The archaeological site of Pine Springs, located in southwest Texas, features clean, non-sulfurous water from two sources, as well as abundant grass for livestock and pine for building material. During the Apache Wars of the late 19th century, Pine Springs was the base of operations for both US Government "Buffalo Soldier" forces, and the Apache warriors that the US sought to contain.
In the fall of 1878 and 1879, some of the US forces at Pine Springs were led by Captain Thomas C. Lebo, leader of Company K of the 10th Cavalry of the United States Government. The 10th Calvary was made up of "Buffalo Soldiers", young African-American men, ex-slaves and freedmen who had taken part in the Civil War, and found military life freer than that of post-war civilian cities back east.
During the Apache Wars, which lasted roughly from the 1860s to the 1880s, Mescalero and Lipan Apaches controlled the Trans-Pecos, which includes the Guadalupe Mountains. Between 1879 and 1881, the Apaches in the Guadalupe mountains were led by Victorio, a Warm Springs Apache chief who led an uprising against the encroaching settlers from the eastern United States.
Apache Wars at Pine Springs Camp
Pine Springs Camp witnessed several intermittent occupations by both groups during the Apache Wars. Several military companies camped there at different times, most for only a few days. The longest occupation during this period was in the fall of 1878, when Lebo’s Company K of the 10th Cavalry remained at Pine Springs for almost two months. Leo's superior was Colonel Benjamin Grierson, and Grierson's strategy of having troops occupy all the major springs and water sources, thus preventing the Apache from re-supplying, ultimately led to their defeat.
Sources
A bibliography has been collected for this project.
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