The year was 1881
and the time of year was mid-May, a chief and medicine man Nock-ay-det-klinne
moved to the Cibecue creek area of the White Mountain Apache reservation for
the summer. About a month after setting up their summer camp, reports came in
to Fort Apache that Nock-ay-det-klinne was holding meetings stating that he was
going to raise two chiefs who were recently killed from the dead. “The reports
said that the corpses of the chiefs were partly out of their graves and were
resurrected to the knees and ‘visible to all Indians.’” Here is a
letter written to the commissioner of Indian affairs from Joseph C. Tiffany
describing the events seen by Albert D. Sterling, chief of the San Carlos
Indian Police,
Considerable
excitement had been caused by a medicine man who had given out word that he was
going to bring two chiefs who had been killed during the year (Di-ab-a-lo and
es-ki-o-le) to life and when he did he was going to be a ruler of the Indians as
he would be a greater man than the Great and he would take care of the Indians
and kill the white people in the agency and etc. I sent scouts up to find out
the truth of the report, as he had sent works to the Indians he had them alive
up to the knees and I felt sure there was something wrong. They went and the
followers tried to make them believe the man was talking to him but they would
not hear what he said. They told him he hid and would come and tell me so. The
Indians up at Cibicu said if he fooled them they would kill him. I have sent
the scouts up to bring him in if they can find him. I shall make an example of
him in order to deter and such foolishness, as it excited a great many foolish
young warriors and bucks to the detriment of good order and the peace of the
reserve(Collins, Tiffany's letter to commissioner of Indian affairs).
At
this point Tiffany did not see any reason in arresting Nock-ay-det-klinne since
he was only tricking the chiefs into giving him gifts. Instead of attempting to
arrest him Tiffany simply informed the three chiefs of his lying ways and that
they should not believe anything he says, the chiefs agreed to this and on
return to the camp Nock-ay-det-klinne knowing they would forcefully take back
the gifts announced new details. He announced that these dead could not be
brought back until the whites were driven out of the country, this worked in
gaining back the trust of the chiefs and the people. The time after
this the Indians became very proud and excited about these future events
promised to them telling farmers they “Would fight soon and get even with him.”
Col. Eugene Asa Carr later received a letter from Tiffany stating,
Sam
Bowman thinks the White Mountain will break out when they have their corn
gathered and cached. Hurrle thinks same, says they are making sacrifices.
Indian doctor puts food in medicine lodge and pretends that the dead come and
eat it, says that Indians think this doctor will be the head of all Indians;
that he says the ground will turn over, the dead will rise and the Indians
[will] be above the whites; that they will have possession of this post, that
the soldiers will have to give up their horses to them, etc.
Hurrle
says they intend to have another dance here in Pedro’s camp a week from next
Saturday night which will be the 20th. It might be well to arrest
the Indian Doctor and send him to Alcatraz, but I would not like to take the
responsibility as it might precipitate a war. Sam Bowman thinks our company of
scouts will break when the others do. He says there is another medicine man at
work also(Collins,Carr's letter to Tiffany).
After
receiving this letter Carr also received a letter from General Orlando Bolivar
Willcox stating that Carr was to arrest Nock-ay-det-klinne “if you deem it
necessary, to prevent trouble, after consultation with the agent at San
Carlos.” When Carr was ordered to arrest Nock-ay-det-klinne the
only soldiers he had were the soldiers stationed at Fort Apache, this worried
him because some of these troops were men that lived on the apache reservation
themselves and had been attending to the dances and rituals put on by Nock-ay-det-klinne
and while in the past they had been quick to communicate anything unlawful
taking place were very uncommunicative about these events as stated by Second Lieutenant
Thomas Cruse who commanded Company A (Apache Scouts). Carr later on August 10th
asked Cruse about the loyalty of his troops and Cruse responded with “he
entirely distrusts his scouts in event of the rising of the White Mountains and
believed all of nearly all would go with the enemy and recommended their
discharge.(Collins, Cruse quote)” Carr later telegraphs for permission to discharge the
company but the lines go down and he does receive a telegraph back saying he
can until 2 and half weeks after he returns from Cibecue. Carr decided to take
the scouts only to find Nock-ay-det-klinne and later states that if not for
them he would never have been able to find him. Carr then sent Cruse and some
troops forward to find Nock-ay-det-klinne’s campsite, Carr later came to the
campsite to meet with Nock-ay-det-klinne in person. Here Carr recites how the
event happened,
I told him
through the interpreter what I had come for, as I had told the scouts the night
before. This was told him in the presence of the other Indians, in their own
language, so all should understand. I then told him I would treat him as a
friend till those charges had been investigated and if not true he would be
released. He had already denied them. he showed me a pass from the agent for
himself and others to plant corn on Cibicu for 60 days, dated May 13th
and extended July 13th for another 60 days.
I told him the agent wanted me to bring
him in to talk & etc. he made [an] excuse for not coming before, that he
had a patient to attend to, and the Indians would have blamed him if he had
left the sick man; but said he had cured him, and he had gone home this morning
and he, Nock-ay-det-klinne, was now ready to go with me. I told him that was
all right and if it was all explained he would be released in a few days. I then
ordered a guard detailed; told him who was in charge of that, Sergeant McDonald,
Troop E, 6th Cavalry; that if he tried to escape he would be killed.
He smiled and said he did not want to escape, he was perfectly willing to go.
I then told him that if there were an
attempt at rescue he would be killed. He smiled at that also, and said no one
would attempt to rescue him. I also told him he could take part of his family
along with him.
This talk was all in the presence of
other Indians, purposely to reassure them and make a good care to their minds. Mose
at times repeated and explained, when he did not seem to catch the meaning of
Interpreter Hurrle.
I thought that the possession of his
person, as a hostage, would make them particularly careful not to bring on a
collision(Collins, Carr recollecting meeting with medicine man).
Once the men started to head out
Carr took one half of his troops and marched ahead, followed by Cruse and his
men along with Nock-ay-det-klinne and his guard. As they were traveling along
Apaches would appear out of the surrounding areas and would go with the
caravan. Cruse noticed that all of these men seemed to be prepared for battle
but thought nothing of it for he knew some of them personally and others were
talking with the scouts with him as well on a personal level. As
the scouts were making camp they began to make war cries and loud noises and
turned toward Troop D who had already begun to prepare for camp for the night
and opened fire. After the Foreign Indians started firing the scout apaches had
also begun to fire at the Troop D along with them. Once the initial firing had
stopped the scouts and foreign Apaches dropped down the mesa and the Troop D
formed a defensive formation behind whatever they could find, mostly saddles,
and began to prepare for the battle. Once they had opened fire back at the
Indians, the Indians then retreated to the brush at the bottom of the mesa.
Carr seeing this rushed to Stanton and ordered him to take his Troop E and rush
the left flank of the brush to confuse and dismantle the Indians themselves,
then Carr later said, “Saved the day.(Collins)” the Indians then retreated
from the campsite. During the first 15 minutes of the shooting Nock-ay-det-klinne
had attempted to make an escape, while even being shot in the leg Sergeant
McDonald then shot Nock-ay-det-klinne through both of his thighs, trumpeter
William O. Benites, seeing he was still alive, shot Nock-ay-det-klinne in the
neck. Once the battle was over the men buried the dead and
returned to Fort Apache, to prepare for the future hostilities that followed
the battle. After returning to the Fort Carr heard word that hostile Apaches
had been killing farmers and a group of Mormons attempting to cross the Apache
Road even though warned not too.at about 2P.M. the Indians began to fire into
the Post from all sides. Moving closer to the mill just outside of the Post
Carr ordered some men to go stop the Indians from taking the mill and they did
so preventing the Indians from moving any closer. The Indians continued firing
into the post with no affects and returned to the mountains after failing the
attack on the fort.(Collins) After this failed attempt at breaking into the Fort the Indians the attacks on the fort came to a stop.
Works
Cited
Col. Eugene
A. Carr, sketch of the Cibecue
battlefield. 1882, unknown. From: Apache
Nightmare: The Battle at Cibecue Creek, (university of Oklahoma Press,
1999).
Charles Collins, Apache
Nightmare: The Battle at Cibecue Creek, (University of Oklahoma Press,
1999)
Willian B.
Kessel, “The Battle of Cibecue and its Aftermath: a White Mountain Apache’s
Account,” Ethno history; Spring74, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p123-134
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