The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963 Page: 550
641 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
frighten me, who was but a lad, but it was not more than two weeks
afterwards ere I realized the truth of the cruel butchery of men too
weak to travel fast enough.
Immediately to the north of Pecos, and within a few miles, rose a
lofty mountain whose summit was now covered with snow. On the
other side of this mountain at its base, we learned was Santa Fe, a
town toward which we had traveled for months, but which we were
not destined to see. We prisoners were stripped of our coats, we had
on only pants and shirts, Armijo robbed us of our woolen blankets, and
in place gave us a poor half wool half cotton Mexican blanket. Now
if the reader remembers that our journey commenced after the middle
of October, that Santa Fe is about 361/ north latitude and in a high
altitude, any one can imagine how with our scant outfit we suffered
from cold. And as if to increase our sufferings, a cold, biting wind
sprang up at dusk, fresh from the snow clad mountain, and it soon
became bitter cold. We huddled together, like pigs in a sty, to
ameliorate our sufferings.
Early next morning we were ordered to continue our march.
Salezar distributed some light bread among us, but not enough by
half to supply each man; I was fortunate enough to get some, many
had nothing to eat. A rough and rocky country intervened between
Pecos and the valley of the Rio Grande, but as the sun rose higher it
warmed us up. Our course was now nearly south. The road forks near
Pecos, the right hand branch leading directly towards Santa Fe, which
a Mexican told me was 7 leagues-21 miles-north of us, while the
left-hand road, which we now took, is the regular thoroughfare to
Albuquerque, and other towns on the Rio Grande.
After a march of thirty miles, during which the men suffered
incredibly from hunger, thirst and lameness, night overtook us at
a small rancho of a man named Pecos. Many of our men bled at their
feet, for their only pairs of shoes which they started with were in
many instances nearly worn out.
We were driven one by one into a yard and there encamped for
the night. Salezar, after satisfying himself that none of us were miss-
ing, distributed to each man a pint of seconds of flour and no salt with
it. He let us have a few tin pans which he had taken from our camps
and gave us some iron spoons; a mess of six or eight would use a pan,
and out of their ration make a gruel, when eaten up, the pans were
passed to another mess to repeat the procedure, for he only supplied
us with fifteen pans for 150 menl This brute; Captain Salezar, was
even more cruel than his master, Governor Armijo, for the latter
turned over to the Captain the work oxen we had left to feed us on,
on our journey, but Salezar fed us only twice on our route to El Paso
on an ox, the balance he sold and pocketed the money.550
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 66, July 1962 - April, 1963, periodical, 1963; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101196/m1/590/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.