10181, 10182, 10183. The Arizona Miner, Prescott, Arizona Territory, July 31st, 1869, Full Graphic and Reliable Account of Lieutenant McCleave's Recent Fight with Apaches.

The Arizona Miner Prescott, Arizona Territory July 31st, 1869 Full, Graphic and Reliable Account of Lieutenant McCleave's Recent Fight with Apaches. Vulture Mine, Arizona, July 12th, '69. Editor Arizonå Miner: — In accordance with promise, I send you a sketch of our recent scout under Lieut. Wm. McCleave, 8th U.S. Cavalry: We left Kenyon's Station, Gila River, at 2 PM on the 3rd inst., crossed the river 6 miles below; marched 20 miles a little west of north, and camped until daylight. July 4th. — Started at sunrise, travel led 2 miles and found living water; encamped until dark, then started train for Eagle Tail Tanks. Scout was ordered to Forked Mountain. July 5th. — Arrived at the mountain at early dawn; found neither water nor Indians; joined the train at Eagle Tail Tanks, found a little water ( only two quarts for each animal) and some Apache sign. Started, after dark, for Hoc—qua—hala Springs , in Pen—hatch—I—pet Mountains , distant about 35 miles in a north—easterly direction; travel led all night. July 6th. Saw, at sunrise, 3 Indians, who fled for the adjacent hills, but were soon overtaken and dispatched to the happy hunting grounds. We here saw the sign of about 50 Indians, but owing to the famished condition of our animals, were compelled to push on to the water, where we arrived at 9 AM. We found plenty of water and sufficient grass for our purpose, and what pleased us most, plenty of Apache sign, which indicated, to us, that our fondest hopes would be realized. So, for the purpose of bringing on the fight, our daring commander ordered our camp to be pitched on the site of an old Indian village on the south side of the canyon, one—half mile from the entrance to the canyon, knowing, full well, that we could have marched and camped on the open plains until doomsday without getting a fight. The calculation was— whether we got a fight or to go out on the plain, camp for the night, and then not— maneuver around the point until our rations gave out, or until we got a fight. They did not keep us in suspense long, for they soon had the country black with smokes, and at 3 PM, began to make their appearance on hugh granite bluffs south of and above our position. By 4 0'clock, we were completely surrounded, but it was plain that, except on the south, they had only a thin line of skirmishers , who contented themselves with yelling , building large fires, and shooting, at long range. But, those on the south, and above us, meant business. Up to 2 0 'clock, not a shot had been fired by the enemy's main force; nor had we. Our veteran commander was busily engaged posting and encouraging his men for the approaching struggle, which, all knew, must end in death or victory. At a few minutes past 4, a tall, powerful— looking Indian appeared on a high point, overlooking our camp, waved his gun high in the air, and sounded the war—whoop, all of which was the signal for battle. Then opened one of the most The McCleave Fight— Continued. terrific Indian fights I ever had the pleasure of witnessing . The yells of the Indians, the shouts of the soldiers, whiz zing made up a scene hard to imagine, and singing of bullets, impossible to describe. After the first half hour, it was plain that we could drive them at will, but the old man, (as the boys call McCleave,) thought it best to keep them close to us until we wanted to retire to the plain below. Our men fought Indian— every man from behind a rock. Had they been exposed fashion , they would not have lasted five minutes. At 6 0 1 clock, orders were given to saddle and pack up. The Indians saw the move, and, sure of victory, rushed furiously to the charge. It was a dear charge for them, as, during the few seconds it lasted, we hurt more Indians than we had in the previous two hours' fighting. Numbers fell and were dragged back into the rocks, and three lay when our men withdrew. We had one man dead, in full view, wounded, severely, in the head. We forced a passage to the plain and encamped for the night. At intervals during the below , night, the enemy fired both bullets and arrows into camp, but fortunately, did no damage. The Apaches evidently thought they as we were leaving the caåon, the had won the fight, for , evening before, they yelled and whooped at a terrible rate. July 7th. — At daylight, the cliffs at the entrance of the canyon, and below the water, were black with the red devils, apparently busy fortifying. Knowing that we were compelled to have water, they were using every exertion to prevent us from getting it. At 8 o ' clock AM, after having grazed our horses and breakfasted, orders were given to saddle, pack, and fall in. After detailing a rear guard, and every fourth man to hold or lead horses, we had only 13 soldiers and 2 citizens to face the enemy. This small band was drawn up in line, and, after a few stirring words from our chief, we deployed as skirmishers, on foot. The Apaches welcomed us with loud shouts, waving of bright lances and guns in the morning sun. They had evidently been reinforced during the night, and being now well fortified, were eager for the contest. We marched directly towards the fortified hill, until when within 500 yards of it, we diverged to the right, crossed the canyon and gained the high ground on the north side. This move was executed in full view of the enemy, who appeared to be completely stupefied. As soon as we faced about and bore down towards the water, they sullenly left their fort, hurried around and crawled into the rocks overhanging the water. As they were shifting from the fortified hill, we had an opportuni_ty of approximating their number, and I think that at least 60 left the hill and passed into the rocks, where, also, were others. Our train was halted within 400 yards of the water, and we were ordered to advance. Our advance was a succession of charges or rushes, from one cluster of rocks to another— one half our force covering, while the other half charged. In about an hour, the water was cleared, and about one—half our fighting force had crossed the canyon and occupied the rocks lately in possession of the savages. The train and horses were now ordered to the water. The Indians rallied and made a desperate attempt to The McCleave Fight— Continued. regain their lost ground, but failed signally, losing one of their chiefs, quite a number of warriors, and leaving us masters of the field. Thus ended two of the hardest contested Indian fights I have ever witnessed. I think they outnumbered us, the last day, 5 to 1. The fighting was almost entirely done by the soldiers, as besides myself, there was but one citizen, Wm. Four r, in the fight. Our leader proved himself well worthy of the great reputation he bears. He was everywhere, and always at the right place. I am unable to state the correct number of Indians killed. We got three, ten miles from the water, and during the two fights in the canyon, six were seen to fall, and their bodies lay in full view for some time; besides, I think there were a great many wounded. One thing is certain: they were the worst whipped Indians I have ever seen, for, when we left the canyon, an hour after the fight, not an Indian was to be seen or heard. We proceeded to Culling's well, lay over a day, left our wounded and sick and started for Wickenburg. Arrived there in due rested our animals and started for the Vulture mine , season ; with the design of surprising an Indian rancher ia said to be about 20 miles southwest of the mine. Left, at night, for the place indicated; arrived there and found no Indians. We then returned to the mine, from which place Lieut. McCleave and command started, at 4 0'clock on the morning of the 12th, having accomplished more, in the last eight days, considering the force engaged, than has ever before been done in this Territory by the same number of men, in the same length of time. I shall leave, this evening, for Agua Caliente. King S. Woolsey.

10080. Portraits, Generals and Commanders, by Rebecca Blackwell Drake, excerpts from In Their Own Words: Soldiers Tell the Story of the Battle of Raymond

—Portraits— Generals and Commanders by Rebecca Blackwell Drake Excepts from In Their Own Words: Soldiers Tell the Story of the Battle of Raymond Major General James B. McPherson Commander 17th Corps Major General James Birdseye McPherson was a man who defied some o life's greatest odds. Born in 1828, near Clyde, Ohio, he was the son of a mentally unstable blacksmith who was later declared incompetent. In order to help make ends meet, young McPherson took a job in a local store. While working, he was taken under the wings of the store owner who recognized young McPherson's mental aptitude. With his guidance, McPherson won an appointment to enter the United States Military Academy at West Point. McPherson had come a long way from a meager childhood to the nation's most prestigious military academy. As a testament to his tenacity, he managed to graduate first out of fifty-two students in his class. By the age of twenty-four, as McPherson left the military academy, he had changed what would have been a humble destiny. In 1862, ten years after graduating from West Point, he was chosen by U.S. Grant as his Chief Military Engineer. The position eventually led him to the battlefield at Corinth, Mississippi, where he commanded an infantry brigade. His next appointment would be to lead the Union's 17th Corps during the campaign to capture Vicksburg. May 12, 1863, found the thirty-five-year-old general leading a corps of 12,000 men as they marched toward the outskirts of Raymond. McPherson's participation in the Battle of Raymond represented a first for him. It was his first time to be the commanding officer in charge of a military campaign. Displayed on the shoulder of his uniform were his general stars that had been sewn into place by Mrs. U. S. Grant. The Battle of Raymond proved to be one of the most challenging battles for McPherson during his career with the Union Army. After a rugged start, he 1828-1864 finally pulled out the victory. Military historians agree that the Battle of Raymond was won not by military strategy but due to the overwhelming size of the Union Army. During the Vicksburg Campaign, McPherson requested a leave of absence from his military post in order to marry his fiancée, Emily Hoffman. Sherman denied the request. Obviously, the Union Army felt McPherson was too valuable to lose, even for a short time. After Vicksburg, the illustrious career of the young military genius was short-lived. One year later, on July 22, 1864, McPherson, at the age of thirty-six, was killed during the Atlanta Campaign as he rode into enemy skirmishers, under the command of General John Bell Hood, a former classmate of McPherson at West Point.. As he attempted retreat back toward his command, the enemy yelled, "Surrender!" When McPherson attempted to flee, he was killed. The next day, Maj. General Oliver Howard, wrote in his report, 'We were all made sad yesterday by the death of General McPherson - so young, so noble, so promising, already commanding a department! His death occasioned a profound sense of loss, a feeling that his place can never be completely filled. How valuable, how precious the country to us all, who have paid for its preservation such a price. "

10046, 10047, 10048. The Arizona Miner, Prescott, Arizona Territory, August 22nd, 1866. The Battle of Skull Valley. Lieutenant Hutton's Official Report.

The Arizona Miner Prescott, Arizona Territory August 22nd, 1866 The Battle of Skull Valley. Lieutenant Hutton's Official Report. Skull Valley, August 14th, 1866. Sir— I have the honor to report, that on the 11th instant, during my absence on important public business, the train belonging to Mr. Freeman was stopped by a large band of Indians, some eight miles above my camp. He sent to my camp for assistance, which the non—commissioned officer in charge promptly furnished. On the arrival of the party, they found Mr. Freeman having a talk with five Indians that they had permitted to approach the train. Soon after, four of these Indians left, after professing peace. The remaining one was taken charge of by my non—commissioned officer and brought to camp, to find out, if possible from him, what tribe the band belonged to. Mr . Freeman had an Indian who understood their language. From him he learned that the band wanted his mules, and ardently desired to "clean out" the valley— claiming to own, in addition to the wood, water and grass, all the corn planted by the citizens. On my arrival at 2 P.M. on the 12th instant, I found the hills full of Indians, who were talking to my non—commissioned officer, claiming to be friendly, calling themselves Apache Mohaves. I had a talk with one of them, at a distance of two hundred yards, as near as I could approach him. His conversation was about the same as that which passed between them and Mr. Freeman the day before. In addition, however, he stated that Mr. Lei h y, the Indian Agent, wanted fifty buckskins, and had told them they might roam around and get them wherever they chose. Being in a quandary as to how to proceed, I despatched a messenger to the commanding officer of Fort Whipple, detailing the above facts, and asking his advice in the matter— telling him that they had promised to come in in the morning to have a talk with me. I received his reply at 3 0'clock in the morning of the 13th, advising me that, as the Indians appeared to have hostile intentions , from their stopping the train, and their making such curious demands; besides the fact they were over forty miles east of the line of safety laid down by the former district commander, General Mason, that in his opinion, if they were friendly Colorado River Indians, they were perfectly well aware of the fact that any one had a right to kill them if they crossed that line, and advised me to punish them, but to use discretion and not force the matter. On the morning of the 13th Mr. Freeman, being anxious to reach The Battle of Skull Valley— Continued. Prescott with his train, I furnished him with an escort of four men, reserving as many of my men as possible to have the talk they had spoken about the night before; and to find out more of their intentions, and by what authority they were in the valley. The train left at 8 0'clock A.M. After proceeding a mile and a half, the road in front and the hills to the left of the train, were filled with Indians, making more hostile demonstrations— appearing very anxious to come down to the train. He despatched a messenger to my camp reporting the fact. I started with twelve men, and arrived as the first Indians came to the train. They presented the enclosed papers, marked A & B. In order not to alarm the Indians , I had directed my men to approach the train one at a time. Mr. Freeman and myself permitted about eighty to come to the train, but compelled them to leave their bows and arrows behind. In a very short time after they arrived, each Indian produced a knife from some portion of his person, flourishing them in an exceedingly hostile manner. I had placed a sentinel on a hill near by, to watch the movements of the rest of the party. In a short while he cried out to me that there were five Indians with guns in the rocks above, and that the hills were full of them, and that they were exchanging signals. An old squaw in the party cried out in good Spanish, "pitch into them, you can whip them with your knives , " which she repeated with incessant emphasis several times. From their movements, two or three with knives in their hands, collecting round one man, the cry of the squaw, the signals and the strange movements of two who professed to be chiefs, I judged that some treachery was intended, and advised my men and the men with the train, to be on the alert and not allow them to approach too near. One Indian, claiming to be a chief , made two thrusts with a large knife at Mr. Freeman, concealing his intention with a buckskin on his left arm, one of my men warded off each thrust, when the Indian made a thrust at one of my men, who caught the blow in his hand. The man kept hold of the knife, taking it from the Indian by the blade, cutting himself severely, when he shot the Indian and the fight commenced. The fight lasted about forty—five minutes. We succeeded in killing twenty—three Indians and wounding perhaps double that number. I lost one man, killed, (private Pauli no Espinoso) and one wounded badly in the hand. The number of men engaged were, of my command, sixteen, and one man of company G, 1st battalion 14th Infantry, ten teamsters and Mr. Freeman, making twenty—nine men in all; all of whom behaved well and are deserving of great praise. A citizen (Mr. Binkley) with the train, recognized and talked with an Indian the day previous to the fight, called La Paz Charley. The Indian tried to conceal his identity by talking through his teeth, but on being pressed with questions, confessed that he was La Paz Charley. Others in the party, especially a The Battle of Skull Valley— Continued. friendly Indian with Mr. Freeman, recognized him. The band was made up of Apache Mohaves, Mohaves , (La Paz), Hualapais, (river Indians), and Apache Tontos. The captured prisoner, through an interpreter, says that Irataba, the chief of the Mohaves, knew of this exploration, and advised them not to go out. Two citizens of La Paz with the party , recognize him as a brother of Captain Chiquita, of the Apache Mohave tribe, who was killed in the fight. The prisoner also says, that the Tontos enticed them to go on the expedition, to capture the train and clean out the Mexican soldiers . I also firmly believe that Jitchejitche, a chief of a band of Hualapais, was killed, judging from a description given me by a gentleman doing business at Hardyville, who knew him well. We captured forty bows, and twenty odd quivers of arrows. Many of the arrows were evidently poisoned, proving conclusively that they were bent on no peaceable errand. I would therefore respectfully request that an investigation may be made as to who possessed the authority to permit these Indians, who are supplied by the Government in consideration of their remaining outside an imaginary line, to go over that line and molest travellers through the Territory. It can be proven beyond a doubt that nearly all the depredations committed on the La Paz road, in the past year, were by the same tribes engaged in this affair, the arrows corresponding. Some of my men who were with a party that was attacked in February last, recognize the Indians as the same tribe. Captain Weir, commanding Date Creek, has, or had, a quiver and bow which was taken at that time, which corresponds exactly with those used on the 13th instant, besides much more evidence of like character, which can be obtained. I would recommend that a large party be sent to Thompson s Valley, between my camp and the Colorado, to effectually punish the Apache Mohave tribe collected there, some two hundred strong , to prevent depredations by them in the future. The imaginary line has been used by these Indians, as an altar, to which they fled when pursued, using it to conceal their sin— only recognizing it when coming in from , and not when going out to , commi t depredations on the whites. Respectfully submitted, Oscar Hutton, 2nd Lieutenant Arizona Vol. Infantry. To: Lieutenant Colonel Garvin, Adjutant General of the Territory.