SPECIAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS COLUMN FROM CALIFORNIA, June 16, 1862
June 16, 1862.
No. 15. Tucson, Ariz., June 16, 1862.
The following itinerary of the marches from Fort Barrett (Pima Villages) to Tucson, Ariz., via Picacho Mountain, made by Captain Shinn, Third Artillery, U.S. Army, is published for the information of all concerned:
June 1, left camp at Fort Barrett at 4.15 p. m., with battery, 1 ambulance, 1 water and 8 transportation wagons (loaded to 3,600 pounds with ammunition, flour, and forage), 87 men and 153 animals. Road on Gila River fine for transportation of heavily loaded wagons. No water; no grass; vegetation, mesquite and greasewood. At Sacaton Station very dirty; encampedonriverat8p.m.; eleven milesand eight-tenths.
June 2, filled water-tank (600 gallons) and left camp at Sacaton at 4.20 p.m. Road leaves the river and sweeps round from southeast by south to south by east, with gradually ascending slope to summit, five miles and a quarter between mountain spur and detached peak on left, two miles of road dusty, then soil changes from the alkali dust of Gila River bottom to mixture of sand and gravel, very hard and quite smooth. From summit, Casa Grande in sight on desert to left and the Picacho straight ahead south by east thirty-one miles; desert continues to Oneida Station ; road continues good; at eight miles gravel replaced by hard alkali clay; vegetation, mesquite, greasewood, and cactus; no water or grass on road; wood plenty and sufficient for cooking near Oneida Station, which is on the left; well on the right of road; depth, twenty-nine feet, with five feet of water; encamped there at 7.45 p. m.; train all in ten minutes later.
One hundred and seventy-five buckets (equal to 700 gallons) was taken from the well, at the rate of ten gallons per minute, apparently without diminishing the supply. The water is excellent, cold and sweet; the best this side of Fort Yuma; arrived and departed during the night; found no grass near station; eleven miles and one-tenth. i
June 3, left camp at 4 a.m. Old marks of surface water show a gradual rise of the desert toward Blue Water Station; road fine for marching; very little sand. At six miles halted from 5.45 to 6.45 for grass, which may be found in considerable quantity 100 yards to the left of road in the belt of mesquite or arroyo leading east from that point, and said to extend four or five miles in the same direction ; obtained sufficient for a good night’s feed. This grass is gramma, with some little gaeta. The gaeta was also observed on the left of the road one mile farther on; no water; vegetation, desert plants, mesquite, and greasewood. Arrived and encamped at Blue Water Station at 7.45 a. m.; well (sixty-nine feet in depth, with two feet and a half of water) and station both on right of road; drew water at the rate of six gallons per minute for one hour and three-quarters; watered ninety horses at the same time, four gallons each; mules in the p. m. and horses again in thep.m. Took from this well in ten hours over 1,600 gallons of water and left the depth of water as found, It will probably afford 4,000 gallons of water in twenty-four hours; quality good and water cool. At4p.m.sent a detachment forward to clean out well at the point of mountain; wood plenty; some gramma and a little gaeta reported to exist in the mesquite 500 yards northwest of the station; nine miles and seven-tentbs.
June 4, left Blue Water Station at 2.10 a.m. and expected to march to Tucson, fifty-four miles, in the next twenty-four hours, as there is no water on the road, and not enough with company to encamp on; some wagons remain loaded with 3,600 pounds; morning quite cool and very fine for marching; road continues to rise to the Picacho; at 4.40 a. m. nine miles and six-tenths from Blue Water; soil, clay, water-washed, and very hard and smooth, extends for miles on either side of the road; considerable dry gramma grass in the immediate vicinity and mesquite sparde. At thirteen miles and nine-tenths passed graves of Lieutenant Barrett and tw» soldiers on the left of road. The chalcos or water holes, now dry, are in the mesquite, on the right of the road; here quite a thicket; some grass, but dry. The road is now level, or nearly so, for three or four miles. At 6.45 a. m. halted at the Picacho Station on the right, and distant from Blue Water Station fourteen miles and nine-tenths; saw a band of antelope near foot of peak; no water at this point; consumed about 200 gallons of water in tank, for which had to wait half an hour; resumed march at 7.45 a. m.; road begins to descend toward the south two miles beyond the Picacho and so continues to point of mountain; a very excellent road all the way. At twenty-five miles and five-tenths passed a deep well; dry on right; no water ever found here; high mountains on right, distant from 30 to 100 miles, and between mountain and road valley of Santa Cruz River, here only an arroyo, which road crosses near point of mountain; at 12m. and twenty-nine miles halted half an hour; met a messenger at 1.30 p. m. and received notice of water in abundance at point of mountain, where company arrived and encamped at 4.15 p. m.; station on right and well on left of road; water plenty; no grass; no wood at well, and but little on last eight miles of road; used water brought from Tucson on wagons, and did not thoroughly test the capacity of the well, which is thirty-nine feet deep, with four feet of water; all agree in pronouncing it the best on the desert and say it cannot be dipped dry; thirty-nine miles and one-tenth.
June 5, left camp at 3 a. m., about five miles from point of mountain; dense mesquite thicket—a good cover for Indians; at six miles crossed arroyo of Santa Cruz River, descending to left; quite dry; a little sand, and some more at eleven miles, half a mile of it this time; remainder of road very good; numerous cottonwood trees on road this day and much mesquite; no water; between seven and ten miles from point of mountain much salt grass; poor stuff for forage. First five and last three miles and a half of to-day’s march very fine; road of hard gravel; arrived at Tucson at 8.45 a.m.; fifteen miles. Total, eighty-six miles and seven-tenths.
Tucson is about halfway between Fort Yuma and the Rio Grande, and contains a population of 400, or perhaps 500, mostly Mexicans. A few Americans and foreigners were living here, principally gamblers and ruffians, traitors to their country—secessionists. Colonel Carleton received his promotion to brigadier-general of volunteers while on the desert in the early part of June. On his arrival at Tucson the Territory of Arizona was at once placed under martial law, and the following proclamation issued.*
A number of notorious characters were arrested, examined by military commissions, and sent to Fort Yuma. Order sprang from disorder, and in a short time a den of thieves was converted into a peaceful village. In the meantime General Carleton was making active preparations to move his command to the Rio Grande; wagons were repaired, stores collected from Sonora, and everything put in as good condition as circumstances would permit after the severe march over the Yuma and Gila Deserts. No communication up to this time could be had with our forces in New Mexico. The strength of the rebels and their locality entirely unknown. The great difficulty in communicating with General Canby, at that time in command of the Department of New Mexico, was on account of the hostile Indians, the Apache Nation occupying the whole country between the Rio Grande and the Colorado
A E 1 — > 8 5 $ tivers, The great distance to be traversed through their country rendered it hazardous, if not impossible, for any small party to get through it. General ( arleton endeavored to send an express to General Canby from Tucson. This was carried by three men. The party was attacked
near Apache Pass, and two of the men were killed by the Indians; the survivor was pursued some forty miles and barely escaped death. He was captured by the Texans near Mesilla and the dispatches to General Canby fell into their hands. From these they learned the exact strength of General Carleton’s command and the intended movement of the column. On the 22d of June General Carleton sent forward Lieutenant-Colonel Eyre, of the First Cavalry California Volunteers, with 140 men. This was the advance guard of the column. With the exception of frequent skirmishing with Indians and the loss of three men killed and several wounded at Apache Pass, the party met with no other enemy before reaching the Rio Grande.
Apache Pass is about midway between Tucson and the river. The pass is through a spur of the Chiricahua Mountains, about three and a half or four miles long. In this pass is a fine spring of water, and a favorite haunt of the Indians. A company of infantry and a part of acompany of cavalry, with two mountain howitzers, fought the Indians at this spring for four hours. A number of the savages were killed in the fight. Our loss was three killed and several wounded. On either side of this pass extends a plain from thirty to forty miles in width. The Indians can see parties approach and lay in wait for them. On the 17th of July, preparations for the movement of the command having been completed, General Carleton issued the following general order :*
No report had been received from Colonel Eyre. The strength and locality of the Confederates were unknown; consequently the column was kept well in hand, the companies marching only one day apart. For a description of the country I quote from the notes of Colonel Eyre.t
As soon as the arrival of Colonel Eyre on the river was known the Texans made a hasty flight. Their army was completely demoralized, and Colonel Eyre’s force magnified fourfold. What they could not carry with them they destroyed. One hundred and fifty sick and wounded were left in hospital at Franklin, Tex., and above. Colonel Eyre crossed the river near Fort Thorn and pushed down toward the retreating rebels. He entered Las Cruces, opposite Mesilla, and raised our national colors. Franklin was also occupied by a detachment of his command. General Carleton, with the head of the column, reached the river on the 8th of August, the time consumed in the march being eighteen days. Thesight of this beautiful stream after the many days of toil and suffering gladdened the hearts of all. The last day’s march was particularly severe; over forty miles had been made by the infantry without water without a murmur. The desert had been conquered, and the command arrived on the river in good fighting condition. No deaths had occurred between Tucson and the river, and but few remained on the sick list. General Carleton crossed the river at the point where Colonel Eyre crossed. The river was so high that it could not be forded, and the only boats were two small scows, made by Colonel Eyre. First the animals were swum over. This was successfully accomplished; none were lost. A rope was attached to both sides of the boats and extended to either bank of the river. A number of men were stationed on both banks. By this means they were enabled to
*See inclosure No. 1 to Carleton’s report, p. 90. AA i Å Surgeon McNulty here quotes Eyre’s entire report of July 6, see p. 120.
pull the boat from shore to shore, being constantly in the water. The wagons were unloaded; their contents ferried across in the boats, which were hauled across by ropes. In this manner each command as it came up was crossed in safety. Nothing was lost or injured. General Carleton’ moved the column down the river as far as Las Cruces, La Mesilla, and Franklin. Taking with him two companies of cavalry, he proceeded on down as far as Fort Quitman, Tex.; from there he dispatched a company of the First Cavalry as far as Fort Davis, distant from Fort Quitman miles. The Texans had abandoned this post. One man, much reduced, was found dead, his body being pierced in many places with arrows. This man had evidently been left behind sick. The sick and wounded Texans left behind at Franklin were sent with an escort to San Antonio. General Canby, at this time in command of the department of New Mexico, had been ordered East, and on the 16th of September, 1862, General Carleton arrived at Santa Fé, and on the 18th assumed command of the department. Before leaving the lower country he published the following general order: