Kit Carson Fights the Navajo

Kit Carson

During the time of the Civil War one of the most famous frontiersmen was Kit Carson. He left his home in Missouri when he was 16, and spent years exploring the west, serving as a guide to “the Pathfinder,” John C. Fremont, who became a Union general, fighting in the Mexican War and serving as an agent to the Indians. At the Battle of Valverde in 1862, Carson fought on the Union side commanding a regiment of New Mexico volunteers. In 1864 the famous Carson was called upon by the United States Army to aid in troubles with the Navajo Indians.

Fort Sumner

There had been trouble with raids from the Navajo for many decades, but they had redoubled during the Civil War after a lull in the 1850s. The New Mexicans demanded help from Brigadier General James Carleton, commander of the United State's District of New Mexico. He enlisted Carson's help, planning to use the turmoil of the Civil War to clean up the Navajo problem and advance his own career.

General James Carleton

Carleton wished to eliminate the Navajo tribe, and gave Carson the message for the Navajo:

You have deceived us too often, and robbed and murdered our people too long, to trust you again at large in your own country. This war shall be pursued against you if it takes years, now that we have begun, until you cease to exist or move. There can be no other talk on the subject.

Carson wanted to pursue a more mild approach. With the threat of resignation Carson got the plans moderated, but they still called for a scored earth policy toward the Navajo. His force was made up of friendly Indians and New Mexico volunteers. The fighting with the Navajo did not involve pitched battles. It was made up of several months of raids. Carson used the Indians' crops and destroyed the rest, and captured all the prisoners he could send to Fort Sumner.

Navajo riding through Canyon de Chelly

The Navajo's stronghold was Canyon de Chelly. In January 1864 Carson decided it was finally time to attack it. He moved out on January 6th, 150 years ago today, riding with almost 400 men of the 1st New Mexico Cavalry. He sent Captain Albert Pfeiffer to close off the east end of the canyon with 100 troopers, while he would tackle the west end with the rest of the force. But in a snowstorm Pfeiffer missed the entrance to the canyon, and when Carson rode through he found it empty.

The Canyon

The Navajo gathered at a place called Fortress Rock, where they had stored their supplies of food. Although it seemed that the Navajo had won in this engagement, the opposite proved to be true. Many of their supplies had been destroyed, and within a few months almost 8,000 of them turned themselves into the government.

Navajo

Carson left the service, his duties done, but the plight of the Navajo was far from over. Over the next few months they would undergo what is called the Long Walk when the US Army moved them from their traditional homeland on the border of Arizona and New Mexico, 450 miles to an area 40 square miles large. The 8,000 to 9,000 people traveled in about 50 groups, and probably 200 died along the way. Their problems did not end when they arrived. More Indians were sent to the reservation than had been planned at the beginning, and the government ended up having to pay $1.5 million a year to feed them. Four years later, in 1868, the United States government deemed the scheme a failure, and sent them to a new much larger reservation, on their traditional homeland.

Battle of Glorieta Pass

Glorieta Pass

In New Mexico, after winning the battle of Valverde Ford, the Confederates continued north capturing Albuquerque and Santa Fe, leaving Colonel Canby in possession of Fort Craig in the Confederate rear. Brigadier General Sibley, Confederate commander, sent a force of 200-300 Texas soldiers under Major Charles Pyron and William Scurry to Glorieta Pass, an important position along the Santa Fe Trail. There met Union forces under Colonel John Slough with infantry from Colorado and detachments from the US regular cavalry. On March 26th skirmishing took place around Apache Canyon, at one end of the pass, ending in a small defeat for the Southerners. Reinforcements arrived for both sides, bringing the totals up to 1,300 Federals and 1,100 Confederates.

Both sides set out to attack on the morning of March 28th. Slough, the Federal commander, sent out a force to hit the Confederate flank. Unexpectedly, the Confederates attacked at 11:00 am, and after holding their ground for an hour the Federals fell back to another position strengthened by artillery posted on a hill. Scurry attacked all along the line, and the attacks held off by the Federals, and fierce fighting occurred along the line. Finally at 3:00 pm the Confederates successfully got around the Union right flank, and from what was later known as Sharpshooters Ridge, shot down the Federal cannoneers and soldiers. Their flank having been turned, the Federals fell back again, and were driven from a new position as the Confederates continued to press them. By the end of the day the Confederates remained in control of the field.

However, the Federal flanking party which Slough had sent out early in the day had happened upon the Confederate supplies. They burned the wagons and disabled the cannon, and returned to the main Federal force. So although the Confederates remained in control of the field and were the nominal victors, the destruction of their supplies meant that they could not advance further through the barren country. The Confederates fell back to Santa Fe, and eventually all the way to Texas. All of Sibley's grand plans for the capture of the American west fell apart for the simple lack of supplies. Never again would the Confederates seriously threaten New Mexico Territory.

Battle of Valverde, New Mexico

Background

When the Southern states seceded the area which now makes up New Mexico and Arizona was organized into a territory called New Mexico territory. The settlers of Southern New Mexico wanted to join the Confederacy, and they assembled in several secession conventions, and began forming into militia companies. On August 1st, 1861 the Confederate government had established what was called the Territory of Arizona, which contained the southern halves of what is now Arizona and New Mexico.

Sibley

Brigader General Henry H. Sibley, a West Pointer who had followed his state Louisiana and left the army, prepared an idea for a New Mexico Campaign. He planned to begin by capturing Nevada and Sante Fe, seize Colorado Territory and the forts in the area, and then turn to capture Nevada and California. This would give the Confederacy access to the large amounts of gold in the area, which would help finance the war effort. Sibley gathered an army of 2,510 men, and marched towards Fort Craig. There were 3,800 Union troops under Edward Canby at Fort Craig. 1,200 of these were seasoned troops, the rest were volunteers. Sibley did not think a direct assault would be successful, so he formed his brigade south of the fort in an attempt to lure Canby to attack him.

Canby

Battle

After waiting for three days Sibley decided to move out, since they were low on supplies, and cut the fort's line of communications with Santa Fe. However, Canby beat him to the Valverde ford of the Rio Grande. Sibley turned over his command to Colonel Tom Green because of illness. Some skirmishing occurred throughout the day as each force waited for all their troops to come up. One Confederate lancer company charged what was thought to be a weak volunteer company. However, it was a company from Colorado, which was able to break the charge, killing twenty lancers and almost all their horses. This was the only lancer charge of the Civil War.

Battle Map

At 4 pm Canby decided to attack the Confederate left. In moving troops to prepare for this, he weakened his center. Green launched a failed attack on the Union right. Then he had 7,050 strike their center. The Southerners fought desperately, as they were very thirsty and the Unions stood between them and water. They were successful, and broke the line and resisted a cavalry counterattack. They continued to advance, capturing six cannons, and breaking Canby's line. After a truce to remove the dead and wounded, Canby was able to reorganize his men enough to retreat back to Fort Craig, having been badly defeated.

Fort Craig Today

The casualties of the battle are not certain, being at least 140 for the Confederates and 260 for the Federals. Sibley decided not to attack the strong fort and instead marched on Santa Fe. Canby did not pursue, instead remaining at the fort to prevent the Confederates from receiving supplies. They moved north, capturing Albuquerque and Santa Fe. However, as we will see, this would turn out to be the high point of the New Mexico campaign.