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Show 116 VIII. BILAGAANA NINAAdaA' War On that day, a Navajo man shot a fatal arrow at a Black slave, Jim, owned by Major Brooks. The attack seemed to come without motive. Later Brooks learned that the Navajo had come to the fort looking for revenge after a family quarrel. Brooks, like many of New Mexico's officers, was from the South. He viewed the attack on his slave as a personal insult. Calling Zarcillas Largo before him, Brooks demanded that the murderer be turned over. Zarcillas Largo showed little concern, but said he would look into the murder when he returned from a trip to Zuni. He pointed out that nothing had been done to pay for Manuelito's cattle. On July 22, Brooks set a twenty-day limit for the surrender of the Navajo man. Knowing the Indians either could not or would not comply, the officer prepared for war. Lieutenant Colonel D. S. Miles was sent to Fort Defiance with more troops to take charge of the campaign. In September the Navajos tried to avoid war by bringing a dead Mexican boy to the fort in place of the Navajo murderer. But Miles was not fooled. He quickly went into action against the tribe. One premature battle between a band of Navajos and soldiers under Captain McLane had already taken place at Bear Springs. The Navajos were aware that the army planned to fight. So, Miles was able to do little in his first march through Canyon de Chelly but capture a few head of Navajo stock. The Navajos avoided a decisive battle. In late September, Miles led a second march into the Chuska Valley. Although the soldiers killed more Navajos and captured more stock, the People were not defeated. In November the soldiers launched a large campaign. After passing through Tunicha Valley, around the Tunicha Mountains, and along the rim of Canyon del Muerto, two large columns of troops moved west to Black Mesa and the Hopi Pueblos. Reports had come in that the Navajos had fled to these regions. But, though the troops covered a wide area, the campaign accomplished little. Navajo leaders knew that the war was disrupting the lives of their people. They came to Fort Defiance in November to ask for peace. Miles and the Navajo agent, S. M. Yost, felt the Navajos had been punished enough. Believing that the Navajos sincerely wanted peace, the officers and the agent agreed to a thirty-day truce. Colonel Bonneville and Superintendent James Collins opposed the truce. They wanted harsher terms to be written into it. |