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Show 314 LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY TERRITORY W. W. H. Davis, who had been United States attorney for New Mexico in 1853-54, was secretary of the territory in 1857 and acted as governor for eleven months until the arADMINISTRATION ABRAHAM OF rival of the successor to Governor Merriwether, RENCHER Abraham Rencher, who served as executive until the close of 1861. Governor Rencher was a lawyer, had been a member of congress, and also served as minister to Portugal. Secretary Davis was a man of very firm character. He was an author of considerable merit, and wrote several books dealing with the history of the territory of New Mexico.*** The adEmory, major 1st cavalry and U. 8. commissioner, Wash., 1857. The pare of Emory and Michler with other matter directly connected with the ins to survey, filled 252 pages of volume i, the remainder of the work being oo ‘ed the geology, botany, and zoology of the expedition. Along the line as su : 4 monuments of stone or iron were erected at frequent stations, from eae * which careful sketches of the topography in different directions were se in order that the sites of the monuments, if destroyed by Indians ae often were— might be easily found without repetition of the compli ae observations and calculations. The Mexicans were eager to complete ot yen because $3,000,000 of the purchase money was payable only on sue letion. at ! Bancroft, H. H., History of Arizona and New Mexico, pp. ie a8 1857, Edward F. Beale opened a wagon road on the 35th parallel, fo : on nearly the route of Whipple and Sitgreaves. He left Zui in August, ae reached the Colorado in January, 1858. Another important =p 7 that of Lieutenant J. C. Ives. In November, 1857, he arrived at the ay the gulf on a schooner from San Francisco, which also brought an ot a wheel steamer fifty feet long, built for the trip in Philadelphia, and nam ae Explorer. On this craft, launched the 30th of December, Ives left “4 be on Jan. 11th 1858, and on March 12th had passed through the Black : a of the Colorado and reached the mouth of Virgin river. Returning a ae Mohave villages from this point, he sent the boat down to the fort an gh part of his scientific corps, being joined also by Lieut. Tipton, with a an of 20 men, he started eastward by land. He reached Ft. Defiance in Oe thereafter made a most elaborate report of his explorations.’’ — U. S. Gov. 36th cong., Ist sess., H. Ex. Doc. 90. : 1820. 241 W. W. H. Davis was born in the state of Massachusetts in the Maa at He was a lawyer by profession and a politician of the old school. io liewofficer of volunteers in the war with Mexico, holding a commission i : very tenant in the 1st Massachusetts infantry. He distinguished hie gallant conduct in several engagements. He was a member of the ie The Society of Pennsylvania; wrote El Gringo, or New Mezico and her Peop Spanish Conquest of New Mexico, History of the 104th Pennsylvama ae iment, was a journalist of considerable ability, and died at Doylestown, ee to in 1910. The Ledger, Philadelphia, says of him: ‘‘Though he ha nana be 90 years old it was not his age that distinguished him; he had com ade his attention when he served with Caleb Cushing in the Mexican War; he i service mark when he came home and settled at Doylestown, and his territoria gail in New Mexico in Pierce’s administration increased his distinction ; a ; at Doylestown, he made the Democrat a model of the old fashioned : i vania political newspaper, and when he went out once more to battl e no on e OF NEW MEXICO 315 ministration of Governor Rencher was a very stormy one, growing out of the many raids and outbreaks of the N avajos and other hostile tribes. A treaty with the Navajés had been broken by them. In 1858 a negro servant was killed at Fort Defiance, the Navajé who killed him giving as an excuse for the outrage that he had had trouble with his wife and Navajé custom required that some one must die on this account. The military authorities determined to compel a surrender of the Indian murderer and, in August, 1858, the commander of the post, Colonel D. 8. Miles, commenced a campaign, in which there were several engagements; about fifty Indians and seven or eight soldiers were slain. Captain McLain was seriously wounded. The Indians lost a great deal of live-stock and in December began to sue for peace. Captain Blas Lucero, in command of a company of spies, all New Mexican volunteers, did good service in this campaign, and, along with Captain Elliott, Captain Hatch, Captain Lindsay, and Major Brooks, is mentioned in the official re- ports of the campaign. ——— Governor Rencher 22 did not approve of es could look on the Swarthy soldier who rode at the head of the 10th Pennsylvania without instinctively saluting him. He was, in fact, one of the most forceful of the many brilliant field officers who gave glory to our state volunteers, and after his final return from war he carried on the civic battles of his party with the gallantry and devotion of a soldier, as honest as he was brave. We ave not many such individual figures in politics now. Bucks county owes him much and Pennsylvania should hold his memory in honor.’’ 242 The teport of Governor Rencher is found in U. S. Gov. Doc., 36th cong., 4d sess. H. Ex. Doc. Vi., no. 24. : J.P, Dunn, Massacres of the Mountains, account of this war with the Navajés. _ In Indian Affairs Report, Joint Special New York, 1886, gives an excellent Committee, 1867, at pages 330-34 of witnesses on the subject of the campaign. of the Witnesses before the committee, Kenyon, says that the killing of theOnenegro by i Navaj6 18 found testimony chief was nothing -r Yielding to the pressure “€xico for a war of plunder but a pretext brought and on him on the by part of General the native citizens for the securing of captives. Garland of New i The first engagement was on the 29th day of August, 1858, near the Ojo cn Oso, in which a detachment of Company I of mounted riflemen defeated : a. ef Indians, From the 9th I which the military September 19th and 0 suna Negra, and three to the 15th of September there was a number of were successful. Other engagements occurred be24th in the Canyon de Chelly; on the 25th at days later in the Chusca valley and mountains. On Ctober Ist a fierce battle was fought at the Ojo del Oso in which Companies A, pan o I of the mounted riflemen, and Company B, 3d infantry, and Comnde 8th infantry, participated. During the months of October and Novema attles were fought at Laguna Chusea, near Fort Defiance, San Juan i, Rio Puerco of the West, Ojo del Oso, Canyon Bonito, Juan Chai moun- From the 19th of October until November 18th the campaign was very 8 two columns ~2V8}6 country of troops moving rapidly in all directions through the |