American Biography: Kit Carson

Kit Carson ran the gamut as far as his own history.  He was a Mountain Man, scout and guide for the military, fought in the Mexican American War and the Civil War, and was an Indian fighter and Indian advocate.  He was born in 1809 and lived 59 years.  He left home at age 16.  He traveled west with a fur harvesting expedition.  He joined John C. Fremont in exploring and mapping the Oregon Trail and parts of California.  Fremont and Carson would save each other several time from Indians.  He also saved Fremont and his company from starvation when they were caught in the snow.   Again with Fremont he was instrumental in the American uprise in California which lead to California being liberated from Mexico and becoming part of the United States.  He then served as a scout for General Kearney.  He was appointed agent for the Ute and Jicarilla Apache Indians.  Carson led Union forces in New Mexico against the Confederate.  He then carried on fight Native Americans in the area, Kiowa, Apache, Navajo and Comanche.  He became the commanding force in fighting the Navajo and their forced march.  His commanded officer, general James Carleton declared that the Indians must be beat and forced to move.  And on point Carson resigned his commission; but he took it up again.  He didn't attack their warriors, but their food supplies, starving them out.  Kit Carson became a man of legend in the adventure stories written about him.  After subduing the Navajo, he was promoted to general, and put in charge of calming the Kiowa, Comanches and Cheyennes.  Carson ended up in a situation similar to Custer's Last Stand.  His scouts underestimated the force against him, and the risked being engulfed.  Carson used two howitzers and back fires to keep the Indians at bay, and his men were able to make their escape.  The Kiowa call this the time they repelled Kit Carson.
Carson had three wives, and ten children.  His first wife he one after defeating a French Man in a duel at a rendezvous.  He was forcing himself on her, and Carson took offense.  Her name was Singing Grass.  She died giving birth to his second daughter.  His first daughter was raised by his sister.  He then married a Cheyenne woman but she left him to travel with her people.  He then married a Mexican woman.  He became Catholic to marry her, and they had 8 children together.
Kit Carson became one of the most revered men in the United States.  More than 50 novels were written about him.  However Carson was never one to be overly proud of himself.  He passed away just a month after his wife due to heart problems.

Native American Biography: Satanta: Kiowa

Santanta was a Chief of the Kiowa during the time of Indian Wars.  In 1864 Federal forces wanted to punish the Indians for frequent raids on wagons along the Santa Fe Trail.  During the Civil War they was hardly any deterrent to these raids, and the Indians looked about the wagons as trespassers who were killing too many buffalo.  This raid was an expedition into the heartland of the Kiowa and Comanche peoples.  Colonel Kit Carson lead the raid.  This battle became known as the Battle of Adobe Walls.  However Carson took only 300 men and found a force of 2500-3000 braves waiting for him.  They were able to hold off the Indians for a time with their two Howitzers, but the retreated as quickly as they could back to their supply train.  Both sides claimed victory.  During the battle Santanta played an important part, confusing the American troops by mimicking and playing his own trumpet against the calls of the military trumpeter.
At negotiations for the Medicine Lodge Treaty Santanta became known as the Orator of the Plains.  This may have been a sarcastic title for his long windedness.  With the death of Dohasan, last of the chiefs of the entire Kiowa, three different sub-chiefs claimed power.  Santanta lead several parties against wagon trains, and had some success.  However in 1871 he went too far.  He and his men attacked the Warren Wagon Train.  They killed several men, and were able to take all the supplies and mules.  However some men escaped and fled to inform the military.  Santanta and others bragged about the attack, so he could not deny it.  He and two other sub-chiefs were arrested.  One attempted escape before he was tried.  He had sung his death song.  Santanta was tried and sentence to be hung.  However this sentence was commuted.  There was fear of reprisal should he be killed.  He served two years, and was released on parole after two years.  The government contended that he was involved in attacking a wagon  He was present at the second battle of Adobe Walls.  He had given his war lance to younger chiefs, and was only present.  However his presence violated his parole, and he was taken back to the penitentiary, where he worked on a chain gang.  He help prepare land for the railroad, through territory where he use to hunt.  This was too much for him and he committed suicide by jumping out of a high window of the penitentiary hospital.  His grandson, James Auchiah, a famous painter, claimed his body 90 years later from the penitentiary cemetery.
Dohasan was the last undisputed chief of the entire Kiowa Nation before the reservation period.  At the first Battle of Adobe Falls he and his people repelled the famous Kit Carson.  Carson and his men were outnumbered 10-1 and it was only clever use of his howitzers that kept he and his men from being over run.  Ads it was, this battle, although large in scope, did not result in a great many casualties other than the Old Indians who couldn't escape when their village was attacked.  Dohasan passed away a couple years after this battle.

Native American Biography: Navajo During the Navajo War and Bosque Redondo: Narbona, Manuelito, Delgadito, Barboncito

Manuelito

Manuelito was war chief during the time of the Navajo War.  The Navajo were generally peaceful to the Whites, but this attitude began to change.  Narbona was an influential medicine man who sued for peace when a force from New Mexico came to Navajo country under the command form Colonel John Washington.  After signing the treaty, a volunteer from new Mexico felt he recognized his stolen horse among the Navajo.  He insisted on its return, but the current owner had not stolen the horse.  He left.  Colonel Johnson, siding with the New Mexican said he could take any horse.  So the rest of the Navajo warriors began to flee as well.  Johnson order his troops to open fire.  Seven Navajo were killed, among them Narbona, who was scalped as he lay dying by one of the New Mexico volunteers.   More warlike Navajos such as Manuelito began to have greater influence as a result.  Manuelito was born in southeast Utah and became a war chief when his father-in-law was killed by federal soldiers.
As part of the treaty, the Americans began to establish forts.  One of these was Fort Defiance.  During a time of drought, the Navajo asked the Americans not to grace their animals on prime agricultural land close to the fort.  The Americans insisted and killed several cattle and horses belonging to Manuelito.  The Navajo responded by killing some of the Americans.  This is known as the first battle of Fort Defiance.
In the second battle of Fort Defiance, Manuelito had a group of 1000 attack the fort.  He was helped by Barboncito, and Barboncito's brother Delgadito.  Both Barboncito and Delgadito were medicine men.  Delgadito would learn silversmithing from a Mexican craftsman.  He would also learn metal techniques from an American.  he then turned around and taught others silversmithing and metal work.  This is now the most important source of income to the Navajos.
During early periods of the Civil War, as the attention of many of the federal resources were turned elsewhere, the Navajo were able to increase their raids.  However, in 1864, the governor of New Mexico told all the Navajo chiefs, they must cede their lands and move to Bosque Redondo, and area in New Mexico so named because of a small forest.  This was an area forty square miles on the Pecos River where the Native Americans, Navajo and Apache, were to learn farming.
Kit Carson carried out the campaign to move the Navajo to the reservation; a 300 mile walk from their homeland.  To convince them to go he engaged in a scorched earth policy.  The corn fields and cattle of the Navajo were destroyed, until starvation was the norm.  Slowly the warring parties were forced to surrender first in 1864.  The last was Manuelito in 1866.  They had been told the stay would be for but a few months, but months turned into years.  Many Navajo dyed on "The Long Walk" to the reservation, and many more dyed after arriving their.  The water from the river was brackish, and quickly the wood supply was exhausted.
William Sherman was sent to investigate poor conditions in 1868.  He negotiated a treaty which allowed the Navajo to return to their homeland, the four corners area, but with a reduced size.  Upon given this privilege Barboncito said, "We do not want to go to the right or the left, but straight back to our country."
Ganado Mucho also played a prominent part in first attempted to keep the peace, and then making the march to Bosque Redondo.  He had attempted to move his people north, the the Grand Canyon area but they could not feed themselves, so the surrendered to the army.  During the long walk, two of his daughters were kidnapped by Mexicans; and while at Bosque redondo one of his sons was killed by Comanche.  He was part of the negotiations which allowed the return home of the Navajo.