Apache Campaigns - Fort Huachuca - U.S. Army

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come northward and close in on the hostile camp if the Indians had not left.
Pursuant to orders, Carroll camped on the evening of April 5 at the Malpais Spring—
which flowed water beautifully clear and cool, but dangerously charged with gypsum. As a
result of watering here, nearly all of Carroll’s horses and half his men were deathly ill before
morning. So he hastily broke camp and moved into the mountains. He expected to find a
spring where he had camped the fall before, while on a scout against these same Indians. But
when he reached the locality, not a drop of water was found there.
With much difficulty he moved southward, to reach a canon where he was assured there
was plenty of water and, at about six o’clock, totally exhausted, he entered Memtrillo [Hembrillo]
Canon, where the water was. But in this very canon was Victorio’s camp! Memtrillo Canon
was the object of our entire expedition and the concentrated attack scheduled for the next day.
At first the Indians seemed inclined to retreat, but apparently they soon discovered that
something was wrong with Carroll’s command. So they took a favorable position between
Carroll and the water and a hot fight began—this just before dark. Carroll and several of his
men were wounded—two mortally—in trying to reach the spring. The Indians never let them
get to it. Some daring soldiers did creep down and secure a few canteens of water from the
damp bed of the small stream, but the main portion of the soldiers and all of the horses and
mules got not a drop. They were soon in dire straits from weakness and thirst.
Early the next morning, the Indians took the aggressive and surrounded the command,
shooting into it from every direction and especially covering the water. In the meantime our
command—McLellan’s—had marched from Aleman’s and just at daylight reached the edge of
a steep bluff. From the edge of this, as the mists cleared, we could see a pretty valley,
surrounded by rough peaks with three deep canons converging into it. Our guides said we
were at Memtrillo Canon, the location of Victorio’s camp. As we waited for a little more light
before descending into the valley, we were amazed to hear crashing volleys carrying from far
away in the valley. It was still too hazy to determine the exact location of the shooting or what
it was all about.
Finally, McLellan directed Lieutenants Touey and Gatewood to take the Scouts and twenty
troopers and go cautiously down into the valley. In a few minutes one of the men ran back,
reporting that the Indians had some white men corralled and were firing on them, so our
entire command deployed as skirmishers and rushed into the valley.
We soon communicated with the beleaguered force and much to our surprise found it was
Carroll’s command and that it must get water at once.
We formed for attack and at about nine o’clock drove the Indians back. Now water could
be obtained, if yet under heavy fire from peaks and bluffs overlooking the spring. Gatewood
and others were much puzzled at the large number of hostiles present, as it was well known
that Victorio never at any time had over seventy-five warriors, while here we found at least
two hundred ranged around us. At about ten o’clock McLellan determined on a frontal attack
to clear the spring. Gatewood and his Scouts were directed to go quietly up one of the canons
leading to the south. He was to turn a ridge that covered the spring and from which the
hostiles kept up a hot fire on anyone who showed himself.
Touey and myself were to take charge of all the enlisted men and, when Gatewood had
gained his objective, advance in skirmish formation and capture the bluff. McLellan—the
HUACHUCA ILLUSTRATED