Camp Grant, Arizona

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Coordinates: 32°50′29″N 110°42′40″W / 32.841442°N 110.711076°W / 32.841442; -110.711076

Camp Grant, photographed by John Karl Hillers in 1870.

Camp Grant was the name used from 1866 to 1872 for the United States military post at the confluence of the San Pedro River and Aravaipa Creek in the Arizona Territory. It is near the site of the Camp Grant massacre.

The post was first constructed in 1860, and between 1860 and 1873, the post was abandoned or destroyed and then rebuilt multiple times, and it was known by a variety of names, starting with Fort Breckinridge in 1860 before becoming Camp Grant in 1866. In 1872 The "old" Camp Grant on the San Pedro River (located in present day Pinal County) was replaced by a "new" Fort Grant at the base of Mount Graham (in present day Graham County). Little evidence of "old" Camp Grant (formerly Fort Breckinridge) is visible today.

Early names

  • Camp on San Pedro River, May, 1860. A generic name used for the site during the construction phase.[1]
  • Fort Aravaipa, or Fort Aravaypa [sic], 1860. Name used for post for a few months after construction, until official name designated.[1][2]
  • Fort Breckinridge, August 1860 to 1861. Following construction the fort was officially named for the then-serving Vice President of the United States, John C. Breckinridge and this was the official name of the post during and after the time the post was destroyed and the site abandoned, following removal of the garrison at the start of the Civil War.[1]
  • Camp Stanford, 1862. Name used while California volunteer troops reoccupied and renovated the post in 1862, in honor of then acting California governor Leland Stanford.[1]
  • Fort Breckenridge, 1862 to 1865. Vice President John C. Breckinridge had "gone south" after his term of office concluded in 1861 and he accepted a commission as General of the Confederacy, later becoming its Secretary of War. In October, 1862 the Fort was renamed Fort Breckenridge, with the slight change in spelling reflecting unhappiness with the original namesake.
  • Camp on San Pedro River[3] and Camp Wright,[1] 1865. The Fort was re-constructed by the 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry commanded by Colonel Thomas F. Wright, and both the river location and the commander's name were used generically for the post during this limbo period.
  • Camp Grant, 1865 to 1872. The post was demoted from a Fort to a Camp in 1865 and officially designated "Camp Grant" honoring Ulysses Grant, of Civil War fame. This name continued to be used until closure in 1872 and abandonment in 1873,[1] during which period the post was destroyed by flood (1866), moved and rebuilt on higher ground (1866), the Camp Grant Massacre occurred (1871), and a temporary Indian reservation was located in the area (1871), later moved to San Carlos.
  • 1872. The post was replaced by a Fort Grant re-located to the east under Graham peak in Graham County.

Fort Breckinridge 1860 to 1865

The United States military post at the confluence of the San Pedro River and Aravaipa Creek in Arizona Territory existed from 1860 to 1872. The post was built in May 1860 by B Company, U.S. 8th Infantry Regiment,[2] sent from the first Fort Buchanan.[4]

The Fort was sited along the San Pedro River which was a major route of travel from pre-historic times. In 1857, the Leach Wagon Road had been built to provide a freight road from New Mexico to California,[5] and part of the wagon road ran through the San Pedro valley.[6] Reportedly, Leach suggested the fort be built on the route of his wagon road to provide protection for travelers on the wagon road, as well as area settlers and emigrants.[2]

While under construction in May 1860 the post was referred to as the Camp on San Pedro River.[1] It was named Fort Aravaipa (or Aravaypa),[1] when constructed, then officially designated as Fort Breckinridge in August 1860[1][4] to honor John C. Breckinridge, vice president from 1857 to 1861 under President James Buchanan. This was the second military post in the area of the Gadsden Purchase (1853).[7]

In October 1860 150 Indian raiders ran off all of the stock of the post.[8] In February, 1861, the Fort Breckinridge troops reinforced Fort Buchanan troops during the Bascom Affair. After the outbreak of the American Civil War the army determined to move the post's regular troops east. At the same time, the area was threatened by a Confederate invasion from Texas. The army abandoned and burned Fort Breckinridge in July, 1861, as well as other posts in southern Arizona to keep them from falling into possession of the Confederacy.[4]

In May, 1862 the fort was rebuilt by California volunteer infantry and renamed Camp Stanford for Governor Leland Stanford of California. By late 1862 the fort was again being referred to as Fort Breckenridge. The change in spelling reflected disillusion with the former Vice President, for whom the fort was originally named, since after the Civil War started he "went south" and became a Confederate general.

Use from 1865 to 1872

After the Civil War was over, in November 1865 the post was re-constructed yet again by five companies of the 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry commanded by Colonel Thomas F. Wright.[2] The post was again sited in the San Pedro valley near the confluence of Aravaipa Creek, but in this reconstruction the site of the post was farther south than the earlier sites, and closer to the San Pedro River.[1] Initially the construction site was referred to as Camp Wright,[1] or as the Camp on San Pedro, but after construction the post was officially named Camp Grant to honor the Union general Ulysses S. Grant.[1] The post was also officially downgraded from a fort to a camp, though it continued to be commonly referred to as both Fort Grant and Camp Grant.[1]

In March 1866 regular troops of the 14th Infantry[2] relieved the 2nd California Volunteers.[4] In the summer of 1866 rains caused the San Pedro to flood and Camp Grant was so damaged that the troops then rebuilt the post on a higher terrace on the east bank of the San Pedro River, just north of the confluence with Aravaipa Creek.[9] The site after relocation was closer to the original sites of the earlier Fort Breckinridge and Camp Stanford,[1] and is the site pictured in the photo above.

The purpose of Camp Grant was to provide security for a steadily increasing stream of settlers and miners into this area of the Arizona territory following the end of the Civil War. The various Indians indigenous to the area, particularly the different bands of Apaches, were adept at quick deadly raids. For two centuries prior to the coming of the Americans they had been engaged in guerilla war with the Spanish, and raiding had become the basis of their economic system, while also being a cultural norm and a way of life. Responding to the growing invasion of Anglos, Indian raiding parties attacked area ranches, camps, prospectors, freighters, wagon trains, stages, immigrants and small groups and settlements of all kinds. The goal of the raiders was primarily economic—to acquire horses or mules and ammunition, but the raiders took any plunder that appeared attractive or useful. The fruits of these raids were consumed by the raider, or traded to unscrupulous trader/merchants most commonly for whiskey and more ammunition. In conducting raids, the Apache employed advance preparation, swift movement, and surprise, with sophisticated and well-coordinated small-unit tactics honed by generations of experience. The raiders picked their targets and the raids were almost always successful, after which the raiders moved swiftly from the area. The raiders usually killed or attempted to kill all the persons they encountered, sometimes first subjecting the victims to torture. Throughout the period of Camp Grant's existence, from 1866 to 1872, the U.S. Army garrison was constantly occupied by responding to these raids, and pursuing and attempting to interdict and kill or capture the raiders.[4]

Host to Aravaipa and Pinal Apache

Over successive years the Army's persistent pursuit of raiding Apache parties caused accrual of casualties among the raiders. As these casualties mounted, the hostile Apache bands could not replace their losses. The hostile Apache bands were slowly worn down by attrition.

In 1870 some Apache bands had indicated a willingness to give up raiding and adopt a sedentary life style in return for rations. Army and civilian authorities began discussing various sites for reservations for Apache bands scattered throughout the Arizona and New Mexico territories.[10] In 1870 Col. Stoneman was in command of the Army in the Arizona Territory. He articulated a peace policy advocating "feeding stations" which would provide rations to the Apache. It was hoped this policy would lead to abandonment of raiding by Apache bands. acceptance of placement on reservations, and consequently a reduction of depredations across the territory.[11]

In February 1871 five old Apache women, hungry and poorly clothed, came to Camp Grant to look for a son of one of the women who had been taken prisoner. Lt. Royal Emerson Whitman, newly arrived from the east, was the senior commander of the three troops of Third Cavalry at Camp Grant. He fed the five women, treated them kindly, and sent them off with a promise to similarly treat others who would come in to Camp Grant.[11] Word spread and other Apaches from Aravaipa and Pinal bands soon came to the post seeking rations of beef and flour. Among them was a young Apache war chief named Eskiminzin who told Lt. Whitman he and his small band were tired of war and wanted to settle on Aravaipa Creek.[11] In return for rations, Lt. Whitman disarmed the Apaches. offered them pay for work (gathering hay), and extracted a promise to cease raiding. As more Apache arrived, Whitman created a refuge (or "rancheria") along Aravaipa Creek about .5 miles east of Camp Grant, and wrote to Col. Stoneman (who was then in California) for instructions. Due to a bureaucratic mixup, Stoneman made no reply. By early March there were 300 Aravaipa and Pinal Apache camped near Camp Grant, and by the end of March there were 500. During March the flow of Aravaipa Creek declined and Lt. Whitman authorized the Apache to move five miles upstream, away from Camp Grant, to the mouth of Aravaipa canyon.[11]

Camp Grant Massacre

Main article: Camp Grant massacre

Before 1871, there was considerable tension between Tucson and the residents of Camp Grant. Camp Grant guarded the San Pedro River overland freight road that ran from New Mexico to California, and the San Pedro route was in competition with an alternative overland route that went through Tucson. In addition, Tucson residents viewed themselves as surrounded by a vast land area in which deadly Apache raiding parties operated freely, with little or no effective check by soldiers from Camp Grant or other Arizona posts. Ironically, supplying Army posts and garrisons in Arizona involved many Tucson businessmen, and the feeding program being tried out at Camp Grant could potentially lead to the pacification of the Apache, the reduction of the Army garrisons and the suppression of this lucrative business.

As Pinal and Avavaipa Apache collected at Camp Grant in early 1871, raids continued in Arizona—19 settlers had been killed and 10 wounded between March 7 and 29.[11] Though some raids occurred long distances away from Camp Grant allegations by Tucson residents attributed these raids to the swiftly growing base of 500 Apache at Camp Grant.[11] Camp Grant was located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Tucson, and Anglo-Hispanic citizens from Tucson reacted angrily and fearfully to this unprecedented concentration of Apaches. Excited mass meetings were held and radical solutions suggested.[11]

On the morning of April 28, 1871 a group of 6 Americans and 48 Mexicans left Tucson for Camp Grant, along with 94 Tohono O'odham (aka Papago) Indians.[11] The Papago Indians had been recruited by Tucson residents from their reservation to the south. The Papago were traditional enemies of the Pinal/Aravaipa Apache based on a long history of inter-tribal warfare, with ingrained and deep seated hatreds.

At dawn on April 30, 1871 the Tucson group attacked the camps of the Pinal and Aravaipa Apaches. The camps were not expecting any attack, having surrendered their weapons and promised to give up raiding. The men of the camp were off in the mountains hunting. The Papago Indians were at the forefront of the attack. Two look-outs were killed with clubs, after which a skirmish line swiftly advanced on the camp clubbing and knifing victims. Those escaping the skirmish line were shot. An estimated 110 to 144 Apache people were killed. Since the male members of the Apache groups were off hunting, all but 8 of the victims were women and children. Chief Eskiminzin was present but escaped. 27 to 30 Apache children were captured by the Papagos and taken back to be slaves or servants.[11] In the years following the massacre, though the children's relatives constantly petitioned the U.S. to intervene and have the children returned, only 7 or 8 were ever repatriated.

Lt. Royal Emerson Whitman, Camp Grant commander, had belatedly learned of the expedition from Tucson and sent a warning message to the Indian camp, which arrived too late. He then sent a medical team to render assistance, but no survivors were found. He reported that the dead totaled 125,[11] which he buried. This event became known as the Camp Grant Massacre. News spread and caused consternation among Apaches, increasing their distrust of dealings with non-Indians. The "massacre" caused an outraged reaction from eastern newspapers. President Grant threatened to place the territory under martial law if the participants were not brought to trial. A grand jury indicted about 100 persons in October 1871. Following a five day trial all were acquitted after the jury deliberated 19 minutes.[11] At the trial, the defense of those accused focused exclusively on the history of Apache raids, killings and depredations in the years preceding the event.

Site abandoned

The massacre had repercussions for Camp Grant and for the Arizona Territory. Colonel Stoneman, the commanding officer in the Arizona Territory, was replaced by Lt. Col. George Crook in May 1871.[11] Though historians believe that the decision to replace Col. Stoneman was made prior to the massacre, the massacre probably influenced Col. Crook. He undertook a survey of military posts and potential reservations sites throughout the Arizona Territory, and attention naturally focused on Camp Grant. In 1872 Col. Crook ordered that a new Fort Grant be established at the base of Mount Graham, and that "old" Camp Grant be closed. The move had strategic benefits. New Fort Grant (in present day Graham County) was better located to fight those bands of Apache who were still hostile. The move had other benefits. Malaria at the "old" Camp Grant along the San Pedro River had been a continual problem.[9] In March 1873, the site of "old" Camp Grant at the junction of the San Pedro and Aravaipa was finally abandoned .[4]

The site of "old" Camp Grant at the junction of Aravaipa Creek and the San Pedro River is near the current location of the Aravaipa campus of the Central Arizona College. The "new" Fort Grant under Mount Graham is no longer an army post, but has been integrated into the Arizona State Prison system, administered from Safford, Arizona.

After the massacre in 1871 a Camp Grant reservation was set aside for the Apache, but in 1872 as part of a new policy to consolidate Apache reservations, the temporary Indian Reservation near Camp Grant was moved to a reservation newly established at the junction of the San Carlos and the Gila River. The massacre site is unmarked[12] and is only known to have occurred in an area five miles upstream from Camp Grant on Aravaipa Creek.

Current location

The location of the site of the fort is slightly east of the current Junction of Highway 77 and East Putnam Street, north of where Highway 77 crosses Aravaipa Creek.[13] Very little remains of the former fort and camp.[4][9] The barren site is on privately owned land and is covered with mesquite and cactus and a scattering of rubble and ruins.[14]

See also


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 "Arizona Fords". Retrieved 27 February 2012. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Old Fort Grant". "Alan's Kitchen". Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
  3. ↑ See Wikipedia Article:2nd Regiment California Volunteer Infantry
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 legends. "ARIZONA LEGENDS Fort Breckinridge". Legends of America. Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
  5. ↑ "The Cactus Files, a timeline of historical events". Retrieved 29 February 2012. 
  6. ↑ "Blazing Trails: Discovering Routes through Arizona to California". Retrieved 29 February 2012. 
  7. ↑ "FORT BRECKINRIDGE (Old Camp Grant)". National Park Service. Retrieved 29 February 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Fort Breckinridge attacked". The Civil War Sesquicentennial Day by Day. Retrieved 28 February 2012. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Arizona Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project CAMP GRANT, with Map of location of Camp Grant, and location of Graveyard". Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
  10. ↑ Thrapp, Dan L. (1991). Victorio and the Mimbres Apache. Norman, OK: Univ. of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-1645-7. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 11.9 11.10 11.11 Fordney, Ben Fuller (2008). George Stoneman: a biography of the Union general. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7864-3225-7.  pp. 149-155
  12. ↑ "Old Camp Grant". Treasure Net. Retrieved 28 February 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Camp Grant". Arizona Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project - This site has maps of the old camp coordinated with modern maps. Retrieved 28 February 2012. 
  14. ↑ "FORT BRECKINRIDGE (Old Camp Grant)". National Park Service. Retrieved 28 February 2012. 

External links

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