Navajo War
The Navajo War, occurring from 1863 to 1866, was a significant conflict between the Navajo people and the United States Army, primarily fueled by disputes over grazing lands near Fort Defiance. These lands held cultural importance for the Navajos, who had used them for generations for livestock grazing and medicinal herb collection. Tensions escalated after U.S. soldiers shot Navajo-owned horses, prompting retaliatory raids by the Navajos on army herds. The conflict intensified with various skirmishes and military assaults, including a notable attack on Fort Defiance led by Navajo chief Manuelito.
In response, Colonel Kit Carson led a campaign characterized by scorched-earth tactics, which sought to undermine Navajo resources and support. The military's strategy included encouraging other tribes to attack the Navajos, leading to widespread devastation. By the war's end, many Navajo were forced to surrender or were relocated to Bosque Redondo, enduring a harrowing three-hundred-mile march known as the Long Walk, resulting in significant loss of life. The war concluded in 1866 with the surrender of Manuelito and other leaders, marking a critical moment in the history of the Navajo Nation and its struggle against external pressures.
Navajo War
Disputed grazing lands near Fort Defiance were a major factor leading to the 1863–1866 Navajo War. The site was favored for rendezvous by Navajo medicine men who collected herbs there. For generations, these lands were also used as pasture for Navajo livestock. Shortly after the establishment of Fort Defiance on September 18, 1851, soldiers who wanted to pasture their horses on these lands shot the Navajo-owned horses. Revenge was swift: Navajos raided army herds to replace their losses.
Through the decade, the raids continued and the army retaliated until, in 1859, army troops attacked and destroyed the home, crops, and livestock of the Navajo clan leader, Manuelito. In 1860, Manuelito—aided by leaders of other clans—assaulted Fort Defiance and nearly captured it, but was driven back. The army pursued the attackers into the Chuska mountains but was demoralized by the hit-and-run tactics of the Navajos. In January of 1861, the Navajos met with army representatives and agreed to work for peace. The uneasy truce was broken when, in September of 1861, a riot broke out over a horse race. Artillery was used to quell the disturbance, killing ten Navajos.
Raids for plunder and revenge increased, and the army responded. On September 6, 1863, Colonel Christopher “Kit” Carson was chosen to lead a campaign of “pacification.” In the following months, Carson’s scorched-earth offensive burned Navajo corn fields, orchards, and hogans; livestock was confiscated and destroyed. Tribes unfriendly to the Navajos were encouraged to attack and harass them. Navajo tribe members surrendered or were rounded up and relocated to Bosque Redondo (Round Forest) in the barren plains of eastern New Mexico. Some clan leaders and their followers held out as long as possible, but by the end of 1864 about eight thousand half-starving Navajos surrendered and were marched to Bosque Redondo. Some two hundred people died on the grueling three-hundred-mile march known as the Long Walk. Manuelito and twenty-six followers surrendered in September of 1866. When another clan leader, Barboncito, surrendered in November of 1866 with twenty-one followers, the Navajo War of 1863–1866 was over.
Bibliography
Denetdale, Jennifer. The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile. New York: Chelsea, 2008. Print.
Harjo, Suzan Shown, ed. Nation to Nation: Treaties between the United States and American Indian Nations. Washington, DC: Smithsonian, 2014. Print.
Morales, Laurel. "Legacy of Forced March Still Haunts Navajo Nation." Morning Edition. NPR, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Remley, David A. Kit Carson: The Life of an American Border Man. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2011. Print.
Sumrak, Dennis. "Navajos Will Never Forget the 1864 Scorched-Earth Campaign." Wild West Oct. 2012: 22–23. Print.