Part 1

REPORT

TO

HON. A. V. BROWN, POSTMASTER GENERAL,

ON THE

OPENING AND PRESENT CONDITION

OF THE

UNITED STATES OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, AND SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA,

BY

I. C. WOOD, SUPERINTENDENT.

WASHINGTON CITY, D. C., _March --, 1858_.

SIR: In compliance with your request, I beg leave to submit the following report, showing the present condition of the mail stage line running semi-monthly between San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California, containing also extracts from the journal of my trip over the line and back.

I have here grouped together observations, made from time to time, along the road, of the soil, climate, distances, deserts, mountains, supplies of wood, water, and grass, arable land, pasturage, and general character of the road we stage over. I have endeavored to avoid inserting anything except what I learned from the experiences of my trip; but the statements of the distances and altitudes are from government surveys, as I had neither time to measure the road nor to ascertain its altitudes.

_Extracts from my journal._

_June 12, 1857._--The late James E. Birch entered into a contract with your department for the transmission of a semi-monthly mail to and from San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California. I had been laboring in connexion with Mr. Birch during the period in which the great overland mail letting was pending, and, in compliance with the understanding between us, I took charge of the execution of this contract.

_June 15._--To-day I despatched a man from New York, with instructions to proceed at once to San Antonio, Texas, and there to purchase a suitable outfit with which to take the first mail, namely, that of July 9th, through to San Diego. That he might be able to transport the mail through in proper shape, and in schedule time if possible, I wrote a full authority for him to act in any emergency which might arise on the road, and also gave him the cash necessary to carry out these instructions. Never having travelled the road, I was of course unable to give specific directions to the first conductor, but depended, in a great degree, on his discretion.

_June 20._--By the mail steamer to California to-day I forwarded full instructions to Mr. R. E. Doyle, of San Francisco, accompanied by an authority from Mr. Birch to him, in virtue of which he was to take the management of that portion of the mail line running west of Tucson. I instructed Mr. Doyle to start the first mail, if possible, on the 24th of July, from San Diego.

[I subsequently learned, and insert the facts here to make my report more connected, that these instructions reached Mr. Doyle on the 13th of July; the steamer for San Diego would sail on the 18th, thus leaving him only five days for making his preparations. Mr. Doyle agreed to take an interest, and to advance the money needed to commence service on the Pacific end of the line. The purchase and shipment of the necessary saddles, bridles, blankets, rations, arms, &c., as well as the selection of the first conductors and guard, was a work requiring more than five days. The first outfit, all but the animals, was shipped to San Diego on the 18th; the steamer arrived there on her usual time, namely, July 21st, leaving three days only in which to purchase the required animals. The difficulty in finding suitable mules proved greater than was anticipated, and the outfit, though nearly complete, could not be made ready to leave at 6 a. m. of the 24th, according to contract. The first mail for San Antonio left San Diego on the 9th of August; relays of animals having previously been sent forward to Fort Yuma.]

_June 23._--From the 12th, the date of the signing of the contract, up to this date, I had been engaged in the necessary preliminary preparations for my journey to San Diego; also in making such purchases as I deemed indispensably necessary to be made in New York. My purchases in New York were limited, in comparison with the requirements of the line. I hardly knew myself what I wanted; therefore I determined to make the bulk of my purchases in San Antonio, where I hoped to get some reliable information as to my new duties.

To-day Mr. Birch gave me my authority to act for him, which authority was made out in the form of a common letter, addressed by him to me, instead of a power of attorney. His purpose was to convey to me the most unlimited powers. I enclose a copy of this document.

NEW YORK, _June 23, 1857_.

DEAR SIR: I have taken a contract with the Postmaster General to carry the United States mail between San Diego and San Antonio twice a month for four years, a copy of which contract you have been furnished with. I wish you to take charge, for me, of the fulfilment of this contract, and of any additions that may be made to it, as my general agent for the purpose. After making all preliminary arrangements which you deem proper, I desire you to proceed to the line of the route, put it into operation, and perform the service. You are authorized by me to make all the contracts, and do all things you may deem necessary or proper for the purpose, having the same authority in the premises that I would myself if present. To carry out the above, I hand you certificates of deposit--

Ten of $1,000 each $10,000 00 Forty of $200 each 8,000 00 Cash 800 00 Advanced James Mason 1,200 00 ---------- 20,000 00 ==========

To be distributed on my account.

JAMES E. BIRCH.

Mr. I. C. WOODS.

_June 24._--I left this morning for San Antonio, _via_ Chicago, Cairo, and New Orleans. The only assistant I took with me was a young gentleman of liberal education, who was acquainted with English, French, and Spanish, as well as the German, his native language. I have since found that it is an indispensible requisite to the economical management of our line that all mail conductors and agents should speak the Spanish language; we make a point of this now in selecting men for our service.

_July 5._--Having been detained on the way by business and railroad accidents, I only reached New Orleans the night before last, missing the mail connexion to Indianola. To-day I received a telegraphic communication from Mr. Birch, informing me that he would leave New York that day per steamer for California. It had been agreed between us that we were to meet in San Diego as soon as I could reach there.

[In the course of my journal I shall refer again to this appointment, though I deem it proper to mention here that I never saw Mr. Birch after we parted on the 23d June. He was lost in the Central America September 11th, three days after I reached the Pacific.]

_July 7._--We were due in Indianola this morning at daylight, but unfortunately grounded in a fog on a sand bar at the entrance of the bay, which lost us the connexion with the coach for San Antonio. This delay prevented my attending in person to despatching the mail of the 9th from San Antonio, as I had much desired to do.

_July 11._--Reached San Antonio to-day at 4 p. m.

_July 13, Monday._--As my letter of authority will show, Mr. Birch gave me eighteen thousand eight hundred dollars in hand. After deducting the cost of some purchases of arms and clothing made in New York, I have, on reaching San Antonio, about seventeen thousand seven hundred dollars. With this money I commenced operations at once. To-day I hired a corral and office, also commenced making arrangements for men, in all of which I was very kindly assisted by Mr. G. H. Giddings.

_July 16._--Busily engaged in purchasing mules and the necessary articles to fit out the mail trains. To-day I hired Captain Henry Skillman as a conductor to take the mail of the 24th through to the Pimos villages, with which country he is very familiar. After this first trip through he is to run regularly on the Arizona section. Captain Skillman is, I believe, well known to your department as the first contractor for the mail between San Antonio and Santa Fé.

_July 19._--To-day I despatch an extra train with stores for the road, and under instructions to go as far as Fort Lancaster, three hundred miles from here, and then to return. By this train I sent relays to be used by the up mail of the 24th, which is to be under charge of Captain Skillman. Nine mules were to be left at Fort Clarke, and eighteen at Fort Lancaster.

[This train was attacked and captured on Devil’s river by the Indians. I have referred to it more particularly in the course of my journal.]

_July 22._--Mr. Giddings’ mail in from El Paso; they met our mail of July 9 getting along safely, though slowly.

_July 24._--Punctual to the hour named in the contract, 6 a. m., I this morning despatched the mail coach from the Plaza with the through mail to San Diego. The postmaster made up mails also for all the intermediate military posts on our route, although supplying them was not at first contemplated in the contract. Desiring to manifest, from the first, a spirit of accommodation to all parties, we were happy to take charge of anything the postmaster chose to send. This mail was the second _through mail_ which had left San Antonio, being at the same time the first that had been sent forward in a coach. This outfit consisted of--

One coach and harness.

Six men, well armed with rifles, and a Colt’s pistol to each.

Four saddles and accoutrements.

Ropes, hopples, shoeing tools, shoes and nails.

Cooking utensils, and numerous minor articles.

Provisions for thirty days, calculated to last to the Pimos villages and back to El Paso.

Thirty-six mules; of these, twenty-seven had been sent forward on the road as relays.

Also six hundred dollars in cash to purchase supplies on the route.

[It was twenty-one of these mules which were captured on Devil’s river by the Indians; see journal of June 19 and August 2.]

[To insure this mail getting through in schedule time, if possible, I gave Capt. Skillman authority to act for the line in any emergencies which might arise. The reputation which he enjoyed in San Antonio fully warranted me in entrusting this pioneer coach to him, and I subsequently found him every way qualified for the service he had undertaken, as some interesting incidents connected with his trip will prove hereafter.]

[I will here add a brief sketch of the manner in which I had planned to send the mail through to San Diego. In my instructions of June 20 to Mr. R. E. Doyle, I had requested him to make all his arrangements to send the mails from San Diego as far east as the Pimos villages. In my plan of operation, taking San Antonio as the starting point, I would work westwardly, while with his plan of operation, with San Diego as the basis, he would work eastwardly, I proposed to make the connexions between the two systems at the Pimos villages. I calculated that Captain Skillman would reach these Pimos villages about the 17th of August, (he reached there August 20;) furthermore, that he could meet there the mail of August 9 from San Diego, and then he would return to El Paso in time to make the through connexion there with the mail train from San Antonio, which train I undertook to have in waiting. Owing to circumstances entirely beyond my control, and likely to arise only in a pioneer trip, the mail from San Diego failed to make the connexion at the Pimos villages by thirty-six hours. It was a part of the plan that Captain Skillman should purchase a complete new outfit of mules at El Paso, which he was unable to do.

At Cook’s Wells he overtook the mail of July 9 from San Antonio, waiting for an escort. The two trains proceeded together under charge of Captain Skillman as far as the Pimos villages, at which point the conductor of the mail of July 9 pushed on to San Diego with both mails, reaching his destination at 11 a. m. August 30. I have found no reason, as yet, to alter the system of mail connexion referred to in this note, though the place where we now join the eastern and western management is at Tucson, Arizona Territory. One hundred miles west of the Pimos villages each carrier now delivers the mails, and retraces the road with the return mail.]

_July 29._--Since my arrival in San Antonio, I had made every possible exertion to procure mules adapted to the purpose of staging. I drove about the country myself, and sent agents to purchase wherever we heard of any good mules for sale. As yet, the right kind come in slowly.

[There was another view which I took of my position as superintendent of the line, and one which governed me throughout in all my exertions. It was this:

An understanding existed between Mr. Birch and myself, that your department desired to have the new mail service commence at once, and to have it pushed, if possible, to an early and vigorous success. It had been from the first determined to spare neither money nor labor, if either, or both combined, could by any possibility produce the desired result. I had determined to go myself over the road and back again, in as short a period of time as was consistent with the proper discharge of my duties as superintendent. I had planned to leave San Antonio on the 1st of August for El Paso, with a train consisting of coaches, mules, rations, arms, men and general equipment, to be placed on that portion of our road situated in Arizona Territory, between El Paso and the Pimos villages.

I had further planned to reach El Paso in season to purchase the necessary mules with which to carry forward, in person, the mail for San Diego of 9th August. This mail I estimated would overtake me on the 21st or 22d at the last named place.]

_July 29._--After examining the subject thoroughly for several days past, I saw but one way in which to bring about the results I had in view within the time required. This was to purchase or hire the entire stock of mules and coaches used on the San Antonio and Santa Fé line, owned and run by G. H. Giddings, of San Antonio. Mr. Giddings had treated me with every possible consideration, and during the time I had been in San Antonio had rendered me as much assistance as though he had had a personal interest in the success of the enterprise. On the 26th I opened to him the matter of this purchase which I desired to make, and to-day made a conditional purchase of all the mules, coaches, and other property used on his mail route. The bringing of this property under my superintendence, in conjunction with the stock I had already purchased, would enable me to perform our mail service of twice a month, and also Mr. Giddings’ contract of once a month, with less stock than if the two lines had been run separately.

One of the most advantageous features of this arrangement with Mr. Giddings was his agreement to go to El Paso with the mail of August 9, there to remain as agent of this line during my necessary absence in California.

_July 31._--This morning I despatched the train of coaches, men, and supplies, referred to July 29. I shall take this train with me, and distribute it along the road wherever it is needed, principally to the west of El Paso.

This train, the fourth that had gone from San Antonio, and the third one I had sent off, consisted of three coaches and harness; seventeen men well armed with rifles, and a Colt’s pistol to each; thirty-eight mules; about four thousand pounds weight of rations, and equipments for the upper end of the line; ten saddles and accoutrements; also all the smaller articles usually sent forward in one of our mail trains.

_August 1._--Up to this date my personal luggage had not reached me from the coast, partly owing to my haste in leaving San Antonio, and partly to its not having been sent forward from Lavacca as speedily as it might have been after I had left it. Up to this date I have only seen my baggage once since leaving it at Lavacca the 9th of last July. It met me at El Paso, where I was compelled to leave it for want of room in my coach. To-day I left in the Santa Fé mail coach to overtake the train I sent out yesterday. We would travel together for several hundred miles.

Before I left San Antonio I completed the outfit for the up mail of August 9, in which mail Mr. Giddings was to come to El Paso, and the arrival of which I was to await there before proceeding westward on my journey.

The conductor of our train was compelled to remain all night in Castroville. This detention was in consequence of the herder having got intoxicated, and permitted six of our mules to stray. It was not prudent to go on and leave them behind in this condition, so we remained, in the hope of finding them in the morning by daylight.

Castroville is a very pretty town picturesquely situated on the west bank of the Medina river.

We found our road thus far to be an excellent one, though dusty at this time. The country through which we passed was parched and the grass dry, yielding but little nutriment to animals. It must be taken into consideration that southwestern Texas has had a partial drought for three successive seasons; this last year was the worst of all. Corn in San Antonio, and in the surrounding country, is now brought from New Orleans and from Mexico. We pay two dollars per bushel for all we consume. In seasons of good crops corn sells in and about San Antonio at fifty cents per bushel. Made 25 miles to-day.

[When I came back over this road in January the whole country was full of water; the river was barely passable, the roads were muddy and tedious all the way from Fort Clarke to San Antonio, and the prospects of a crop were excellent.]

_August 2._--Left Castroville at 4 a. m.; an hour afterwards we found five of our six missing mules grazing quietly by the road side unguarded. I thought at the time that this losing of mules was very strange, but I have since found it quite a feature in our business, and one that it is impossible to prevent. Animals are left behind because the mail cannot be detained waiting for broken down mules to recruit, or to find strayed stock. About 8 a. m. I met Captain Wallace, whom I had despatched from San Antonio on the 19th in charge of the train with relays for Captain Skillman. (See journal of that day and July 24.) All that now returned of a fine outfit was the conductor and one man on borrowed mules. A drizzling rain was falling, the two discomfitted mail men were wrapped in sombre looking blankets. One of them had his arm in a sling from a wound received in the fight, and indeed their whole appearance was well calculated to give their narrative of the loss a gloomy coloring to any one not familiar with Indian depredations.

The particulars of this disaster, as I gathered them from the two men, were as follows: The train was getting along finely on its way to Fort Lancaster, being at the time of the attack eighteen miles north of _Fort Hudson_. The Indians appeared suddenly on all sides of them from the chapparal, and commenced firing at the mules in the coach, the loose mules being a few hundred yards ahead. The frightened animals ran into a mezguer, turned short round, and broke the pole. As this accident prevented his keeping up with the _mulada_ ahead, the conductor, who was driving at the time, jumped from the box, called to a young man by the name of Clifford to follow him, and went to the assistance of the men driving the herd. Clifford was either surrounded by Indians, or wounded so that he was unable to get away from the coach, and died fighting hand to hand with the Indians. The conductor got the _mulada_ turned off from the road for the purpose of making a detour to escape his pursuers; but the chase was so hot, and one saddle mule having to be double mounted, they were compelled to betake themselves to running and leave the mules and property to their fate.

We lost coach and harness, twenty-one mules, provision and equipment, one hundred dollars in money, and one box of personal property valued at some hundreds of dollars, belonging to a sergeant’s wife at Fort Lancaster.

The Indians were supposed to be Camanches.

At Fort Hudson the conductor found a scouting party, of the second cavalry, from Fort Clarke. They had been on the Rio Grande, examining well known Indian trails which lead into Mexico. Captain Whiting, the officer in command of this scouting party, immediately started on the trail of the Indians who had captured our train. A party of infantry was kindly sent out by Lieutenant Fink, commanding at Fort Hudson, for the purpose of burying young Clifford and of bringing in the broken coach, if worth preservation.

Captain Whiting overtook the Indians and recaptured nearly all our mules, though many of them we found were ruined for stage purposes.

The accident was rather a disagreeable one to come upon us, in the outset of our enterprise. It seemed to place a number of great obstacles in my way. I hardly knew how to prevent its being repeated, or whether such attacks were to be of common occurrence. I knew not where to look for mules to replace those stolen, as good stage animals were not plenty in or about San Antonio. That which seemed another risk presented itself in the fact that Captain Skillman was only a few days behind Wallace’s train; this naturally suggested the thought that perhaps the Indians would remain concealed among the cañons of Devil’s river until he came along, and cut him off. On the other hand there seemed a chance that they would let a mail party like his pass unmolested, preferring to try us because we had a large _mulada_, and presented a temptation worth fighting for. However, I consoled myself with this fact that I had left a good outfit in San Antonio for the mail of August 9, and that furthermore I had then with me a strong party of men, sufficient, in my opinion, to guard the relays and property under my charge. I had time to consider as to my course before passing Fort Clarke. Commending my discomfited conductor to a surgeon at once, and promising to send such instructions from Fort Clarke as were rendered necessary by his loss, we went on our way.

Our route to-day has been over an excellent road passing through a country adapted to grazing, or capable of being cultivated to advantage, in seasons when rain enough falls to insure a crop. We camped at midnight five miles this side of “Uvalde.” Made a distance of 58 miles to-day.