E. D. R. S. Canby to Governor of New Mexico, November 22, 1861

Santa Fé, N. Mex., November 22, 1861.

His Excellency GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO, Santa Fé, N. Mex. : > SIR: I have the honor to state, for the information of your excellency, that arrangements are now being made to separate the Navajoes who are known to be friendly and to have acted in good faith from the . remainder of that nation, and to establish them in communities where they can be isolated and protected from the consequences of war made . upon the rest of the nation. Care wil be taken in the selection of these, and in posting troops in their neighborhood, that these communi’ies shall not leave places of refuge for the ladrones. AS soon as practicable, troops will be established at the points that are best calculated to watch the approaches from the Navajo country and protect the inhabitants of New Mexico from the depredations of these Indians. By these arrangements and the active vigilance of the troops, it is believed that the persons and property of the inhabitants can be rendered seeure until the necessary dispositions can be made for the effectual puns ishment of this and other Indian tribes now at war with the people of New Mexico. :

As pertinent to this subject, I have also the honor to call your attention to some facts connected with the Indian affairs in this country. While the difficulties with the Navajoes have existed with varying phases almost since the original settlement of New Mexico, there is no doubt that some of the most recent, if they have not been caused by, have at least been greatly aggravated by, the unauthorized and illegal acts of a portion of the Mexican population. It is known that the consequences of these acts have almost invariably fallen upon the well-disposed Navajoes and upon the better classes of.the Mexican people— those who had stock or other property to be stolen or farms which could not be cultivated in security—while the authors of these acts have profited by the division of their plunder and the sale of their eaptives. These acts and these principles do not apply to the Navajoes alone, but to all the tribes of Indians by whieh New Mexico is surrounded, and it is scarcely necessary to say that, if permitted, they can lead to but one result, thatof converting all the Indians of New Mexico into robbers, and leading to a contest that will be as interminable as the Maroon war of the West Indies.

The policy of the Government towards the Indians is fully indicated by itslaws and by the instructions to the, officers of the Indian and War Departments, and it has a right to expect that all good citizens will aid in enforcing its laws and sustaining its policy. The duty of protection involves a reciprocal obligation upon the part of the people of New Mexico, and unless the illegal acts of a few vicious individuals are denounced by the moral sense of the community and enforcement of the laws aided by all, the best efforts that can be made to control*the Indians and protect the inhabitants will be utterly fruitless. I will use all the means that I may be able to control to protect the inhabitants of New Mexico from depredations and secure them in the quiet possession of their

property, and I ask the co-operation of your excellency and the people —

of New Mexico in sustaining the laws and regulations of the Government in relation to the Indians. This policy, in my judgment, is not only the wisest, but the only one that can possibly be adopted without leading to interminable evils.

Very respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, ct