White Massacre

White Massacre

An 1876 map of northeastern New Mexico with the principal sites plotted.
Date	October 18, 1849
Location	New Mexico Territory

The White massacre was an engagement between American settlers and a band of Utes and Jicarilla Apaches that occurred in northeastern New Mexico on October 28, 1849. It became notable for the Indians' kidnap of Mrs Ann White, who was subsequently killed during an Army rescue attempt a couple of weeks later.

In October, 1849, James White, a merchant who plied his trade between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico, was traveling west with a wagon train led by a well-known wagon master, François Xavier Aubry. After the wagon train passed what was considered the dangerous part of the trip, it encamped. White, "a veteran of the trail", along with his wife Ann and baby daughter and "negro servant", plus a German named Lawberger and several others, then decided to separate from the train and advance to Santa Fe alone. After a few days of traveling by themselves, they paused at a well-known landmark called the Point of Rocks, between Rock Creek and the Whetstone Branch. Neither of the two locations can be located on a modern New Mexico map, but the Whetstone can be found on an 1876 map of New Mexico.

On October 27 the group was approached by a band of Jicarillas and Utes, who, according to the natives' later account, asked for presents. They were driven away from the camp, but returned again to ask, and their request received the same response. The third time they returned they attacked the settlers. All except Ann White, her child and her servant were killed. Some of the attackers left with their prisoners while the others hid around what was left of the wagons. Shortly after a group of Mexicans came upon the scene. As they began to pick through what was left of the wagon train the Apaches and Utes attacked them, killing or driving them away, but leaving a wounded Mexican boy. He was eventually discovered by a group of Americans who first raised the alarm about the massacre. Soldiers arrived at the site and buried the dead, who had, in an unusual turn, not been scalped. When Aubry heard of the murders he offered a $1,000 reward for the return of Mrs. White.

Word eventually reached the United States Army garrison near Taos. From there Captain William Grier and the 1st Cavalry were dispatched to try and rescue Mrs. White and to "chastise" the Natives. They were accompanied by two experienced guides, Antoine Leroux and Robert Fisher. Along the way they stopped at Reyado where Kit Carson joined them, eventually leading them to the spot where the attack had occurred. From there the party pursued the Natives "for ten or twelve days, the most difficult trail I even followed."