Picacho Pass, a Civil War Key Point

Picacho Pass, a Civil War

ABOUT 18 miles southwest of Casa Grande, Arizona, there is a conical monument, built of stones taken from Picacho Peak, which bears a copper-bronze plate enscribed: "Lt. James Barrett, Co. A; Private Geo. Johnson, Co. A; Private William S. Leonard, Co. D; First California Caval-ry Volunteers. Killed April 15, 1862, at Picacho Pass in only battle of Civil War fought in Arizona Territory. Erected by Arizona Pioneers' Histori-cal Society and Southern Pacific Rail-way Co., April 15, 1928."

Arizona's only battle, "battle" by courtesy since it was little more than a skirmish, had, however, really great sig-nificance. It marked Arizona again as merely a passage way from the staid, established East to the robustly grow-ing, recently settled, vociferous Cali-fornia. Two forces, going in opposite directions, happened to meet at Picacho Pass and felt duty bound to salute each other with gunfire-and so Arizona's famous battle was fought.

The political color of Arizona long kept her from becoming a territory. Long before the Enabling act was fin-ally signed, there had been desires for territory-hood, separate from New Mex-ico, but because of the desire to main-tain the balance between North and South, slaveholders and abolitionists and the two political parties, there had been jockeying and pulling and twisting and on every occasion, when a bill to grant territory-hood to Arizona came up in Congress, until there seemed no possibility that the coveted prize would ever be won.

As early as 1856, on August 29, a convention was held at Tucson to send a memorial to Congress asking the organization of the county of Arigona, a part, then, of New Mexico, into a separate territory. Nathan P. Cook was selected delegate, but upon his arrival in Washington, he was denied a seat in Congress. G. H. Oury, prominent later in Confederate activities in the territory, was sent to the New Mexican legislature to plead the cause of the Arizona territory. In 1857 a bill was introduced by Senator Gwinn of California to make Arizona a territory but it failed. Sylvester Mowry was elected in Tucson, a delegate from the projected territory in September of the same year. Mowry was as active as Oury in his efforts to have a territory created, andlater also turned Confederate. There were several other frustrated attempts to create the territory.

In Congress in 1859 and 1860, long hours were being spent in talking abolition, slavery, secession and preservation of the Union. And as early as December, 1860, when a bill to create the Territory of "Arizuma" was under discussion, Senator Albert G. Brown from Mississippi got up and offered an amendment to the act to have the New Mexican slave act of February 3, 1859, incorporated in it. Immediately following this proposal, James R. Doolittle of Wisconsin got to his feet and delivered a long harangue against it . . .

And so on and on until there appears in the Congressional Globe of May 10, 1862, the record of the proceedings of May 8. Representative Ashley of Ohio is on his feet in the House making the following remarks: "The band of secessionists now having control of this territory must be driven out of it, and there is no way by which this can be done so easily, and the Territory so effectually secured to the Union, as by giving it a territorial organization such an organization as is asked for by the people who live there; such an organization as will afford it local protection. Why, sir, I have been informed by a gentleman in whose integrity I confide the utmost, that for more than three years no court has been held in that entire territory; that murders of our citizens have been perpetrated with impunity, not only by savages, but by the very men who are now in rebellion against the government and assume to govern the territory in the name of Jeff Davis and the so-called southern confederacy."

By DOROTHY CHALLIS MOTT

In the meantime, the South had se-ceeded, war had been declared and the North and South were having more than an ordinary amount of legislating and fighting to keep them busy.

Arizona's history up to that eventful day, December 29, 1863, when Territorial Governor John N. Goodwin issued his proclamation at Navajo Springs in the newly created Territory of Arizona, must be considered with that of New Mexico of which she was an integral part. Too, her history must be con-sidered with that of California for she was the land bridge between the thriving new state and the old East.

It is peculiar what little things will turn the tide of history. Because of the peonage system in New Mexico, where the peon was practically the slave of his more fortunate master since he was forced to buy his stores at the master's supply house and since his wages were never sufficient to cover what he must go in debt for, and since he must work for the master until his account was clear, it was thought that New Mexico would turn to the South in sympathy. Such was not the case, and for a very little reason.

New Mexico and Texas for reasons which dated back to the Mexican War and before were deepest enemies. When New Mexico was invaded by the hated Texans, it was like turning the stream of a river into a new channel. Instead of going Southern, New Mexico overwhelmingly joined forces with the Northern cause.

New Mexico was under the military command in 1860 and 1861 of Colonel W. H. Loring and his underling, George B. Crittenden, two died-in-the-wool Southern sympathizers. Of these two, Ralph Emerson Twitchell in his "Leading Facts of New Mexican His-tory" says:

APRIL, 1934 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS 11 Key Point Arizona's Only Battle Between North and South Fought 72 Years Ago This Month

which was to start from Fort Stanton in the early part of 1861. It was the business of these men to attempt the corruption of the patriotism of the of ficers under them and to induce them to lead their men into Texas and give them to the service of the rebellion. One of these officers, Lieutenant-Colonel B. S. Roberts of Vermont who had joined Crittenden at Fort Stanton, per ceiving the intentions of his commander refused to obey any orders that savored of a treasonable purpose, and, procuring a furlough, he hastened to Santa Fe, and denounced Crittenden to Colonel Loring. He was astonished when, instead of thanks for his patri otic service, he re ceived reproof for meddling in other people's business, and discovered that Loring was also a traitor." Along with New Mexico, Southern California and Colorado were expected to secede. These hopes too were doomed to failure. Of this situation, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in his "History of New Mexico and Arizona" says: "Moreover, there were military stores in the New Mexican forts worth capturing, to say nothing of the opportunity for a display of ex uberant Texan patriotism, even if the Californians and Coloradoans, by failing to perform their part of the contract, should render it impossible to carry out the scheme in its grander phases and extend the Confederacy to the Pacific shores. The project was a grand, and from the Southern point of view, a legitimate one, with good appar ent prospects of success. It failed not only because the Confederate forces in general were as fully occupied in the East as were the Federals, so that the enterprise had to be intrusted to the Texans alone, whose resources were limited, but because New Mexican sym pathy for the South and animosity for the national government proved less potent than their Union proclivities, the opportunity for a display of ex uberant Texan patriotism, even if the Californians and Coloradoans, by failing to perform their part of the contract, should render it impossible to carry out the scheme in its grander phases and extend the Confederacy to the Pacific shores. The project was a grand, and from the Southern point of view, a legitimate one, with good appar ent prospects of success. It failed not only because the Confederate forces in general were as fully occupied in the East as were the Federals, so that the enterprise had to be intrusted to the Texans alone, whose resources were limited, but because New Mexican sym pathy for the South and animosity for the national government proved less potent than their Union proclivities, prejudice against African slavery and hatred of Texas; because California not only remained true to the Union, but sent a column of volunteer troops to drive the rebels out of Arizona; and, above all, because Colorado, under en ergetic Union management, not only was able to control the strong secession element within her borders, but to send a regiment, which struck the decisive blow in ridding her southern neighbors of invaders."

But to get back to the thread of the story. When Roberts denounced Loring and Crittenden to Captain Hatch at Albuquerque and Captain Morris at Fort Craig, the news of the defection of the officers traveled so rapidly that they thought it the part of wisdom to leave for other fields and quickly. They went to Fort Fillmore and then into Texas where they joined the Confed ate forces.

Before their departure, the two made a valiant effort to pursuade Colonel Manuel Chaves, prominent in New Mex ican public life, and other influential men to join them, but without success. However, Major H. H. Sibley and Alex ander M. Jackson, the territorial sec retary, accompanied them. Thus New Mexico, and with it Arizona county, re mained a part of the Union. Of Arizona, Bancroft says: "Public sentiment in Arizona was almost un animously Southern and dis-Union, and no secret was made of the feeling in In this respect, the few Union men having little or nothing to say. In 1861 a con vention at Tucson seems to have form ally declared the territory a part of the confederacy, and in August of that year Granville H. Oury was elected delegate to the Southern congress. It was open ly asserted that the country's misfor tunes were due to neglect of the gov ernment, and that this neglect arose from Arizona's well-known and pa triotic devotion to the Southern cause. Most officers serving at the Southwest ern posts were Southerners who made haste to join the Confederate army, though the privates are said to have re mained faithful to their government al most without ex ception. Captain Ewell, command ing in Arizona, be came prominent as a Confederate general. Thus the begin nings of the war in the Southwest were laid. Lines were drawn, and sides taken. Each man had chosen his side, and the war was on!

New Mexico was in the Ninth Military depart ment of the United States, and was, after Lor ing's departure, under the com mand of Lieuten ant-Colonel E. R. S. Canby of the Tenth Infantry, who through Governor Rincher of the territory, called for volunteers and procured assistance from Colorado.

At Mesilla in southern New Mexico, early in March, 1861, a convention was held which did little but declare Arizona to be a confederate territory. This amounted to little save for the resolu-- tion which was adopted declaring "That we will not recognize the present Black Republican administration and that we will resist any officers appointed to this territory by said administration with whatever means in our power."

Major Sibley clearly shows himself a Confederate sympathizer in a letter which he wrote to Colonel Loring.

Under Sibley's command were nearly (Continued on Page 21)