The Indian Wars

The Indian Wars. . The story of Fort Craig between 1854 and 1884 is in large part a story of wars between the U.S. army and the native Indian peoples of the region. Here, a succession of U.S. army post commanders mobilized and deployed army and civilian militia forces throughout New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, primarily to protect settlements and travelers from raids by Mescalero, Mimbres, Mogollon, Warm Springs and Copper Mine Apaches, and Navajo groups. They also helped settlers open agricultural, mineral, and grazing lands to economic development. The army focused on the Rio Grande Valley, and the areas from the southern Jornada del Muerto to the north of Albuquerque, westward to the headwaters of the Gila, and eastward to the Pecos River., History tells us that, as in many wars, both sides committed horrible atrocities, including murder, plunder, imprisonment, and enslavement. As for the Union army, for nearly 30 years they relentlessly tracked (sometimes aided by Indian scouts), captured, and punished individual raiding parties. Ultimately, they burned crops and villages and confiscated stock, and essentially succeeded in bringing about the full-scale surrender of Indian homelands., Captions , Apache Scouts employed by the United States Army , National Archives and Records Administration