While the hostile Texans were approaching Fort Craig I was a lieutenant
and aide-de-camp to the commanding officer at that post, Gen. B. S.
Roberts. The General directed me to try to find some intelligent,
faithful citizen acquainted with the country to go as a spy to El Paso
(from whence I had escaped) and bring him reliable information of the
Texan forces in that vicinity. Brad. Daily, whom I had known well at El
Paso, was at the time wagonmaster in charge of Ochoa’s train, and in
camp near the post. He was an old frontiersman, an Indian fighter, and
had often been employed as a guide by United States army officers. I
knew that he was a Southerner, but I knew that when a man of that class
took the Union side he could be trusted, and I knew that he possessed
every other qualification for the dangerous service. I visited his camp
and asked him casually what he thought about the war. He replied that
while he was a Southern man “Uncle Sam” had always treated him right and
that he would stand by the Government. I then told him what was wanted,
and he agreed to undertake the enterprise.
I took him to the General and vouched for him, and he was supplied with
two good horses and plenty of gold, and at midnight he started on his
mission. I, of course, gave him no letters but referred him to two of my
friends, whom he also knew very well, Don José Ma. Uranga, then Prefect
of Juarez, and my former employer, Mr. Vincente St. Vrain, a merchant of
El Paso. Daily entered Juarez in the night and went to the Prefect’s
house, where he remained concealed for a week or more, only going out at
night. He met St. Vrain and other Union men at the Prefect’s house, and
he actually prowled through Fort Bliss of nights disguised as a Mexican
peon, and came away as well informed about the number of troops and
other matters at that post as the Texas officers themselves. He brought
an unsigned letter which I knew to be in St. Vrain’s handwriting, giving
wholesale military information. This letter, had its contents been known
to the Confederates, would have cost my friend St. Vrain his life. Said
letter has been published by the United States Government in the
“Records of the Rebellion.”
On his return Daily rode in the dark into a camp of Indians and came
into Fort Craig with an arrowhead in his shoulder. He was paid $2,500
for his two weeks’ work, which he deposited with the Quartermaster, and
was employed as a guide during the campaign which ensued.
This man Daily was at times addicted to drink, and when intoxicated
would gamble. One night an officer awakened me and informed me that
Daily was at the sutler’s store drunk and gambling and being robbed. I
went to the store and found him in company with some gamblers (camp
followers) vainly trying, with their help, to sign his name to an order
on the Quartermaster for two thousand dollars. I tore the paper into
bits and took Daily away. The next morning I reported the facts to
General Roberts, and he directed me to take a file of the guard and
destroy all the intoxicating liquor at the store, place all loafers I
found about the store in the guard house, and lock the store and bring
the key to him. The order was executed. About a dozen “loafers” were
provided with quarters in the guard house; barrels of whisky were rolled
out and the heads driven in and hundreds of bottles were smashed. Some
of the soldiers scooped up whisky in their hands and drank it.
After the campaign Daily with his savings became a respectable and
successful merchant of Las Cruces, N. M., and twenty years later was
sued for that two thousand dollar debt. I was interrogated as a witness,
and testified to the facts as I have written them above. Daily won the
suit.
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