Benjamin Franklin Ferris - After the War



     Passed through Santa Fe again and over our battle grounds and on to Union.
Reports came that the Indians had run off a big lot of sheep from a ranch south
of Union, and a young Lieutenant was ordered to take about 30 men and go and
investigate. My comrads and I were included in this detail, with supplies
packed on mules that were led and on our saddle horses.

     Perhaps we traveled 300 miles through the small mountains and beautifull
hills of NE New Mexico. On the small mountain streams we found some houses and
gardens, but no people, they having fled at our approach, not knowing our
object. Not a pig or sheep, cow, horse, or even a burro remained to welcome or
resist us.

     At one place we found a good indian bow and some arrows which our Lieut.
in command appropreated. At another cabin, we found some chickens which we
caught. We cooked them and thus varied our bill of fare.

     Our verdant commander saved a pretty red rooster for his own amusement. He
tied him up to the limb of a tree with his head down and practiced on him with
the Indian bow and arrows untill he was dead, a brutish amusement. On the plain
south of the hills, near the boarder of the Texas Panhandle, we found a
beautiful spring and a cow and her one year old calf running wild. We were well
outside of settlements so appropreated both after a verry hard chase. We jerked
and dried the beef, remained two days at this spring. We found no sheep or
sheep thieves, but plenty of sheep trails, so many trails, in fact, we could
not or did not follow any. From this spring we started north on our return. On
all this march I do not remember of seeing a man, woman, or child after leaving
settlements near Union.

     Soon after starting north, we entered a beautifull low rambling hills, and
about 10 o"clock, the second day, we found horse tracks and saw 5 or 6 men
sitting on the side of a hill in our front. We rode up to them and was much
supprised to find, just around the bend of the hill, 75 or more men armed with
all kinds of out-of-date arms. It was an ambush, verry simple, but compleat.
They were Mexicans and Indians and no doubt half breeds of both. They
outnumbered us possibly 3 to 1, were prepared for action and we were quite
unprepared, but they made no hostile demonstrations, and after talking with
them for about an hour, we started again for Union where we arrived the next
night.

     I have often wondered what good we did on this trip, and what would have
been the outcome if those natives had of attact us.

     I forgot to state in the proceeding pages that while at Ft. Craig, our Co
was detailed to escort some Texas prisoners out of the country and we went down
the Rio Grande nearby to Alpasso Texas with them and turned them loos.

     We went to New Mexico to protect the country and to frustrate the
arrangements of our enemies which they had been years in forming, verry
effectively. We did both with the help of a few Regulars and native troops.

     In November of '62, we were ordered back to Colorado. Our services were
apreciated by the people of New Mexico and Colorado, and no doubt the Mormons
of Utah felt relieved when they heard that the Texas Rebels had been driven
off, but I never have seen a historical account of our services that did us
justice. On our return to Colorado, we met a snowstorm at the foot of the
Ratone Mt., as we were about to assend the south side. It developed into a
mountain blizard and we had a hard time to get over.

     About 4 pm, we camped at the mouth of a canion north of the divide and all
except for a guard for the wagons struck down the northern slope for Trinedad,
which we reached about dark, wet, cold, tired, hungry and thirsty, not having
tasted food or water since breakfast. I met a comrad with a canteen full as I
rode into the town and then and there, before I dismounted, I took the biggest
and best drink of whiskey I ever took, before or since. We found food and
lodging plenty, and by the time the wagons got in the next day, we felt better.

     Whiskey was plenty, the boys had money, and Trinidad knew some one was
there. I was in a kind of hotell playing cards about 11 AM when a scared man
rushed in and cried "Ben! For God sake come here. Johnny Cook has shot a man
dead."


     When I got into the street, I found Johnny in a wild rage, swinging his
bit six shooter and swareing "No G** D*** Mexican could run over him." I said
"What have you done Johnny?" "By G** Ben, I have shot a man!" he said. I
reached for his pistol and he handed it to me and we started for Co
headquarters, he accompanying me under protest.

     The next day he was handcuffed and sent to Ft. Lyon. About this time our
whole regament camped on the Arkansas River 50 miles below Pueblo, Colorado,
and all were mounted. While in this camp, a snow storm made it extreemly
unpleasant and unhealthy for us as we had no sign of tent or shelter. I was the
stoutest of the stout, and the hartiest of the harty, but I took sick here and
altho John, with the help of other friends, built a little shelter for me and
did all they could do for me, it was verry unpleasant.

     We soon moved to the beautiful Colorado City and spent the winter. Altho
the winter was severe and much snow fell, we enjoyed ourselves as well there as
any place.

     Johnny Cook deserves to be mentioned because he was peculiar. He joined
with the first, a smooth faced round cheeked boy of about 20, lively, bright
and pleasant, with good looks and winning ways. He made friends, fast with the
boys, and faster with the fair sex. I tried to look after him and he seemed to
expect me to do so, and when he was sober it was no trouble. He was reported to
have killed a Mexican in a dance row, while we were at Ft. Union, but nothing
was done about it.

     At Trinadad, they found it difficult to provide for 120 men in addition to
their regular customers, and Johnny was one who did not get attended to as soon
as he thought he should, and he used some abusive language to the host. The
host retaliated in such a way to cause Johnny to draw his six shooter and fire.
The 1st shot went through the lobe of the man's ear, but the next hit him in
the nostril and was fatal. Johnny's name was George H. Cook.

     We acted as escort for trains, overland mails, etc, for most of the time
from April '63 to November '64, when we were mustered out at Denver, Colorado.

     I spent the winter in Denver working for a livery party part of the time.
Made a trip to a ranch on the Fountain River, SW from Pueblo, about 175 miles
from Denver, in the midst of winter, with a wagon load of quartermaster stores.

     Camped the first night 5 miles out of Denver on the Platte and the next
day started for a ranch about 30 miles distant on the road to Colorado City.
Snow commenced falling around noon and at dark, I found myself six miles from
my stopping place, the snow 1 foot deep and increasing faster than it can
increase in any other place, mules verry tired and the road so full of snow,
they could not follow it. I was familiar with the road so walked ahead of my
team and they faithfully followed me to the ranch where I arrived wet, tired
and hungry about 10 o'clock at night.

     Not much of an experience, but after snow covered the ground there was no
track, only landmarks to go by, it was a Rocky mountain snow storm in the
night, there was only one shelter in 50 or 60 miles. If by an axident or from
any cause, I had missed that shelter, possibly these memories would end here.

     I proceeded to the ranch on the Purgatoire River, delivered freight and
returned to Colorado City, the great health resort, and staid a night or two
there, thence back to Denver.

     I worked for Jewett and Co., liverymen, at $60 per month, buying feed for
their barn. Finally in winter of '64 and '65, John and I went to the Missouri
River with mule team for freight. All down the Platte River we found signs of
Indian depredations. Ranches had been raided and the settlers either run off or
were killed.

     The stage station at Julesburg had been sacked good, distroyed and altho
there was a fort there, and a small garrison of soldiers, the redskins had
killed several citizens, robbed the store, and got away with little or no loss
to themselves. The streets (or wagon road) were white with flour that the reds
had emptied from floursacks, that they might carry away the sacks.

     It was not deemed safe for our party of ten to proceed alone, we joined a
government wagon train and proceeded down the river with an excort of soldiers.

     We arrived at Atchison, Kansas late in February and put our mules on good
feed while looking for a load for Denver or some other western point.

     Word came that our father, who was about 80 years old, was verry sick at
Galesburg, Ills., and John left at once for home. I staid a few days with the
teams and then followed him, but father died before I saw him.

     We soon returned and loaded with freight for Denver at 23 cents per pound
and started with it about March 25.

     That was a hard trip. Indians had scared what settlers they had not killed
out of the country. We encountered snow storms that were terrible, lost two of
our mules, feed was scarce, having been distroyed by the indians.

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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