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Show THE LONG WALK AND PEACE 127 Navajos." They had already split off from the rest of the tribe to lead a peaceful life near Cubero. But the general would not change his mind. All Navajos must go to Bosque Redondo. After defeating the Mescaleros, Carson and Carleton prepared for war against the Navajos. Carson bought supplies and hired guides. The Utes, who trusted Carson, wanted to help fight their old foes. If Carson had had his way, Navajo captives would have been given to the Utes as slaves. But Carleton would not permit slavery. Every prisoner must be sent to Bosque Redondo. If the Utes wanted Navajo slaves, they would have to steal them. Carleton sent word to Delgadito and Barboncito, another important leader, that the Navajos must surrender by July 20. If not, there would be war. On July 7, Carson left for his post at Fort Canby, near the site of Old Fort Defiance. At most, he would command 736 men. There were 326 more at Fort Wingate. The first scouting patrol left Fort Canby on August 5, 1863. The soldiers made a round trip of almost five hundred miles, heading south to Zuni and then west to Hopi and returning past Canyon de Chelly. The soldiers suffered much in the August desert heat, but this was not the worst weather they would endure. Though they saw few Navajos, and killed or captured even fewer, Carson's soldiers hurt the People in other ways. His troops set fire to Navajo fields, drove off or took their stock, and chopped down their fruit trees. Soldiers guarded the water holes, and Carleton set a bounty of one dollar a head for each Navajo horse and mule. Soldiers also guarded the mountain passes of eastern Navajoland. They hoped to ambush and capture Navajos coming home from raids against settlers on the Rio Grande. Carleton thought that, when winter came, the Navajos would be starved into giving up. This plan, he hoped, would have more success than fighting many battles. But, after a second patrol failed, Carson took another look at his plan. No other full-scale patrols left the fort that fall, though small units did scout near Fort Canby. They too failed to find many Navajos. Carson and Carleton were worried. The cavalry and pack stock already showed effects of poor grazing and scarce water. Navajo raids, aimed at army stock and supply trains, had often been successful. At this point, some Navajos may have gained more than they lost from the army's presence. Colonel Carson planned one last campaign before winter. A force left Fort Canby in the middle of November for a three-week march into the region west of the Hopi villages. The army horses |