BATTLE OF APACHE CANYON & PIGEON'S RANCH
Extracted from the
THE LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICO HISTORY
by
Ralph Twitchell
1912


     The Colorado volunteers marched from Denver on February 22, the day after
the engagement at Valverde, through snow nearly a foot deep, and reached the
foot of the Ratone mountains on March 7th. After crossing the mountains,
marching 67 miles in a single day, the force reached Ft. Union on the 11th,
Where they were thoroughly armed and equipped by Major Paul. A portion of the
command setting out in advance for the purpose of recapturing Santa Fe from the
small Confederate force, unexpectedly met Major Pyron with his Texas troops at
Apache Canyon. A fierce engagement ensued later. The Colorado volunteers had
marched along the Santa Fe trail in the direction of Glorieta, when at
midnight, the presence of the Confederate pickets was discovered. The following
morning, March 27, these were surprised and captured, together with two
Confederate lieutenants.

     Major J. M. Chivington was in command of the Colorado troops, consisting
of two hundred and ten cavalry and one hundred and eighty infantry. The command
moved FORWARD to the head of the canyon when a battery of two guns, occupying
the main road, opened fire upon them with grape and shell. Finding himself
under destructive fire, Chivington deployed two companies of sixty men as
skirmishers on the mountain side to the left of the road and one company was
also advanced to higher ground on the right. The mountain sides were covered
with a growth of pine, pinon, and dwarf cedar. For more than an hour the
opposing infantry kept up a stubborn firing, when Captan Jacob Downing,
commanding the Union forces on the right succeeded in partly flanking the
enemy's position.

     The Texans now showed signs of retreat, when the cavalry under Captain
Cook charged them gallantly, running the Texans down under their horses feet.
At the same time, they were pressed by Downing's men and driven up a side
canyon where they were received with volleys from the men under Captains
Anthony and Wyncoop, resulting in the surrender of about seventy of the Texans.

     It was now near sunset and fearing reinforcements would overtake them in
the darkness, and there being no water in the canyon, the Union forces fell
back to Pigeon's Ranch, where they encamped.

     The Union loss in this was 5 killed and 14 wounded. The Confederates
suffered heavily, losing 71 prisoners, 35 killed and 43 wounded.

     The great fight was on the 28th, when the Texans came up in force, and
Colonel Slough arrived with the rest of his regiment, two howitzer batteries
under Captains Ritter and Claflin, and some regular infantry. At an early hour,
a strategy plan was conceived. A brave New Mexican, Manual Chaves led a
detachment of about 400 men, commanded by Chivington and comprising of two
battalions of regulars and volunteers, under Lewis and Carey, up a steep ascent
and along a terribly difficult path towards the rear of the Texans, where their
wagons and supplies were under a guard.

     The remainder of Slough's command, seven or eight hundred strong, met the
Confederates half a mile beyond Pigeons Ranch. The Unionists were outnumbered
and acted on the defensive, and after a fight lasting about five hours, were
forced back to a new position farther east and finally to Kozlosky's ranch and
stage station. The Union loss in this battle is given at from twenty to fifty
killed, forty to eighty wounded and fifteen to twenty prisoners, that of the
Confederates, thirty six to one hundred and fifty killed, sixty to two hundred
sounded and one hundred prisoners.

     When Colonel Chivington reached the Confederate rear, they drove off the
enemy's guard, spiked the cannon, bayonetted eleven hundred mules, burned sixty
four wagons and destroyed all of the supplies, rendering it impossible for the
Confederates to continue their offensive operations.

     This virtually ended the campaign. The Pike's Peakers had proved more than
a match for the Texas Rangers, saving New Mexico for the Union. Out of
Confederate forces consisting of 3800 men and 327 wagons which left Fort
Filmore, only 1200 men and 13 wagons remained together when they were obliged
to flee to the mountains. Chivington had made himself a hero of the war.

     A letter from a Confederate soldier held at the State House in Denver
reads:

     "If it had not been for those devils from Pike's Peak, this country would
have been ours. ... Instead of Mexicans and Regulars, they were regular demons,
that iron and lead had no effect upon, in the shape of Pike's Peakers. Up the
Canyon we went for about four miles, when we met the enemy coming down at
double quick, but grape and shell soon stopped them. But before we could form
in line of battle, their infantry was upon the hills on both sides of us,
shooting us down like sheep. ... They had no sooner got within shooting
distance of us than up came a company of cavalry at full charge, with swords
and revolvers drawn, looking like so many flying devils. On they came, to what
I supposed certain destruction, but nothing like like lead or iron seemed to
stop them, for we poured both into them from every side like hail in a storm.
In a moment these devils had run the gauntlet for half a mile and were fighting
hand to hand with our men in the road. Some houses were 700 or 800 yards to the
right of the road, with a wide ditch between it and them. Here we felt safe,
but again were mistaken. No sooner did they see us than some of them jumped the
ditch, and like demons, came charging on us. It looked as if their horses feet
never touched the ground until they were among us."

     Major Downing's journal reads:

     "We met the enemy about eleven o'clock in Apache canyon, and had a battle
with their advance, whipped them and drove them back, killing quite a number,
and taking about one hundred and fifty prisoners. Our bugler came in sounding
the alarm and we marched to the point of rocks where we could see them. They
had two batteries in position. Company D, of which I was Captain, crossed in
front of the batteries and got into the timber on the right. Companies A and E,
Captains Anthony and Wyncoop, went in on the left. When company D got almost to
the rear and on the flank, it opened fire and charged down on the batteries.
Company K was ordered then to charge, being mounted. Riding down on the canyon
on a narrow road, a ravine on one side and a mountain on the other, it
gallantly charged the enemy. The Texans made two further stands, but we drove
them back, and that closed the battle for the first day, after gathering up
prisoners. The whole time covered was probably four or five hours. Then we fell
back to Pigeon's Ranch, because there was water there."

     M. Valle (or Pigeon) speaks:

     "Zat Chivington, he poot 'is 'ead down and foight loike a mahd bull!"

     "Gooverment manns vas at my ranch, and fill 'is cahnteen viz my whiskey
(and Gooverment nevairs pay me for zat viskey); and Texas mahns coom oop, and
soprize zem, and zey foight six hour by my vatch, and my vatch was slow!"

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Ben Franklin Ferris - Introduction
Ben Franklin Ferris - 1838-1846
Ben Franklin Ferris - 1846-1857
Ben Franklin Ferris - The Early Years
Ben Franklin Ferris - Civil War
Ben Franklin Ferris - After the War
Ben Franklin Ferris - Mexican Civil War
Ben Franklin Ferris - On to Montana
Ben Franklin Ferris - Last Words
Ben Franklin Ferris - Epilogue
Battle of Apache Canyon and Pigeon's Ranch
Fort Union National Monument
Bibliography


Preface to These Documents. (Brief)
Family History
Ben Franklin Ferris - Memoir
Edna Clair Ferris - Diary.
Mallory Home Page