Apache!

Fort Craig, where Captain Walker's party camped, was the last military post on the river below Albuquerque. After a  gift of a whiskey party, Walker was ready to get serious.  They were entering dangerous Indian territory, so from now on campfires in the middle of the camp with the men's beds in a circle around it was the rule.  Saddles nearby to provide cover and horses would graze beyond the men and on the perimeter armed guards would patrol in shifts throughout the night.

Three days out from Fort Craig it happened.  Around midnight a group of Apache slipped through the guards, attempted to stampede the livestock - but it failed. The Apache escaped unseen but Walker gave the guards a piece of his mind and went back to bed.  In the morning light, smoke signals on the hills were visible and Walker explained to his greenhorn men that they were telegraph signals.

Next time....Bullies of the Southwest

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This Day in History...On January 5, 1846, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution calling for an end to British-American sharing of the Oregon Territory,  boldly reversing its long-standing policy of "free and open" occupation.