Navajo Scouts

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The U.S. Army officially employed Navajos as U.S. Army Indian Scouts between 1873 and 1895, which included the Apache Wars. Generally speaking, they were signed up at Fort Wingate for 6 month enlistments. In the period 1873 - 1885, there were usually 10 to 25 scouts attached to units. Army records indicated that in the Geronimo campaign of 1886 there were 3 companies of Navajo scouts (about 150 men) as part of the 5,000 man force General Miles put in the field. In 1891 they were enlisted for 3 years. The Navajos employed as scouts were merged into regular units of the US Army in 1895. At least one person served almost continuously for over 25 years.

1 History
2 References
3 See also

[edit] History

After coming back from Fort Sumner to Fort Wingate some of our people became scouts for the military police or the Army. The Chishi Dine'e (Chiricahua Apaches) got in trouble with the Army, and the Navajo scouts fought with the Army. The Navajos helped in that way. Many of our people have told about this helping the Army, and some passed away still saying it.
—Howard W. Gorman, Navajo Stories of the Long Walk Period, page 42.

300-400 Navajos served enlistments as Indian Scouts. Most of them came from the south eastern part of the reservation and the checkerboard area. Over 125 Navajo Scouts or their spouses received pensions in the 1920-40s.

[edit] Enlistments

After the Long Walk of the Navajo, US Army records indicate that Major William Redwood Price of the 8th Cavalry gave permission for 15 Navajo to join him on a trip from Fort Wingate to Camp Apache in April 1871 but they were not "scouts". In January 1873 permission was given "to enlist and discharge 50 Indian Scouts" in the New Mexico Territory. Major Price employed at least 25 Navajos in that first enlistment at Fort Wingate and they were very busy until their discharge in August of 1873.

Most of the scouts came from the south eastern part of the reservation and the checkerboard area. Some men repeated their enlistments. Navajos reported that Mariano (Hastiin li'tso'ts'ósí) told the Navajos if they did not want to be Scouts they would have to move out of this non-reservation country; so they agreed to become Scouts.(Jones, Hester (Aug 1933). "Report on Historical Investigations at Crown Point". Navajo Tribal Museum unpublished papers. ).

Lt. Col P. T. Swaine reported on 21 November 1876 to the District of New Mexico that he "...interview with the Chief Mariano through whose influence the last Scouts were (obtained)." On 1 June 1877 Lt. Henry Wright 9th Cavalry, Commanding Scouts reports that he "enlisted 21 Navajo Indians to serve as Scouts selecting them from about 100 who presented themselves for enlistment, they are young and able men and well mounted." The Army continued to employ Navajos as scouts through 1895.

[edit] Actions

The scouts out of Fort Wingate were active. They skirmished with Victorio in 1876, 1877 (Florida Mountains, NM) again in 1879 (Las Animas Creek, NM) and 1880. With Lt. Henry Wright, Scout Jose Chavez was commended for bravery in a 1877 action and was still in the US Army in 1891 at Ft. Wingate. They were used by General George Crook in finding Juh, Nana and Geronimo in 1881-1886. General Nelson A. Miles put 150 Navajos in the field as part of his 5,000 troop deployment against Geronimo in 1886.

Navajo Scouts accompanied the Army when it investigated many civilian-Navajo confrontations. For example, just a list of actions between June 14 and September 28 1883 shows 5 different Navajo Reservation related activities. Lt Parker with 10 Enlisted men and 2 Scouts went up to the San Juan River to separate Navajos and citizens who encroached on Navajo land. Lt. Guy with 17 Enlisted men and 2 Scouts and Capt. Smith & Lt. Tyler with 56 Enlisted and 5 scouts helped the Indian Agent deal with unhappy Navajo Chiefs. This involved Manulieto, Torlino, Grando Muncho and 50 armed Navajos who were upset by raids of citizens and other tribes on their people and livestock. In another action: Lt Lockett with 42 enlisted and no scouts were joined by Lt. Holomon at Navajo Springs. Evidently citizen Houck and/or Owens had murdered a Navajo Chief's son and 100 armed Navajos were looking for them. It is evident from these 4 months of military reports from the field that the officers tended to trust the Navajo version of events.

Navajo Scouts were used in 1891 when over 60 armed Hopi were prepared to fight to prevent their children being sent away to boarding school. There was a reference in a 1891 military report, that the reporting officer knew Navajos since 1853 and commanded 50 Navajo's (these would not be Scouts) in Bonneville Gila's 1856 campaign against the Apaches and had complete confidence in their friendship.

[edit] Pensions

In the late 1920s scouts became eligible for pensions. Many men were enlisted under nicknames and had lost their discharge papers. These men gave depositions about their service and vouched for others to Crown Point Indian Agent S. F. Stacker and Pension Examiner C. R. Franks in the late 1920s to early 1940s.

Apaches are the better known as "Indian Scouts" in this period due to their use against Geronimo. However as Mariano predicted, Navajo Scout service contributed to the post Long Walk expansion of the Eastern side of the Navajo Reservation.

[edit] References

Compiled (1973). Navajo Stories of the Long Walk Period. Tsaile, Arizona: Navajo Community College Press. ISBN 0-912586-16-8.
Higgins, Elaine W. (1964). The Bear Springs Story: A History of Fort Wingate. Fort Wingate, New Mexico: Fort Wingate Ordance Depot. ISBN Unknown.
Leckie, William H. (1967). The Buffalo Soldiers: A Narrative of the Negro Cavalry in the West. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. LCCN 67-15571.
Anon (1956). Record of Enlistments in the United States Army,"Volumes 150-151 (1866-77) Indian Scouts. Washington D.C.: National Archives [Microcopy 233].