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Show 4b teed on Wk tee LA A © vo | ak bell Ae Ti = a Me De Rae ar -# *.# ae — ) tee ae Ped dl ar FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY THE eea ek tk Wk Ps LEADING The defeat of the militia under Lobato was attended by consequences very disastrous to American interests in New Mexico. Lobato’s command was made up almost entirely of citizens of Taos, most of them Pueblo Indians. These Indians had remained very much embittered against General Armijo owing to his treatment of the men captured at the battle of La Cafiada and their subsequent execution by his orders. In truth, the revolutionists under Gon- ae ae te a eo ee bee |es ee es ee cer re ie tot ere 0 ag al Sn a ae) ok ted ae Lk ee ee Se 86 zales had declared in favor of Texas, and so loath were these Indians to enter the campaign against the Texans that the governor found it necessary to bind a number of them upon their horses, to prevent their escape, till he got them fairly upon the plains. And yet these, of all of Armijo’s command, were the ones who had to bear the vengeance of Snively’s ‘‘avengers,’’ When the news of the defeat of Lobato’s command reached Taos, authorities say that the prisoners were released. The Texans and Americans all state that Armijo, on learning of the disaster, retreated in great haste, waiting without for the caravan. Yoakum, H., History of Texas (New York, 1856), ii, pp. 399-405, gives a eried of Snively’s expedition and the fight with Lobato’s command. _ Gregg, account Josiah, Commerce of the Prairies, ii, pp. 170-172, says: ing beyond the territory of the United States, the right of the Texans the commerce lah acts) PREY i} * of the Mexicans to harass will] hardly be denied, as they were at open pivalae aggressions hte another in consideration, would seem, should have restrained them from that quarter. it They could not have been ignorant that but a portion of the traders were Mexicans — that many American TEXAS-SANTA FE EXPEDITION 87 the friends and relatives of the slain, the whole population, indeed, were incensed beyond measure; and two or three naturalized forelgners, who were supposed to favor the Texan cause, and who hitherto had been in good standing, were now compelled to flee for their lives, leaving their houses and property a prey to the rabble. Such appears to have been the reaction of public sentiment resulting from the catastrophe upon the prairies. 6° Gregg, J., Commerce of the Prairies, ii, p. 173: ‘‘Had the Texans proceeded differen—tly had they induced the Mexicans to surrender without battle, which they might no doubt easily have accomplished, they could have secured their services, without question, as guides to General Armijo’s and that unmitigated tyrant might himself have fallen into their hands. camp, The difficulty of maintaining order among the Texans was perhaps the cause of many of their unfortunate proceedings. ’’ In the Santa Fé Archives, Ms. Libro de Ordenes, is found an account of Armijo’s operations from May lst to July 1st, including the capture of five Texans on June 6th or 7th. _ Niles’ Register, Ixiv, 195, 234-5, 406, contains a large amount of information on the details of the affair. In July of this year Colonel John C. Fremont was on Fountain creek — Fontaine que bouit, or Boiling Spring river. In his report to Colonel J. Abert, chief of the corps of topographical engineers, U. 8. A., Fremont says:J. ‘Continuing down the river we encamped at noon on the 14th [July] at its mouth on the Arkansas river. A short distance above our encampment, on the left bank of the Arkansas is a pueblo (as the Mexicans call their civilized Indian women villages) where a number of mountaineers, who had married Spanish in the valley of Taos, had collected together and occupied themselves citizens were connected in the Same caravans. The Texans ee property of Americans were to be respected,assert, it is true, that the lives provided they abandoned the Mexicans, But did they reflect In farming, carrying on at Principally Americans, and tion admitted 3 but as all interrupted, in Consequence ing to be had in the way jvitle, and furnished us an a. 78 of the 9th, but that he would probably fall into the hands of the Ute ndians, commonly called the Spanish Utes. As Maxwell had no knowledge of their being in the vicinity when he crossed the Arkansas, his chance of escape upon the baseness of the terms they were imposing ? What American, worthy of the name, to save his own interests, oF even his life, could deliver up his trading companions to be sacrificed? Then, after having abandoned the Mexicans, or betrayed them to their enemy — for mh mm act would have been accounted treachery — where would they have eum a. not then have continued on to Mexico; of most “of sag States with their merchandise, ‘‘The unfortunate Chavez, whose murder ah pe aeeht a eisl ihaaint La oo ete., ,Was date Fh to Col, Don Mariano 10. + was of under the most wealthy and influential but friendly to the ruling on Mariano Chavez, a brother of the deceased, is a gentleand one that was anything ry e character, Such as is rarely met in that unfortunate land. C . he furnished a considerable quantity of provisions, blankets Soke 's division of Texan place of their Saad of Texans. : organized, and to have re would have been the ruil nae prisoners. Sefiora Chavez, the wife of the river from the village of Padillas, the Th ough “ve, and administered comforts to the unfortunate ban the murder of young Chavez was evidently not sanctioned powerful family against it will notwithstanding, r —a otherwise wh have been very them unfavorablefami] to , Pana have greatly embittered this i inciples could not Lheral: pemcigne ~axwell, in was doubtful: very company with but T the same time a desultory Indian trade. They were treated us with all the rude hospitality their situacommercial intercourse with New Mexico was now of Mexican decrees to that effect, there was nothof provisions. They had, however, a fine stock of abundance of excellent milk. I learned here that two other did not men had entertain started much for Taos apprehension on the for his morn- life, having great confidence in his prudence and courage. I was further informed that there had been a popular tumult among the Pueblos, or civilized Indians, residing near Taos against the ‘foreigners’ of that place, in which they had plundered their houses and ill-treated their families. Among those whose property had been destroyed was Mr. Beaubien, father-in-law of Maxwell, from pen I had expected to obtain supplies, and who had been obliged to make ‘escape to Santa Fé, — me ~ 42, By this position of affairs, our expectation of obtaining supplies from Taos cut off. I had here the satisfaction to meet our good buffalo hunter of Christopher Carson, whose services I considered myself fortunate to oe again; and as a re-enforcement of mules was absolutely necessary, I spatched him immediately with an account of our necessities to Mr. Charles ‘et whose principal post is clow F ontaine qui Boutt; he on the Arkansas river about seventy-five miles was directed to proceed from that post by the |