|
The Bascom Affair
One
day in October, 1860, Apache Indians raided the ranch of John Ward
on Sonoita Creek, plundered his house, took
his son Mickey Free, and ran off all of his stock.
John Ward was absent at the time of the raid.
Upon his return, Ward immediately rode to Fort Buchanan,
twelve miles to the northeast, at the head of the Sonoita Valley,
and reported the raid to the Commanding Officer, Lieut. Col.
Pitcain Morrison.
Nothing was done at this time, the reasons to this day are
unknown, but a guess would be due to the lack of troops present
for duty. No
reason was ever given and the pursuit of the raiders was not undertaken until January
29, 1861, three months later....
Arms and Equipment
When
the Regular Army was ordered to the East in 1861, all arms,
equipment, horses,
horse equipments and all non essential camp equipage was turned
into the appropriate corps, Ordnance and Quartermaster.
At
this time Benicia Arsenal refurbished, repaired and fabricated all
essential ordnance
stores that would be required by the Volunteer forces, then being
raised in California.
 I will
only here write of the troops in the California Column, 1st
California Volunteer Infantry (10 companies), 5th California
Volunteer Infantry (5 companies), 1st California Volunteer Cavalry
(5 companies), 2d California Volunteer Cavalry, Company B, Battery
A, 3d United States Artillery, and Thompson's Howitzer Battery,
2,350 officers and men, and also of the Teamsters, horses and
mules. This whole command was under the command of Colonel
James H. Carleton, promoted to Brigadier General in early 1862
while on the march.
...
California Column
Advance
In early 1862, Colonel James H. Carleton, commander of the
District of Southern California and the First California Volunteer Infantry, was ordered
by Brigadier-General George Wright, commander of the Department of the Pacific, to organize,
equip and lead an expedition from Southern California through Arizona, into New Mexico to
reinforce the Department of New Mexico and aid in the expelling of the Confederate forces then in New Mexico.
The Confederate Army of the Southwest, was then advancing up the
Rio Grande in its conquest of New Mexico. The Army of the
Southwest was under the command of Brigadier General Henry H.
Sibley, formerly a major who had served in New Mexico.
Sibley had been to Richmond, talked to President Davis, and
convinced him to take New Mexico, then California, and then the
South would have control of the southern route, and eventually
have the Pacific Coast. By mid 1861, all of the regular troops
with the following exceptions, had been withdrawn to the East and
the seat of the rebellion...
Confederate Invasion
With the establishment of the Confederate Territory of Arizona, first by Lieut. Col. John
R. Baylor, 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles, August 1, 1861 and then the signing and confirmation by
President Jefferson Davis on January 8, 1862, the southern half of the Federal Territory of New
Mexico, all of the area south of the 34th parallel, the Colorado River to the west, the Rio Grande
River to the east, which included only two counties, Dona Ana and Arizona, constituted the new
Confederate Territory of Arizona, the capitol being designated as Mesilla...
Written by Arnold
Franks
Copyright © 2000 Arnold Franks
|