Early on tlie morning of the 21st Sibley made a demonstration toward thefort, while the main part of his command, having abandoned a number ofwagons at the camp with their contents, proceeded northerly, passing nearthe eastern end of the Mesa de la Contedera, and approaching the riveragain at Valverde. Sibley’s command in this region consisted of about twothousand men.
Colonel Canby’s command consisted of 3810 men, composed of 5 companiesof the 5th, 3 of the 7th, and 3 of the 10th Regular Infantry; 2 companies ofthe 1st and 5 of the 3d Regular Cavalry; McRae’s and Hall’s batteries; andFord’s company of Colorado Volunteers. The New Mexico troops consistedof Kit Carson ’s 1st regiment, 7 companies of the 2d, 7 companies of the 3d,1 of the 4th, 2 of the 5th, Graydon’s Spy Company, and some unorganizedmilitia. As the enemy commenced its movements at about 8 o’clock a. m.,Colonel Benjamin S. Roberts with the regular and volunteer cavalry, twosections of McRae’s (provisional) battery, Hall’s section of 24-pounder how-itzers, Captain David H. Brotherton’s company of the 5th, Captain Charles H.Ingraham’s company of the 7th, and two (Mortimore’s and Hubbell’s) selectedcompanies of volunteers were sent from the fort to intercept them shouldthey attempt to approach the river at Valverde. McRae’s battery was com-posed of men of Company G of the 2d, and Company I ©f the 3d RegularCavalry. Captain Alexander McRae, 3d Cavalry, was in command, with
and the captain with three or four of his mencrossed the river just helow the fort and proceededip the darkness toward the Confederate camp.Graydon’s project was to get the torpedo muleswithin sight of the enemy’s picket-line withoutbeing discovered, when he was to light thefuses, and the mules, being directed toward thepicket-line, would move in the direction of theanimals there. He finally arrived within 150 yardsof the picket-line, and everything being in readi-ness, the fuses of the boxes were fired, and thecaptain and his party commenced their retreat,when to their consternation they found that themules, instead of going toward the enemy, werefollowing themselves; the shells soon began to ex-plode, the Confederate camp was quickly underarms to repel an attack, and Paddy Graydon andhis companions made their way back to Port Craig,where they arrived before morning, with the lossof the two mules.
On another occasion, -when the enemy were ontheir retreat from the territory, Paddy Graydon,with one mau, arrived late at night at the villageof Socorro, when he was informed that there wereseven Confederates in town, quartered in a housenot far away. Paddy, with his army of one soldier,immediately approached the house that containedthe enemy, and commenced giving orders in astentorian voice: “Captain Adams, move yourcompany to the north side of the house, and com-mence firing as soon as you see a man move out ofthe building! Captain Brown, you proceed tothe rear of the house with one platoon of yourcompany, and send your second platoon to thesouth side, and observe the same orders that I
have given Captain Adams!” Then, after muchordering of his own imaginary company, he calledupon the enemy to surrender, which they soonproceeded to do by coming out of the house, with-out their arms, which were secured by the gallantcaptain, and the next day the seven men weredelivered to the commanding officer at Fort Craigas prisoners of war.
Although the captain was in the service severalmonths with his company, the same men andthe same number were mustered out as hadbeen originally mustered in, when in fact, unof-ficially , he had really lost more than a dozenmen in action, and as many more by deser-tion. This was brought about as follows: Whenhis first sergeant reported to him of a morningthat private “Juan Chacon” or “Josd de DiosMontoyn y Armijo ” had deserted during the pre-vious night, no record was made, as the first Mexi-can peon he would chance to see that day wouldbe pounced upon, and the captain would say, inSpanish : “Here, Juan Chacon, get into your place.I have a great mind to shoot you for desertion.”Whereupon the poor peon would probably an-swer : “No, senor; yo soy Jesus Garcia, y no estoysoldado ” (No, sir; I am Jesus Garcia, and I amnot a soldier). “Callo la boca, chevato” (Closeyour mouth, you brute). “Here, sergeant, givethis man a uniform, and give him a horse, as I’llexcuse him this time.” The result would be thatthe new recruit, at the next camp, -would get asuit of clothes better than he had ever dreamed ofpossessing, and a good meal. The men pickedup in this manner often became the best ofsoldiers.— G. H. P.