Kiowa & Comanche Fight the Troops at Fort Union, New Mexico

For three decades, the Santa Fe Trail, a vital artery of commerce and westward expansion, traversed the vast and often unforgiving landscape of the Great Plains. During those formative years, nomadic bands of Kiowa and Comanche Indians held sway over these expansive territories, their presence a constant threat to travelers and traders. Their intimate knowledge of the land, coupled with their equestrian skills and fierce independence, made journeys along the trail a perilous undertaking.

The establishment of Fort Union in the summer of 1851 marked a turning point in the dynamic between the U.S. military and these powerful Plains tribes. Located in present-day New Mexico, the fort was strategically positioned to protect the Santa Fe Trail and assert federal authority in the region. Almost immediately, Colonel Edwin Sumner, recognizing the inherent dangers, ordered Captain James H. Carleton and his company of the 1st Dragoons to initiate regular patrols along the trail, specifically focusing on the stretch between Fort Union and the Arkansas River.

Within a mere two years, a formal escort system was implemented, underscoring the escalating tensions and the perceived need for increased security. While large freight caravans, often composed of seasoned traders who understood the risks and organized their own defenses, sometimes opted to travel without military protection, the stagecoach drivers of the Independence-Santa Fe Mail faced a far more precarious situation. These drivers, responsible for delivering mail and passengers across the treacherous Cimarron Desert in light, vulnerable wagons, were particularly susceptible to Indian attacks. Recognizing this vulnerability, company and postal officials routinely requested assistance from the commanding officer at Fort Union whenever they sensed imminent danger.

The standard escort typically comprised an officer and a contingent of 20 to 40 soldiers. As time progressed, this was later reduced to a sergeant and 15 to 20 men. Their mission was to accompany the stages to the Arkansas River and then return to Fort Union with the next westbound mail delivery. The soldiers, whether infantry or dismounted horsemen, were transported in wagons. This strategy, adopted in 1857 by General John Garland, was born out of necessity. It offered a more robust defensive posture in the event of an attack and addressed the persistent scarcity of grass in the arid Cimarron Desert, which made sustaining a large number of horses difficult.

However, even with these precautions, challenges persisted. The mules tasked with pulling the escort wagons frequently succumbed to exhaustion and mechanical failure. Keeping pace with the swift mail coaches proved to be a constant struggle. While the stage company maintained relay stations with fresh animals along the Mora and Arkansas Rivers, the army mules were burdened with traversing over 600 miles between Fort Union and the Arkansas River, enduring the arduous journey without any respite.

The Kiowa and Comanche warriors, masters of their domain, often tested the limits of these defenses. On December 4, 1859, a stark example of their audacity unfolded when a group of 20 Kiowa warriors launched a swift attack on a mail wagon and its escort near Cold Springs in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Although ultimately driven off, they managed to wound one soldier and effectively pinned down the troops with accurate, long-range rifle fire for several tense hours, highlighting the vulnerability of even armed escorts.

The year 1860 witnessed a surge in depredations, marking a period of heightened conflict along the Santa Fe Trail. From Kansas to New Mexico, traffic along the vital trade route was constantly threatened by Kiowa and Comanche raids. In response to the escalating crisis, Army headquarters in New York issued orders in March 1860, mandating the deployment of three independent military columns into the heart of Kiowa-Comanche territory during the summer months. One column was to originate from Fort Riley, Kansas; another from Fort Kearny, Nebraska; and the third, significantly, from New Mexico. In May 1860, six companies of the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen converged at Fort Union, preparing for a large-scale operation aimed at locating and engaging the hostile tribes. The mission to counter the escalating tensions and protect the Santa Fe Trail was a large undertaking.

Under the initial command of Major Charles F. Ruff, and later Captain Andrew Porter, the Fort Union column embarked on a grueling campaign, marching and countermarching across the plains bordering the Canadian River. The elusive Kiowa and Comanche warriors, adept at utilizing the vast landscape to their advantage, consistently managed to evade direct confrontation. While the command was positioned far to the south, near the Pecos River, intelligence reached them indicating that the Comanche were preparing to launch an attack on Fort Union itself. In response, reinforcements were swiftly dispatched to bolster the fort’s defenses. However, the anticipated assault never materialized. While the troops were engaged in scouting the territory east of the Canadian River, a band of Comanche warriors launched a surprise attack on a temporary supply camp, only to be repelled by the two infantry companies stationed as guards. In July, the Mounted Riflemen stumbled upon a hostile village, but its inhabitants had already detected their approach and fled, leaving the village abandoned. Frustrated by the lack of decisive engagement, the department commander ultimately suspended further operations in October.

The Fort Union column’s five-month-long pursuit of the Plains marauders yielded little in the way of tangible results. The primary outcome of the arduous campaign was a collection of exhausted and debilitated horses, suffering from overwork, malnutrition, and the debilitating effects of a disease known as "black tongue." The officers, frustrated and smarting from the perceived failure of the operation, eagerly awaited another opportunity to confront the Kiowa and Comanche.

That opportunity presented itself in December when Lieutenant Colonel George B. Crittenden, the commanding officer at Fort Union, received intelligence indicating that a war party of Kiowa and Comanche warriors was harassing traffic on the Mountain Branch of the trail, approximately 70 miles north of the fort.

Responding swiftly to the report, Crittenden led a force of 88 men from the Mounted Rifle Regiment north along the trail. However, the elusive Indian war party had already shifted its focus eastward, posing a threat to the Cimarron Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. Undeterred, the troops pressed onward, following the trail relentlessly, night and day. On January 2, 1861, they finally located a village of approximately 175 lodges situated on the Cimarron River, about 10 miles north of Cold Springs, Oklahoma. The soldiers launched a surprise charge on the village, driving the inhabitants from their camp. The Kiowa and Comanche warriors suffered an estimated loss of ten killed and an unknown number wounded. Crittenden’s forces sustained three wounded. Following the engagement, the soldiers systematically destroyed the village and its contents, and returned to Fort Union with 40 captured horses. The Kiowa & Comanche fight that ensued was a major win for the troops.

Colonel Fauntleroy, now serving as the department commander, was elated by the outcome of the engagement. In March, he reported that the Comanche had withdrawn from the territory’s borders. Adding to the perceived success, some of the Comanche chiefs attended a conference with military authorities on the Pecos River, where they pledged to refrain from further hostilities.

With the Comanche seemingly subdued, Fauntleroy turned his attention to the Mescalero Apache, who had terrorized central and southern New Mexico for many years. He dispatched Colonel Crittenden south from Fort Union to conduct operations against these elusive warriors. Although no major battles were fought, Crittenden’s relentless pursuit and pressure forced the Mescalero Apache to sue for peace. By late May, Fauntleroy was able to report that "The Mescaleros have sued for peace, [and] seem disposed to refrain from future hostilities against the settlements."