In 1883, William Dickinson, a lieutenant at the time of the attack, wrote of his “Reminiscences of Fort Defiance, 1860” for the “Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States, Vol. IV.” documenting his experience at that battle.

Reminiscences of Fort Defiance, NM, 1860

It will be remembered that in those days (and in some cases now) a frontier post was “fort” only in name.

The stout hearts and arms, the good discipline and courage of its garrison, were its only claims to being a fortification. It had a parade, or plaza, usually square, surrounded by quarters, barracks, guard-house, prison, store-houses, and a miscellaneous collection of adobe, or log buildings; had a flag staff in the center, but had no defensive works; and was in fact nothing but a mere military village. Its position was selected not with any view to defense – no attack being ordinarily dreamed – but solely with reference to wood, water, grass, and shelter from the weather, and as a strategic point from which to operate against or to hold Indians in check. It was, but for its sentinels, as open for ingress or egress as any New England village. Such was Fort Defiance on the morning of the 30th of April, 1860. It was nestled amid the mountains, at the foot of Canon Bonita, not far from the boundary line between New Mexico and Arizona, away up in the loneliest corner of the United States, in the ” Navajoe country,” and was important as a base of operations for protecting the settlements in the Rio Grande valley. It was the most remote and isolated post of its day — its loss would have entailed disaster to the people along the Rio Grande.

Captain and Brevet Major O. L. Shepherd, Third Infantry (now Colonel and Brevet Brigadier- General, retired), commanded the post. Assistant Surgeon Joseph H. Bill (now Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel) was Post Surgeon. First Lieutenant William D. Whipple (now Lieutenant-Colonel, Adjutant-General’s Department, and Brevet Major-General) was commanding Company “E.” He was First Lieutenant of Company ” B,” but was in charge of Company ” E ” at the time, from the requirements of service. Second Lieutenant John McL. Hildt (subsequently Captain and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, and since deceased) handled Company “C.” Major Shepherd’s duties necessarily calling him from point to point, the immediate command of his Company (“B”) was exercised by its Second Lieutenant, Wm. Dickinson (now Captain and Brevet Major, retired).

But for his conscientious and thorough attention to his duty that night, and his personal, minute and thoughtful instructions to every man of his guard, our subsequent efforts might have been unavailing. As it was, the enemy was met by such prompt and efficient a resistance by the guard that the garrison had time to turn out and take position. The place was surrounded by hills, and these were alive with Navajoes and Apaches. It has since been pretty conclusively ascertained that over 3,000 of them took a hand in this daring affair.

At 1 A.M. on April 30th, just as the moon had gone down, with the war whoop, they opened fire with rifles. The “long roll” sounded, the sentinels fired, and the garrison sprang to arms, with an unpleasant conviction that the savages probably had a detail at every officer’s door to knock him on the head so soon as he appeared.

As I approached the company quarters, the First Sergeant gravely saluted, while a shower of balls were pattering upon the log building, and remarked pleasantly, “They seem to think they can take us this morning, Lieutenant;” but he had the men ready and waiting to do all in their power to prevent it.

The entire defense was monotonous and purely passive.

Lieutenant Whipple held the position near Canon Bonita with Company “E,” all the large Quartermaster’s corrals and many store-houses being there. He had sent a Sergeant and squad of men to the rear of the line of officers’ quarters, and with the bulk of his company “stood off” Indians enough to have packed his whole force on their backs, had their courage sufficed them to attempt it. The enemy’s fire, while hot, was not very effective, and Whipple stubbornly held them at bay.

Lieutenant Hildt, with Company “C,” held the group of buildings on the La Hoya road, including the sutler’s store, the contents of which were a strong incentive to hard work on Lo’s part for possession. Hildt, however, held his ground nobly, though his small command had a horde of the enemy rush up in their faces many times.

Lieutenant Dickinson had Company ” B ” on the east face, between the line of quarters and the steep rock hills, some 150 feet high. This line of rocks was alive with them, and all night the flashes of their pieces spangled the darkness all along his front. He had extended the company as skirmishers in a very long thin line, and had, by permission of Major Shepherd, who had accompanied him forward to reconnoitre, taken the men nearly to the foot of the hills, and there kept them all through, excepting one charge made which carried the stone house on the hill. The men behaved most admirably, and all seemed to enjoy the excitement.

The Navajoes fled. The whole country round about, when we had charged up the hills, was alive with the baffled savages running for their ponies and thoroughly demoralized. We had no cavalry at the post at the time, so not much pursuit was made, and soon after sunrise recall was sounded. The evening before I had been bitten on my nose by a vicious small dog of Dr. Bill’s, and as “B ” Company rallied on where I was standing, “Paddy Martin,” a little Irish Corporal, and a good soldier, exclaimed, “Och, thin, Liftinant, did yez get scratched in the skrimmage ?”—for my nose was swollen to a ludicrous size.

A funny incident marked the final charge. The commanding officer’s orderlies were furnished from the field musicians, and the orderly for that night was a fifer named Escudaro, a Mexican, many years in the regiment, and phenomenally stupid about every thing but a fife. Being sent with a message to Whipple, he of course, bungled it, and Whipple (much against his will) made a move contrary to his own judgment in obedience to supposed orders. When “B” Company was scrambling up the rocky ledges, driving the long, angry waves of scowling, sullen, red devils before them, and had gained the crest, Escudaro had just returned and reported. Major Shepherd looked across, saw Whipple’s move, comprehended the reason, and in the midst of the smoke, dust, and noise of yelling and firing, the writer saw Shepherd cuffing Escudaro with all his might, and heard him expending some very vigorous and uncomplimentary English. Whipple looked across and had a laugh despite his chagrin, while the whole line of ” B” Company, including myself, went forward to the finish with a hearty laugh at the comical by-play amid the serious work we were at.

Ah! well! Those were jolly days, after all, and many a man, seeing this, will recall the old and long ago abandoned post, kind and genial John Webber, the Sutler, the frolics we enjoyed there out of the world, the “Tub Mill,” the camps of “dug outs” when expeditions were made up, troops arriving and departing, Captain D., of the Rifles, and “G” Company’s coon, and the pranks played on good-natured “Jack Lindsay,” of the Rifles, and Captain (now General and Colonel Second Cavalry) Hatch’s Navajoe protege “Sunday,”—a youth of three feet nothing, absolutely lawless, and whom, if in a mischievous mood, we all dreaded to meet, more than all his male relations in the field; and the final exit of the small ” Sunday ” simultaneously with a new outfit.

Twenty-two years, during which came the Rebellion, have wrought radical changes in the personnel of the dear old Third, but I am assured they are the same “buff sticks” as of yore.

Dick