Apache Campaigns - Fort Huachuca - U.S. Army

Roll Call: Dan O’Leary—First Army Civilian at Huachuca
Dan O’Leary was a civilian scout for the U.S. Army and the first civilian employee at
Camp Huachuca. He was said to have spoken the Apache language fluently. He made $100 per
month, while the four packers who worked for the post made $60 per month plus rations. A
blacksmith rounded out the civilian workforce and he was paid $4 per day. For his part in the
Tonto Basin Campaign of 1872-3, O’Leary was recommended, along with other civilian scouts
and interpreters, for award of the Medal of Honor by Department Commander Brig. Gen.
George Crook. The general did not know that the award was for military personnel only.
Author Dan Thrapp, who has done a lot of research on the scouts, says, “He was a dead
shot, a good companion, had an Irish sense of humor and playfulness, and the warm heart that
traditionally dwells in a son of Erin. On various occasions O’Leary was known to have raised
some Indian waif, and to have done it with a kindliness that the youngsters never forgot. Judging
from bits of tales that have come down to us, they ever after looked up to Dan with an open
trustfulness and, quite possibly, admiration.” O’Leary is credited as the man who warned miner
Ed Schieffelin that all he would find around here would be his tombstone, giving that community
its colorful name. 18
In 1877 he wrote a description of the new camp to which he had been assigned with his
Walapais Scouts and it was published in the Prescott Miner.
We left [Camp] Lowell and marched out to the Cienega, ...After passing to the other
side of the Whetstone mountains, we struck the valley of Barbercombi [Babocomari] creek,
and fine grass all along....
I am satisfied that in two or three months from now all danger from hostile Indians will
have ceased. The presence of the military here [at Camp Huachuca] is a guaranty of safety to
those who desire to settle up the country. Lieutenants Hanna and Rucker keep the country
well scouted, and are able and willing to look out for this portion of Arizona, and woe to the
redskin that wanders down in this vicinity, for argus eyes are on the look out for him, and it
would be well for him to arrange his worldly affairs ere he takes to the war-path....
A small party of our Hualpais [Walapais] are out all the time looking for signs of
hostiles, but as yet have found none. This is about the only unpleasant feature for the
Hualpais. There is plenty of game here, and good fishing in the San Pedro; parties go down
there occasionally and supply the whole camp with fish. No danger of any person’s hair
getting stiff here for the want of grease, as there are plenty of bears in the mountains, and not
a few have contributed towards supplying hair-oil and meat for the garrison.... Occasionally
the Hualpais get on the track of some Mexican passing through to Tucson to sell mescal and
A MAGAZINE OF THE FORT HUACHUCA MUSEUM
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