Indians,
along with goods to sell. Whitman again treated them well. The Apache said that
many of their band wanted to come in, and Whitman promised that he would
protect them.
A few days later, more Apache arrived, represented by their
chief, Eskiminzin. Also present was a Pinal chief known to the whites as Capitán Chiquito, and a chief
called Santo. Whitman found Eskiminzin to be friendly. His people were weary of
the constant danger from the troops, and wanted to settle down in their
ancestral territory along Arivaipa Creek. They wanted peace, and asked Whitman
to give them tools and issue rations until a harvest was ready. This was a
common promise given to Indians at the time, so the request wasn’t out of line.
Eskiminzin |
Unfortunately, Whitman had no authority to make this peace
and explained this to Eskiminzin. He suggested they go to a reservation in the
White Mountains. But not all Apache got along, and Eskiminzin refused. Whitman
decided to take a chance with the thought that if he could pacify this band,
then others might follow. He agreed for them to come in and that he would issue
a pound of beef and a pound of corn or flour per day per adult. He would also
allow them to gather mescal as needed. In the meantime, he would write his
commander to gain the required permission. He immediately sent word to
Department Commander George Stoneman at Drum Barracks, California.
At the beginning of March, Eskiminzin returned with his
entire band of Arivaipa Apaches—about 150 people. Soon, that number doubled,
and finally over 500 Indians had come in. Whitman could see that the Indians
were desperately poor, so he made arrangements for the Arivaipa’s to gather hay
for the fort, at the rate of one penny a pound. In two months, over 150 tons
was brought in, worth $3000, which made the Apache wealthy. Before long, it
wasn’t just the women and children submitting to labor, but the warriors as
well.
Whitman was firm but fair with the Indians. After a time, he
relaxed restrictions on them, and relations were good with nearby ranchers, who
even hired on some of the Apache. By all accounts, his unofficial reservation
was flourishing. But by the end of March, Whitman had still not heard from General
Stoneman.
Whitman kept an eye out for treachery, but he could discover
no wrongdoing when it came to the Indians. They were happy and content. Other
soldiers at the post, civilian employees of the army, and even veteran Indian
haters all agreed that something profound was occurring here. The Indians
trusted Whitman. Only once did he overstep himself when he asked if they would
provide Apache scouts to help fight other, more hostile, Apache bands. Eskiminzin
said no, stating that they were not at war with those other bands.
General George Stoneman |
Around the beginning of April, a new commander arrived to
take over Camp Grant. Whitman briefed Captain Frank Standwood on the situation.
Standwood approved, and instructed him to carry on. In mid-April, Whitman
received word that his request to General Stoneman had been misfiled, and
therefore not approved. It’s been theorized that Stoneman did read the letter,
but refused to act one way or another regarding it. Politics were delicate when
it came to providing a feeding-station to Indians who might then go out and
pillage and raid.
On April 30, only Whitman and a small garrison of fifty men
were in residence at Camp Grant because Captain Standwood had left on an
extensive scouting mission days earlier. Word came that a large force of armed
citizens from Tucson were on the loose and were believed to be headed to Camp
Grant and the Apache rancheria. Word would have reached Whitman sooner, but the
leaders of the Tucson mob—the influential Oury family on the white part and the
Elias family on the Mexican side—had set sentries and sealed the road to insure
their success. Reacting quickly, Whitman sent word to the Indians, but he was
too late.
The massacre was ruthless. The mob consisted of six whites,
forty-eight Mexicans, and ninety-four Papago Indians. Men, women, and dogs were
clubbed. Those that escaped were shot. The assault was over in thirty minutes.
Chief Capitan Chiquito Bullis lost two wives during the massacre. |
Whitman did what he could. He tried to contact survivors who’d
managed to escape. He sent the post surgeon to help any who lived, but
unfortunately there were none. The scene was grisly. Skulls had been crushed,
women sexually assaulted and mutilated. Infants had been shot. Whitman took on
the task of burying the 125 dead, of which only eight were men. Slowly,
survivors returned.
Amazingly, the surviving Pinal and Arivaipa Apache continued
to express their confidence in Whitman. Eskiminzin, deeply grieved over losing
his family, nevertheless remained steadfast in his determination not to
retaliate with war. Some believe it is a testament to the goodwill that Whitman
had extended to them, a policy that had been strikingly effective, even in the
face of this unspeakable tragedy.
All of the men were acquitted of the crime. |
As a side note: Twenty-nine Apache children went missing
that day. The mothers implored Whitman to get them back. Two of the children
managed to escape. Five were later recovered from Arizona citizens. The
remaining twenty-two were taken to Sonora, Mexico and sold. Also, because this
was labeled a massacre by the military, President Grant told Arizona Territorial
Governor A.P.K. Safford that if the perpetrators weren’t brought to justice
then he would place the area under martial law. In October 1871, 100 assailants
were indicted under Tucson law, but because the ensuing trial focused solely on
Apache depredations, all of the men were found not guilty.
11 comments:
A great post. My family lived for a time in the White Mountains (Show Low, AZ) and we toured Fort Apache and the Apache Reservation. The tribe also has a big Indian Casino up there, but sadly they are mostly diabetic, alcholic and no longer display the pride the Indians of yore had in all things nature.
Thanks for sharing.
How unbelievably sad. Kristy, your research shows in every post and blog. Thank you!
Ginger,
I had a similar experience when I lived on the Navajo reservation as a child. But there are still some Native Americans who keep their heritage alive.
Take care and thanks for stopping by!
Cindy,
It is sad. I was working on this yesterday and wondered why I was so depressed on Easter. As I've researched the Apache for my next book, I was as stunned by their violence against whites as I was by the anglos and Mexicans against them. There were no winners in any of this. Hugs to you!
The stories of the horrors of such stories across the West can make a person very depressed. There were those who profited from continuing war or under supplying the Indians on the various reservations. Not a proud time in our history :(.
Thank you for the fascinating and informative post, Kristy. It is so sad, but I'm glad you shared the story with us!
Rain,
You're correct about the corruption that some people practiced to keep the Indian wars alive. Really dreadful.
Hi Shanna,
Thanks for stopping by. The post is depressing, but a part of the landscape when trying to understand the history in Arizona. Best to you!
Informative and well written post, Kristy. I'm wondering how Eskiminzin fared after this tragedy, and how this affected Whitman's career. Sad and horrific event, and unfortunately, one of many.
Jacquie,
Yes, stories like these are far too common in the history of Native Americans in the West. Whitman retired in 1879 and returned to Washington DC, so I don't believe there was much fallout careerwise for him. Eskiminzin always strove for peace, but his name pops up in later incidents. It would be understandably difficult to remain neutral.
Yesterday was the 147th anniversary. Whitman was no doubt changed by the ordeal, being vilified by Tucson Anglo and Mexican-American citizens and the local press. He was accused of being a drunk (he had a liver conditioned that caused him to get very drunk very easily) and was charged and tried for court martial many times. I am trying to trace his post Camp Grant assignments and believe after a few years acting as agent for the tribe he was reassigned to the 3rd Cav that worked the Wyoming Territory and Black Hills. In 1874 he designed the Whitman Saddle, while in the Army, and which the Army used as an alternative to the McClellan Saddle through WWI. Whitman sold his interest in his company (even lost a Supreme Court patent case over its design - he was not permitted to enforce his patent). He lived a storied and colorful life, becoming best friends with Borglum, sculptor of Rushmore. Borglum sculpted his headstone at Arlington Cemetery. A recent Tucson Tourist post (Andrew Explains It) features Whitman. See: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0geKehLbuhaz14AIjpXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0N2Noc21lBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=royal+emerson+whitman+tucson&fr2=piv-web&fr=tightropetb#id=1&vid=54b56cc4a16054fcf588c2b20f85fd04&action=view
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