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26-700: The company had four officers, eight NCOs and 36 personnel, some from California but most from the El Paso area. By the time it was attached to John R. Baylor Command in Mesilla, New Mexico on October 3, 1861 it had 61 enlisted personnel, the additional men recruited in the Mesilla area. On January 25, 1862 two NCOs and seven privates from the Company were detached to help form Sherod Hunter 's Company A, Arizona Rangers , that were sent to occupy Tucson , Arizona. The Company served in

52-587: A man in the early 1880s in a feud over livestock. This killing happened in Uvalde County; the victim was named Gilchrist. Baylor was never charged with the crime. He died at his ranch on February 6, 1894, aged 71. He was buried in the Church of the Ascension cemetery. Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of

78-538: Is attained   ... an agent is successful or unsuccessful." By the 1870s, due to president Grant's Peace Policy , the average Indian agent was primarily nominated by various Christian denominations due to the increase in civilization reforms to Indian-white affairs, especially over land. Part of the Christian message of reform, carried out by the Indian agents, demonstrated the pervasive thought of Indian land ownership of

104-522: The 1st Confederate States Congress . Baylor became known for ordering his cavalry regiment to exterminate the Apache, with whom the encroaching settlers conflicted. He issued the following order to his men: [U]se all means to persuade the Apaches or any tribe to come in for the purpose of making peace, and when you get them together kill all the grown Indians and take the children prisoners and sell them to defray

130-602: The Arizona Territory . He was confirmed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis . In an altercation, Baylor attacked and killed Robert Payne Kelley, an editor of a rival newspaper who ridiculed Baylor. Davis disapproved of orders Baylor gave his regiment to exterminate the Apache in his territory and removed him from office as governor, stripping him of his Texas commission. Later Baylor recovered, settling in San Antonio . He

156-669: The Army of New Mexico during the New Mexico Campaign and fought in the Battle of Valverde , Battle of Glorieta Pass and the Battle of Peralta . This Texas -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a specific military unit of the American Civil War is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . John R. Baylor John Robert Baylor (July 27, 1822 – February 6, 1894)

182-505: The Department of the Interior by 1849, so they began to make public complaints about the corruptive nature of the civilian presence in the job of Indian agent. Despite its deeply felt convictions that its Indian agents were appointed and removed on merit, the civilian Board of Commissioners was frequently deemed corrupt, portrayed derogatorily in print and propaganda, and inadvertently assumed

208-560: The southwest into New Mexico Territory and occupied Fort Bliss . Following his victory at the First Battle of Mesilla (July 25, 1861), and the surrender of U.S. forces in the area, Baylor proclaimed himself as the Governor of Arizona Territory , a region encompassing the southern half of contemporary New Mexico and Arizona . The Confederate Congress confirmed his position, and he was promoted to colonel in 1861. On January 18, 1862,

234-738: The American Civil War ended two weeks later. In the postwar years, Baylor settled in San Antonio , Texas. In 1873, he unsuccessfully campaigned for the Democratic party 's nomination for Governor of Texas , losing to Richard Coke . In 1876, during the height of the Black Hills War , Baylor offered his services to the U.S. Army against the Lakota Sioux . In 1878, he established a sizable ranch in Uvalde County . He prospered but continued to be involved in violent confrontations and reputedly killed

260-583: The Indians," and guide them into acculturation of American society by changing their agricultural practices and domestic activities. Eventually, the U.S. government ceased using the word "temporary" in the Indian agent's job title. From the close of the 18th century to nearly 1869, Congress maintained the position that it was legally responsible for the protection of Indians from non-Indians, and in establishing this responsibility it "continue[d] to deal with Indian tribes by utilizing agents to negotiate treaties under

286-564: The Secretary of War was: This letter requires attention. It is an avowal of an infamous crime and the assertion of what should not be true in relation to troops in Texas, &c. Baylor later was elected to the 2nd Confederate States Congress , serving from 1863 to 1865, representing Texas. He regained his commission as colonel and was raising a new force to recapture the Arizona Territory when

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312-596: The U.S. government. The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of the position of Indian agent in the Nonintercourse Act of 1793, a revision of the original 1790 law. This required land sales by or from Indians to be federally licensed and permitted. The legislation also authorized the President to "appoint such persons, from time to time, as temporary agents to reside among

338-556: The age of 18 and made his life there. In 1840, he joined a Texas volunteer army to fight against the Comanche Indians . In 1844 he married Emily Hanna in Marshall, Texas , and the couple had seven sons and three daughters. His brother George also ended up in Texas. While living as a rancher in Texas, Baylor decided to try his hand at politics and was elected to the Texas state legislature in 1851, serving from 1852 to 1854. In 1853, he

364-470: The expense of killing the adult Indians. Buy whiskey and such other goods as may be necessary for the Indians and I will order vouchers given to cover the amount expended. Leave nothing undone to insure success, and have a sufficient number of men around to allow no Indian to escape. When news of this order reached Confederate President Jefferson Davis , he relieved Baylor as governor and revoked his commission as colonel . Davis's March 23, 1863, note to

390-566: The expulsion of Indians from North Texas. Based in Jacksboro , it had the advantage of being in a town that was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route and was estimated to reach 1,000 readers. After Texas declared secession from the United States, Baylor accepted a commission as a Confederate lieutenant colonel in command of the 2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment (also known as the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles). His force pushed to

416-532: The fledgling territory was formally organized by the Confederate States. Soon, a disagreement over critical articles in the Mesilla Times led to a fight between Baylor and the editor, Robert P. Kelly, whom he killed. Attorney General Marcus H. MacWillie , a member of Baylor's state cabinet, officially pardoned him for the homicide. MacWillie was rewarded when Baylor orchestrated the former AG's election to

442-479: The jurisdiction of the Department of War ." In the 1830s, the primary role of Indian agents was to assist in commercial trading supervision between traders and Indians, while agents possessed the authority to both issue and revoke commercial trading licenses. In 1849, the Bureau of Indian Affairs decided to place the position of Indian agent under civilian jurisdiction. This came at a time when many white Americans saw

468-413: The late 19th century: civilization can only be possible when Indians cease communal living in favor of private ownership. Many citizens still held the activities of Indian agents in poor esteem, calling the agents themselves "unprincipled opportunists" and people of low quality. When Theodore Roosevelt reached the presidency at the turn of the 20th century (1901–1909), the Indian agents that remained on

494-606: The rank of colonel. The boys grew up with their family on the various military posts where their father was posted as an assistant surgeon in the Seventh Infantry. Their uncle, R.E.B. Baylor , became an associate judge on the Texas Supreme Court and co-founder of Baylor University . A great-uncle was Col. George R. Baylor , who had served in the American Revolution. John Baylor moved to Fayette County, Texas at

520-549: The role of Indian agent as largely inefficient and dishonest in monetary and severalty dealings with various Indian tribes. By 1850, many citizens had been calling for reform of the agents in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Their wish had been granted when in 1869 the bureau created the civilian-controlled Board of Indian Commissioners . The board "never more deeply felt, that Indian agents should be appointed solely for merit and fitness for their work   ... and should be retained in

546-578: The scapegoat for the perceived inefficiency of Indian-White affairs: the Indian agent. By the late 19th century, the job title of Indian agent began to change slightly in the wake of the recent attempts to 'civilize' Indians, assimilating them into American culture. Despite the public scorn for the agents, the Indian Office stated that the "chief duty of an agent is to induce his Indian to labor in civilized pursuits. To attain this end every possible influence should be brought to bear, and in proportion as it

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572-522: The service when they prove themselves to be efficient and helpful by their character and moral influence." This civilian run board was charged "with responsibility for supervising the disbursement of Indian appropriations" from state and federal governments. However, the United States Army command was extremely dissatisfied of the transfer of the Bureau of Indian Affairs from the Department of War to

598-596: Was a US Indian agent, publisher and editor, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army . After being dismissed as Indian agent, he became one of the founding editors of The White Man , a newspaper in North Texas, and a strong critic of Governor Sam Houston . During the American Civil War , Baylor led Texas Confederate forces into New Mexico and declared himself the 1st Governor of

624-471: Was admitted to the bar. He was appointed as the agent to the Comanches in 1855 and held that position until his dismissal in 1857. After his dismissal, he traveled around the state condemning the Comanches and addressing anti-Indian meetings. During this time, he edited an anti-Indian newspaper, The White Man , and organized a vigilante force of around 1,000 men to campaign against the Comanches. John Baylor

650-523: Was appointed as a US Indian agent in Jack County , serving from 1856 to March 1857, when he was dismissed. He became a critic of Governor Sam Houston , saying he was not doing enough to defend settlers in North Texas from the Comanche and Lipan Apache . He was elected to the state legislature and, by 1860, became a co-founding publisher and editor of a local newspaper called The White Man, which advocated

676-513: Was elected to state government as a legislator and became a rancher. In 1881 he killed another man in an argument when he was about 59 but was acquitted at trial. He died years later at his ranch. John R. Baylor was born in Paris, Kentucky in 1822, the son of a United States Army surgeon and his wife. He had a brother, George Wythe Baylor , who followed their father into military service, later achieving

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