Benjamin Franklin Ferris - Mexican Civil War



     John got some freight in Denver for Salt Lake City and we started for
there late in summer of '65, but some disagreement with John made me leave him
and return to Denver, where I put in the summer and fall. Boarded at Planters
House and roomed with George Low and "Ike" Morris. About the first thing I did
after John left was to join Jake Bales and go to Ft. Lyon to put up hay for
U.S. . Quite a party of us went and took 2 or 3 new mowers and about 20 horses.
We camped 12 miles above Lyon and cut and hauled hay to the fort. Tom Morton
was with us and had a gallon keg of whiskey which was his undoing. All drank
too much one stormy morning, and Tom picked a quarrel with a big brute of a man
and Tom got a terrible beating. I tried to save him, but Jo Brown of Co. B, 1st
Colorado Cavalry, with others, prevented me. It looked like a free for all
fight for a time, but I boasted that I was the best man in camp and would mix
if there was any more fighting, and altho Jo B. disputed some of my assertons,
my bluff had the desired effect.

     I staid in Denver untill February '66, when I went to Ft. Lupton, 30 miles
below (North) on the Platte and preempted a quarter of land joining Jim Hall
and George Tombley.

     A bad case called "Smiles" was a knocker for a gambling hall in Denver, He
got in jale in Denver, and while I was batching, in a log cabin near my claim,
he broke jale and came to me. I never liked him, but he belonged to my Co. in
the army, and was sick and I took him in and fed him two or three days, when a
party called Vigelanters came and took him out and hung him to a big cottonwood
tree just above Ft. Lyon. I staid there untill August '66 when I sold out, and
in company with W. D. Killmore, George Low, H. H. Babcock, John Winches and
another man, started for Old Mexico to join the Liberal forces in oposition to
the Imperials, commanded by or under control of Emperor Maxemillian, an
Austrean.

     We left Denver August 22nd '66, six of us, one two and one four horse team
and we did enjoy the trip. All in our 20's, good horses and wagons, good roads
and beautifull mountain country abounding in game and fish. We had nothing to
do, but enjoy it.

     The Sangre de Christo pass over the Ratone Mts, Taos, Mora, Santa Fe,
Albequerke, Ft. Craig, acrost the Jornadia and finally Elpasso. Here we struck
Mexico proper and began to realize that we were away from home, there our good
American money was at a discount.

     The country was in a turmoil. The president, Benito Juares was at Durango
300 miles away with a small army. He had been at Juares, ready to jump over the
Rio Grande if the allied armies of Mexican Imperialist and French whould crowd
him. The US had intimated to France that it would be an unfriendly act to
establish an empire at our back door, and that it would be advisable to let
Mexico settle her own troubles. Maxemillian had been in Mexico about 10 years
with, from 5,000 to 10,000 French soldiers to back him, and combined with the
church party, they had driven the Liberal or Republican party nearly out of the
country.

     Maxemillian and his party contended that the Catholic church should
"dominate", while the Juares, or Liberal party, held that the two should be
entirely independant of each other. Napoleon had really ordered all French
soldiers to return to France, about the time we joined the Liberal Army, and
they had commenced their evacuation. While in New Mexico, we encountered a
party of six men from New York, bound on the same mission that we were. We
arrived at Chihuahua early in September, and there, in connection with 25 or 30
Americans from Calafornia, we enlisted in the Liberal Mexican Army.

     We picked up a few more Americans, and under Col. Green, the leader of the
Calafornians, we mustered a party of 40, mostly well equipped at our own
expence. I was commissioned a sub lieutenant and was promised a little better
than one dollar per day and a bounty of $1000 when we established Benito Juares
as president. George Low was made Captain and acted s quartermaster for our
party, and I rode with him as interpreter going where we pleased and doing as
we pleased. Our sole duty during march was to look out for feed for our horses,
and be in touch with the command in case of danger.

     Our party was called the Legion of Honor, and we were escort to National
Headquarters. We sold our teams and wagons at Chihuahua, and the Government
allowed us a wagon and four mules, for our baggage, we carried no feed or
provisions, but depended on buying the nessessaries every night.

     After arriving in camp, or comisary train consisted of Mexican women that
flanked the Army during march and picked up beans, poultry, peppers, corn,
etc., and every night many temporary restorants would spring up like magic all
around camp. We were supposed to be paid every night, but it depended on the
condition of the treasury. Sometimes we got full pay and some days nothing, but
generally we got half pay. Our party from Denver had money, so we never went
hungry when provisions were to be bought, but the Mexican soldiers depended
entirely on the few dimes they got each day.

     The endurance of the native women was wonderfull. Walk all day, often
carrying a baby, and visit the ranches and gather food for the Army and at
night build fires and prepare supper for all.

     I wonder if any one will read this jotting, written from memory, so long
after. If they don't, it is not entirely waste of time to write, for it recalls
many happy incidents, also troubles, and reminds one of the way such troubles
were endured or overcome. The question arrises how much of my experience to
record. I know it will not be as interesting as it might be to my own folks,
but even though I am past 72 years of age, and have some physical afflictions,
I may read it years hence and enjoy it.

     President Benito Juares had been driven from the city of Mexico by the
combined forces of the Mexican Imperials and an army of French soldiers under
Maxemillian. Our duty and only object was to reinstate the president and
sustain the liberal party.

     We rowled the dogs over and put the underdog (liberals) on top. The French
were withdrawn and we advanced.

     At Zacatacus, we met the imperials and they drove us out into the sparcely
settled country. About 10,000 of us were compelled to pass the night in the
open and do the best we could for food. Davis, a Mexicanized American, and I
left the command and hunted a ranch away from the army, and we had good fare,
but thousands went hungry.

     Reenforcements arrived the next morning, and we recaptured the fort and
town, but our trunks and baggage was gone. Nothing left but what we had on our
boddies and horses.

     We followed the retreeting imperial army to Queretaro and fenced them up
in the town. No one was allowed to enter or leave the town and after a
protracted siege, they surrendered, this action being hastened by the treachery
of one of their Generals. During this siege, two of my Americans comrads and I
strayed from our command and sought some of good things in the suberbs of the
town and were surrounded by about 100 of the enemy. As most of the army was
clothed in citizen garb, they all looked alike to us and before we discovered
that they were imperials, we were ordered to surrender at the mussel of many
bayoneted guns. At the same time the cry "Viva La Emperador" was raised. Of
course we surrendered, and lost our good rifles and six shooters and nearly
lost our lives. We were ordered FORWARD to the convent Los Crusos and were
followed by perhaps 15 soldiers. At first cross street, which lead to where we
knew our Co. of Americans was skirmishing about two or three blocks away, we
broke and ran. A little Englishman in the lead, me next, and Jo Blake from
California in the rear. The soldiers began firing at us as soon as their
surprise would permit. The Johnny Bull got off whole, my hat was shot off my
head and I got a slight wound on my right hand, but Blake was shot along the
side of his head and fell. The shooting attracted our boys attention and they
soon silenced our persuers.

     It was a desperate run and perhaps should not have been attempted, but it
was generally understood that all foreigners caught in arms in either army
would be stood up against an adoba wall and shot. We had witnessed such
executions, and did not fancy it. To be killed while trying to escape was
preferable. At the surrender, Blake came back, not much the worse for his
wound, but looking poor and pale from his 40 days in a Mexican Jale, on verry
short rations.

     Among the prisoners we captured here was Emperor Maxemillian. We passed on
to the Capitol and laid seige to that, and, as I remember it, we got possession
about July 21, 1867. Thus ended the Empire of Mexico.

     President Juares soon arrived and his reenaugeration was a great day. Us
Americans took and independent part. Our wardrobes had been verry much
improved, our horses had recovered their flesh and we put on stile. "Como los
Americannos"

     We were quartered in a convent in the center of the city called Convent
San Francisco. The Mexican government claimed a derth of means and asked us to
except 33 1/3 of amount due and we did so.

     Loafing was a dry pastime and some of us worked at building stations for R
R Co and other work getting from $2 to $3 per day while the natives worked for
from $.25 to $.50. I fell through the roof of a flat topped R R station while
roofing it , struck my side on a sleeper. The next train took me to the city
and I staid on my simple hard bed six days well cared for my my comrads and
Chola. The R R Co. wanted Americans to act as trainmen and W. D. Kilmore and H.
H. Babcock agreed to run the two American engines that hauled the two passenger
trains to and from Apesaco (Apizaco) 80 miles from the city, since extended to
Vera Cruz. In March '68, I, with three others, left via Vera Cruz and New
Orleans for Texas. I intended to buy cattle and go into stock raising in
central Texas, but the rebel scentiment was so strong that I weakened and after
buying and selling cotton for about 60 days, John Wenches and I bought a horse
and wagon and drove from Cotton Gin to Dallas. We got board with a Mr. Boles, a
farmer just out of this pretty town, where we came near passing in our checks.

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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