The following letter was written by 46 year-old Henry Lane Kendrick (1811-1891) who gradiated from West Point in 1835. He served as Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy and Geology at West Point from 1835 to 1838 and principal Assistant Professor, 1838 to 1847. Kendrick was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery, June 16, 1837 and Captain, 2nd Artillery, June 18, 1846.

He was in service in the theater during the Mexican War with the 2nd Artillery, participating in the Siege of Vera Cruz, March 10-29, 1847; Battle of Cerro Gordo, April 17-18, 1847; Skirmish at Amazoque, May 14, 1847; and Defense of Puebla, September 13-October 12, 1847 and as Acting Ordnance Officer, December 10, 1847 to June 16, 1848. On October 12, 1847 he received a brevet promotion to Major for gallant and meritorious conduct in the Defense of Puebla. Kendrick was a man most West Point graduates serving in Mexico knew because he taught there from 1838-1847.

Following the Mexican War, Kendrick was on frontier duty in command of an artillery battalion against the Navajo Indians, 1849-1851; commanding escort of Topographical party exploring Indian Country from Zuni River, NM to San Diego, CA, 1851-1852, and between Republican Fork and Arkansas River, 1852. He was in command of Ft. Defiance, NM, 1852-1857 and at the Military Academy as Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy and Geology, March 3, 1857 to December 13, 1880. In 1859 he was a member of the Board of Assay Commissioners at the U.S. Mint, Philadelphia. He declined a promotion to Brigadier-General of Volunteers in 1861 to remain at West Point, retiring December 13, 1880 after forty- five years service.

Henry wrote the letter to John Caldwell Tidball (1825-1906), an 1848 graduate of West Point. He served in the Third Seminole War fought against the indigenous Seminole tribe, and accompanied an exploring expedition to California in 1853–1854. In 1859 he was sent on the Army’s expedition to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, to suppress John Brown’s raid.

Transcription

Ft. Defiance, New Mexico
January 31, 1857

Dear Tidball.

That book, with a letter og July 24th, 1856, came by our last mail, January 5th, 1857. Surely enough there is a fatality attached to it—book and all remained here, mislaid, until the 12th before it came to me. I eye it rather suspiciously & never look at it after dark. When I see you, I will “pay thee all.” You did me a great service in sending it to me—a record of the grand column of attack which has been charging these many years against the “last enemy.” Along with it came a “Christian Almanac” from my town for 1856. So I am posted up. It is all the same—one year is so much like another that “a way out here” [that] we might use the same almanac forever.

Would it not have been rich if the year had been made of whole days only—the world made a little more exact; as the sun goes down the moon roses. I never dis see why this did not obtain—especially am I puzzled about it when getting into camp late.

Our climate is changing. Last year it was cold enough in the winter. This year, I imagine the average is lower still. Our beef herd has been at the post since November 15th. They have a lien on the hay stacks. They’ll have a lean on something else soon if they are not a little more reasonable. We have a dozen of hem hanging up by the heels now—examples!

Our ice houses—we have two filled. Our theatre is in blast & such a theatre! Our nine pin alley is progressing—the finest in the land; and our guard house is secure. These three elements of modern military suasion—but the greatest of these is the guard house. Mr. Shabe has left us—good man. He left us of his own accord. The ground was stony, the soil shallow, and he had a call elsewhere. He left us in sorrow, but he had a call where he could “do more good” and the pay was better. Truly he was a good man in every way & was not afraid of bears. He is in Santa Fe & has bought the house once owned by Peck & Kendrick. Did you know that I was once particeps crimines in owning a house in New Mexico—a clay tabernacle built on the sand? I have a vivid remembrance of it. My purse grows pale and [ ] in the recollection of it, & so do I.

Did you get my letter with the returned memorial to the assembled wisdom, for an increment? We know nothing of the message—nothing of the documents. I have no faith in any gain of pay & have pretty much made up my mind to hold body and soul together with rawhide rather than [ ] attraction or force. Rawhide is the thing, and rawhide “it shall be.” Like water in the days of Gil Blas. its virtues are infinite, albeit they are unknown out of this [ ].

February 10th. Our mail is just in from the livery. Nothing beyond N. Mexico. Whether the Indians, or the storms on the plains, or faithless contractors in Missouri have the mail. It is all the horrible same to us. Congress will have adjourned before we read of its first day session. Truly we are a painfully great people.

If the mail has been cut off by Indians, I fear the mail from Santa Few may have been lost & it, January 1st, Santa Fe had my application in it to Army Headquarters to be ordered in with at least the organization of my company. Can you feel gently, very gently, in order to discover whether it has reached anywhere? Under the supposition that I may go it it will be best not to send me things, of much money value.

There is to be a campaign against the Mogollones to avenge [Henry Lafayette] Dodge‘s death. It commences rolling in April or May. Just now the Navahos are quiet–quien sabe. How long they’ll remain so. They have made the huge mistake of ordering away Shepherd’s company 2 or 3 months before it was needed for the war. The removal of it last year caused us all our trouble then. My company will have only 30 odd men in it by May. McCall’s estimate of force proper for the Navajo country was 4 companies dragoons, 1 artillery, and 1 infantry, in addition, at Cibolleta, carved out of the old Navajo country, was to have one dragoon and one infantry & Abiguin, in its northeastern corner was to have 1 infantry company, now less than two companies are expected to keep the peace!!! Is Townsend in Washington? I owe Campbell who went with you to California, which I intend to pay as soon as I can find anything to pay with. Regards to him/

Yours most truly, — H. L. Kendrick