Badass Woman of History # 4: Lozen

Lozen: Prophet, Warrior, Badass

Ask your average student to name a famous female Native American and inevitably two names will most likely come up: the first, Pocahontas, daughter of a Powhatan Chief, whose interactions with John Smith and marriage to John Rolfe during the very early days of English settlement of the colony of Virginia made her a overnight celebrity in England and one of the earliest American folk heroes; the second, Sacajawea, the Shoshone guide that was indispensable in helping the Lewis and Clark Expedition explore America's vast land purchase, the Louisiana Territory. I guarantee that others that are more knowledgeable could name numerous other examples of outstanding and remarkable Native American woman, but as far as the general population goes not too many have cemented themselves into the history books, let alone other media. Well I aim to do my part to fix this underwhelming representation by introduction you to one Badass Apache Warrior. Enter: Lozen, who many of dubbed the "Native American Joan of Arc."

Lozen was born into the Chihuahua Apache tribe sometime in 1840. At their height the various Apache tribes controlled approximate 15 million acres of territory in what is now known as Southwestern New Mexico, Southeastern Arizona, and adjoining parts of Northern Mexico. The Apache were known, even to other native tribes, to be highly territorial and conflicts arose with those of European descent well before American expansion, with tense if not hostile interactions being reported by both Spanish and French explorers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Apache did engage in trade with neighboring tribes like the Navajo, Hohokam, and Pueblo, and later with Europeans, but also saw raiding as an acceptable part of livelihood (like the Vikings), totally separate from open hostile warfare. The name Lozen is actually an Apache war title (her real name unknown) given to those who have stolen horses during Apache raids, so we can assume she has participated in attacks of some kind even before the events that made her famous. She was trained at a young age to be a medicine women, but also advocated to be trained as a warrior. Her wish was granted by her brother Victorio, and he trained her in the art of war and strategy. When American expansion did come into New Mexico the Apache seemed peaceable at first. But a culture clash was inevitable as the "acceptable" raiding of the Apache on frontier settlers grew more frequent, and frontier settlers were creeping closer and closer to Apache territory. Open hostilities started in the 1860's and after several skirmishes involving miners, frontier farmers, Mexican military and American cavalry, the US government resolved to place the Apache in a number of reservations and assume the bulk of their territory. As you can guess this did not go over to well and war with the Apache became yet another aspect of the overall American Indian Wars of the late 1800s.

President Ulysses S Grant, Victorio, and General George Crook

Lozen's story begins in 1872 with the Chiricahua being placed in the San Carlos Reservation (located in South Western Arizona) under the orders of President Grant and implemented by General Crook. As the Chiricahua were one of the few Apache people to go without too much opposition it was the wish of the president and Congress for the reservation to be administered and run by the soft hand of several religious organizations, unlike several other Apache reservations, hard handedly run by the military. But Crooks men, without the knowledge or consent of DC, took a very active role, sneering at the lenience given by clerical administrators and browbeat-ed the duly appointed Indian Agent into turning the other way to their abuses. "Hell's Forty Acres" is what San Carlos Reservation would be called as health and environmental conditions drastically deteriorated because of military interference. Reports of abuse and torture would not be allowed by Crook to reach the president, as his men saw the Indians as sport to take out their frustrations from other parts of the wider conflict, and he personally was turning a profit from confiscated Indian property. In 1877, Lozen's brother Victorio, a sub chief by then, lead several pilgrimages to another reservation, Fort Stanton, and after comparing the "normal" conditions there to their own deplorable reservation, negotiated to have his band relocate to the fertile lands near Ojo Caliente (near modern day Santa Fa, NM) but was told it would take time to establish a new reservation there. Ultimately, by 1879, the army reneged on the deal and Victorio decided to lead a revolt and escape.

For the next few months as they traveled to Ojo Caliente, the 200 men, woman, and children evaded American Military forces in and around the Black Mountain area, at the New Mexico/Arizona border. While being the undisputed warchief of the band, Victorio would attribute their successful evasion and subsequent battle victories to his sister's prophetic abilities. It was said that after praying to the Apache God Ussen she would be given a vision of were pursuing military would be. Famous Apache war leader Geronimo would later describe her use of this ability as follows:

"She would stand with her arms out stretched and while turning around chanted a prayer to Ussen saying, "Upon this earth on which we live Ussen has Power. This power is mine for locating the enemy. I search for the enemy, which only Ussen the Great can show me""

Lozen divined that soldiers were waiting for them at their destination, Ojo Caliente, and she was right. A detachment of "Buffalo Soliders" (what Natives called African American Calvary men) from the 9th Calvary were patrolling the area in anticipation of the wayward Apache. Victorio, Lozen, and a couple of other warriors ambushed the cavalrymen killing 5 before they had time to react. A small skirmish ensued resulting in the death of three more American serviceman before they retreated. Victorio and the Apache knew this escalation would not go unanswered and that they could not stay there. The band headed south traveling along the Animas River. After easily defeating a militia of angry farmers and miners outside of Silver city their reputation and band started to grow.

Then, Lozen again divined that they were being closely pursued by American Calvary. And again she was right, 2 companies of cavalry, totaling 75 men, were on their trail. Their commander Captain Bryan Dawson had decided not to engage until he could ambush them like they did back in Ojo Calinete. On the morning of September 18, 1979, the Apache set a trap, Lozen appeared at the mouth of Las Animas Canyon, pretending not to see the Navajo scouts the army had in their employee. She led them to a make shift camp deep within the canyon. The Navajo reported back to Dawson who saw this as the perfect opportunity to catch the Apache unaware. US cavalry entered into the canyon toward the camp and Victorio sprung his trap, Apache  appeared on all sides firing rifles and bows at the army. It was commented by the Apache that the Americans and their Navajo allies did not panic and fought bravely, even trying to counter attack at one point, but by dusk 5 soldiers and 2 Navajo were killed, and numerous were injured. Dawson called a retreat. Interesting points of note: 1) later, when the bodies were recovered for burial the Navajo who died there were also buried with military honors; and 2) a Lieutenant Robert Temple Emmet and Sargent John Denny would receive the Medal of Honor for the battle for initially ignoring the call for retreat in order to save the lives of some of the wounded.

A picture of some of the survivors of the Battle of Las Animas Canyon

Sargent John Denny and Lieutenant Robert Temple Emmet

For the next couple of months Lozen and Victorio led a marauding campaign across New Mexico in the Parcha River Valley and the San Andreas mountains gaining more and more followers as they sometimes alluded, sometimes defeated elements from the 6th, 9th, and 10th Calvary. It is at this point that there seemed to be some sort of split between the brother and sister. Victorio wanted to get more aggressive, more blood thirsty, meanwhile Lozen was getting concerned for the welfare of the ever increasing population of women and children. She forsaw her brother moving in the wrong direction, spiritually, and decided to take a large number of woman and children toward the border to Mexico for their safety. She made it to the banks of the Rio Grand when she realized they were about to be overtaken by American militay forces. But the area of the river where they were at was deep, swift, and rocky, and many were frozen in fear, being caught between the raging river and the pursuing army. Native American auther, James Kaywaykla, was one of the children in this band and he recalled later in life that:

"I saw a magnificent woman on a beautiful horse—Lozen, sister of Victorio. Lozen the woman warrior! High above her head she held her rifle. There was a glitter as her right foot lifted and struck the shoulder of her horse. He reared, then plunged into the torrent. She turned his head upstream, and he began swimming."

Much to the confusion of the American military the rest of the Apache dove in and all inexplicably made it to the other side as if the rapids rushing water had little effect on them. Meanwhile her premonition about her brother would come true. On April 28, 1880, in what is today Cooney, New Mexico, Victorio and his warriors would commit one of the largest civilian massacres in the Indian Wars. It started in the morning with the killing of 5 miners as they woke up in their camp, including a retired sergant Cooney, whom the town would later be named after. Miners that did escape fled to a nearby community of sheep farmers and their families. Later in the day the Apache would arrive and without warning or provocation slaughtered 35 members of the community, before being driven off by a calvarly patrol from Fort Bayard. A few days later, against the advice of some of his men, he led a frontal assault on Fort Tularosa, but were soundly defeated and driven off, thanks in part to "Buffalo Soldiers" that were there and had been survivors of his earlier attack on them.

Major General James J. Byrne

The next few months Lozen and Victorio would have limited contact as their paths crossed occasionally, with his group raiding and retreating across the Rio Grande over and over again, their attacks becoming more audacious and haphazard and Lozen continually bringing more woman and children to safety into Mexico. So far the "Apache War", in the eyes of the US military command, was just any other front of the overall Indian Wars. But that would change in August of 1880, Lozen confided in her brother of a vision of the movement of a person of "great significance", but she told him this so he would steer any of the fighting clear of this individual, as she did not understand yet what that significance could be. Victorio saw it differently, he saw it as a divinely mandated target to be taken out that would bring a great victory to their cause. Victorio caught up to the stage coach Lozen had seen in her vision and assassinated the person inside. That person was retired Major General James J. Byrne, a well liked man who had made a name for himself during the civil war, who had risen through the ranks from newly arrived Irish immigrant draftee all the way to Major General through hard work and adherance to duty. After the war he had retired to Texas were he had developed into a go between for the railroads and the military. Oddlly enough, he is the other person in this story that was credited with visions. Apparently he had  advised the railroads a few years ago to stay clear of the southern New Mexico and Arizona border, just for now, as he had a "feeling" native trouble would hit that region. The railroads, for the most part and with just a few exceptions, listened. And in a letter written to his wife, which she received the same day she was notified of his death, he informed her he had the "feeling" he would be killed soon and had laid out plans of how his estate was to be managed.

His death incurred the wrath of not only rank and file soldiers who looked up to and admired him and military officers that worked with him, but with the powerful politicians and railroad barons back east. The military's eye was now fixed on the Apache, and on Victorio's raiders specifically. Diplomatic overtures were made to the Mexican government to coordinate efforts to defeat the threat. Over the next few weeks the American/Mexican plan to put down Victorio was played out, massive cavalry attacks and pursuits drove Victorio across Rio Grande and straight into the Mexican army and in October of 1880, Mexican officials reported to the US that Victorio had been killed in combat.

 Geronimo and Nana

Lozen felt the death of her brother and returned to what was left of his band, hiding out in Sierra Madra, desperately being held together by her and Victorio's mentor and the tribes spiritual chief Nana. They would go back to small scale raids and with the help of Lozen's visions avoiding engagment with the military. Then in 1885, when Geronimo started his revolt, Lozen and Nana joined what was left of their band to Geronimo's 140 men. Nana conviced Geronimo of Lozen's importance telling him: 

"She was Victorio's right hand, strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people."

Again with the aid of her visions the the Apache attacks started to become bigger and well planned. Geronimo would count her as one of his most trusted advisors during council and noted several times in his writings of her skill as a warrior in battle. The Geronimo campaign would bring Lozen's original adversary back into her life, as it was General Crook who was in charge of bringing Geronimo to heel. But time and again she embarrassed him in his efforts, making sure to leave markers or tokens to let him know she was among those he could not pin down. After many attemps Crook finally had the drop on the Apache and Geronimo sued for terms of surrender. But a soldier snuck over to the Apache camp in the middle of the night and confessed to Geronimo that Crook was planning on slaughtering them as soon as they laid down arms and surrendered in the morning. Geronimo immediately broke camp and escaped into the night. This revelation destroyed Crooks career and he was relieved of duty by General Sheridan, which must have been a small satisfaction to Lozen. Eventually forces under the command of Captain Henry Lawton of the 4th Calvary and infantry from Fort Huachuca under the command of Lieutenant Charles Gatewood defeated Geronimo at Skeleton Canyon Arizona, and marched the majority of the Apache with dignity and care, back to an improved San Carlos Reservation. Geronimo and some of the other leaders were moved around from fort to fort between Texas, Oaklahoma, and Florida, before finally permanently residing at Mount Vernon Barracks in Alabama. Lozen, back at San Carlos, heard word that her and the other Chihuahua Apache that where part of Victorio's original band were to be shipped to Alcatraz prison. They again fled into the wilderness and from their negotiated for better terms for her people. After on again, off again talks it was finally agreed thanks to the intervention of Geronimo, that the entirety of the Chihuahua were to be sent to a reservation in Florida, no families would be split up and no one else was to be prosecuted for the rebellion. Lozen herself was to return with Geronimo to Mount Vernon Barracks in Alabama, where she would live out the rest of her days until she died of Tuberculosis in 1889.

Below is the last know image of Lozen. To the right is the complete picture of the group of Apache waiting to get on the train to Alabama, Lozen can be seen at the very top back row, slightly right of center sitting just behind Geronimo. To the left is a zoomed in image of her. Her time at the barracks was uneventful and she was given realtive freedom of movement upon the property. She even helped in the infirmary, caring for the Native and military sick alike. Her lasting impact is the preservation of her sub tribe, the Chihuahua Apache, as it is estimated she rescued about 300 non combatants from the Apache Warzone to relative safety across the Rio Grande, and gave up her own freedom, confined to a military base, so as the rest of the Chihuahua Apache would not be split apart. The fact that US government was at first wanting to lock her in Alcatraz (a place to put people you did not want escaping) and when that was not going to work exceeded to her demands to not separate her people just goes to show much concern they had for this potential adversary, making her one Badass of History.

O' Canada: The Unrealized State

On September 3rd, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by Great Britian and the newly recognized United States of America, thus officially ending the 6 year long American Revolutionary War. The 13 colonies of North America, from Massachusetts (which included what is now Maine) to Georgia, would be united as a independent country of sovereign states. But wait, aren't we missing something? What about the gigantic chunk of land to the north, the land of fur traders and maple syrup (or today hockey players and maple syrup, just kidding Canadians, you also gave us John Candy and Nathan Fillion so you guys rock in my book)? Why was this vast, resource rich territory not included in the birth of America? The plain and simple answer, they did not want to be, they were happy with British rule. But since the simple answer is not what I do here, lets step back and look.

 

Our story begins at the end of the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Year War in Europe).  The North American theater of the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763 (not to be confused with our 1783 treaty), where France lost all of its North American territories to Spain and England, included our subject matter Canada (France would regain those territories east of the Mississippi, north of Texas, from Spain thanks to the brow beating and hard hand diplomacy of one Napoleon Bonaparte about 50 years later). But while the fighting ended, the tensions between the French and English colonist would remain. The majority protestant English sneered at having to live in peace along side the papist French; and many blamed the French for goading the Indians into savagery during the war, while keeping their own hands clean in "acceptable and civil" warfare. Meanwhile, the French loathed the influx of English entrepreneurs they saw as just wanting to strip their homes for resources while leaving their own lands pristine; they also had a neighborly soft spot for the natives who they were worried the English would not treat as amicable and equitable as they did.

Once Britain received control of these territories they did not become certified colonies. Being "conquered" territory the entire area was a hodgepodge of military commands and outposts, some very localized administrative governments and semi-autonomous self ruled French communities. In fact the closest any part of Canada that could be some what recognized as a colony as we know them was Nova Scotia, sometimes dubbed by historians as the 14th colony, but their hated rivarly with the colonists of Massachusetts made reconciliation near impossible. The problem was the slow pace of trying to convert areas from military control to normal governance; and in creating normal governance, trying to integrate together both French and English systems. 

Quebec Act of 1774

The British could not risk re-igniting the war by alienating the vastly French population, especially at a time when their own colonists' malcontent was causing problems. In an effort to reconcile with their new French subjects the British Parliament instituted the Quebec Act of 1774; it was also thought by some that it would drive a further wedge between the English and French colonist to prevent the two groups from collaborating with each other against Parliament and the crown. The acts included several provisions that infuriated the people of the 13 English colonies.One of these provisions was giving more religious freedom to the French Catholics, allowing them to institute Catholic tithing systems without taxation and not requiring Catholics to swear allegiance to the Church of England. As stated before the highly protestant English colonist were already prejudice against the papists, to give them such leniency and tolerance was disturbing to all the colonies except Maryland. Maryland had a large population of Catholics, as one of the reasons the colony was formed was a place for disenfranchised British Catholics to settle (hence the colony's name Mary's Land; since unlike protestants, Catholics hold Mother Mary in reverence), they were happy for their fellow Catholics but felt it was unfair they were not given the same treatment. Another provision of the act prevented English colonists from expanding into any of the new territories until such time the British government resolved how they wanted to handle diplomacy with the natives, meanwhile the French could still operate as they always have utilizing their previous relations with the natives. Again the English colonist resented this policy for several reasons; first, they saw this area as theirs by right of conquest, it was by the blood of their militias aiding the Redcoats that this land was acquired and the natives needed to punished for the atrocities they committed against the people of the frontier. Second, they saw untapped wealth and farmland to be had in these areas, wealth that could help off set the costs of the French-Indian war instead of the heavy taxes they were now paying to replenish Britain's coffers; and farm land for the ever expanding population of the colonies. The last provision of the Quebec Act that was a point of contention for the English colonists was the application of law in the new territories. Criminal law and law involving public policies were to convert to English Common Law, but laws involving private citizens and business would stay with the French system, a system the French Canadians used their knowledge of to take advantage of the English colonist in matters of trade or personal disputes.

John Dickinson (PA), Thomas Cushing (MA), Richard Henry Lee (VA)

When the First Continental Congress was being assembled to discuss how to respond to the stack of unjust policies and taxes the British Parliament were implementing against the colonies, what they dubbed as the Intolerable Acts, the Quebec Act was included among them. Three members of Congress, John Dickinson of Pennsylvanian, Thomas Cushing of Massachusetts, and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, drafted a letter on behalf of Congress to "the People of Quebec" (BTW Quebec was what the British called all of Canada). Thousands of copies were made in French and English and distributed throughout Canada. The letter invited the Canadians to be a part of the Continental Congress to convene on May 10th, 1774, and send a delegation to represent them just as the all 13 colonies committed to. The letter went on to explain the concepts of freedom and democracy. By many experts accounts it could be viewed, and probably was viewed, as very heavy handed and condescending , as if the French were children that needed to be held by the hand to what was good for them. The letter was received with lackluster enthusiasm, most Canadians, including the newly arriving English settlers saw no grand abuse. Sure there were some issues in the equity of the fur trade, but nothing to warrant the smear campaign many of the members of the Congress were engaged in against the homeland. The delegates out of Boston sent John Brown to gauge the Canadian response before the start of Congress, but he reported back that the French were very neutral in their opinions of Parliament, especially in comparison to the colonial governments. No Canadian delegation would come.

John Jay (NY), Samuel Adams (MA), Silas Dean (CT)

After the battles at Lexington and Concord a second Continental Congress is called up to convene in Philadelphia, on May 10, 1775. On May 17 in was reported to Congress that elements from the Massachusetts and Connecticut colonial militias under the command of Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen's radical Vermont separatist group, the Green Mountain Boys, had captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British. From there a mixed force of rebel colonialists under Richard Montgomery had started an invasion of Canada (known as the Invasion of Quebec) by laying siege to Fort St. Jean just outside of Montreal. Despite it being militarily good news, many in Congress were not happy by the escalation before they even had a chance to discuss the possibility. Never the less the revolution agitating Samuel Adams saw it as an opportunity to draw the Canadians to their cause and advocated for a second letter to be sent to Canada to convince them to join with Congress. It was written by Samuel, John Jay (who would become the 1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), a representative from Connecticut, Silas Dean, and signed by John Handcock, as President of Congress.

The letter, again, but in a less hostile tone, explained the virtues of liberty the colonists were fighting for and why it was in the Canadians' best interest to join with them. Among a small minority of the English colonists the letter had a small impact, and 2 small regiments were formed to fight alongside the colonial rebel force. But again, the vast French population seemed to care less, in fact many seemed to be swayed by Royal Governor Carlton's call to resist the invasion, if not physically, to at least not to give any financial or material aid to the colonial invaders.

 Sir Guy Carlton Military Governor of Quebec

With time before the bulk of rebel colonialist forces would arrive, preparations were made to withstand the siege, including seeking the help of the Iroquois Nation. Carlton reminded them of their collaborative efforts with English, being the only natives on British side of the French-Indian War, hoping to reignite the alliance. But representatives of the Congress had also sent overtures to them as well resulting in the Iroquois to declare neutrality in the coming conflict. This did not stop a small band of 100 natives ambushing the first wave of colonials arriving at a swamp within eyesight of the fort. General Montgomery and Schuyler's forces engaged in a small skirmish that saw light casualties on both sides before the colonists pulled back and built defensive works. Artillery from the fort destroyed those defenses and the colonists pulled back a mile further. A second attempt was made to approach the fort by way of the river banks but the colonial expedition was again turned back with the arrival of the British warship Royal Savage whose cannon's Montgomery refused to get in range of. When the warship moved on toward Montreal the colonials made another attempt, this time transporting themselves by a make shift fleet up the river, thinking the British would not be looking there since the warship was still in the area. On September 17 the siege had finally begun, Montgomery's forces had captured several supply trains heading for the fort, strengthening their own supplies. The opening days of the siege proved extremely difficult, especially because of the swampy nature of the terrain, Montgomery discribing his forces as, "half drowned rats, crawling through the marsh."

When it seemed impossible to creak the Forts defenses, colonial forces received two spots of great news. First, Fort Ticonderoga was sending up reinforcements, including a large cannon named "Old Sow". And Second, elements of the New York militia and the newly created 1st Canadian Regiment (one of the 2 from the result of the earlier discussed letter) under the command of James Livingston, in a surprise attack, captured the nearby lightly garrisoned Fort Chambly and were ready to assist in the capture of Fort Jean. On the opposite side, Governor Carlton received not only these bits of bad news, but also that a regiment of Scottish mercenaries he sent for from Quebec city to help break the siege were repelled and before a second attempt could be made, most of them deserted. Even more militia troops from Connecticut and New York arrived and with that the Fort surrendered. The rebel's forces had a clear path to Montreal which they took without firing a shot, and Governor Carlton escaped just hours before.

After taking the city Montgomery made efforts to ingratiate himself with the locals and wind the propaganda machine up in favor of the colonial cause. Besides trying to live in relative peace with the mostly neutral Canadians he was hoping to add some recruitment for when he marched on Quebec City. Meanwhile Benedict Arnold convinced Washington of the need for a second expeditionary force into Canada, but this time with members of their newly formed Continental Army. His goal, too, was to take Quebec City, attacking from the east as Montgomery attacked from the west, and bring a swift end to British presence in the north. His plan was to sail from Newburyport, Massachusetts to the mouth of the Kennebec river (in modern day Maine) and from there march to Fort Western (Augusta, Maine) on the Canadian border, and from there launch his attack. But his travel turned into a mess; from leaky boats that damaged many supplies including water-logging much of the gunpowder to disease and desertion. By the time they made the 400 mile trek, Arnold's fighting force of 1,100 Continental Army regulars was reduced to 600 cold and starving men. He abandoned the rest of his march and waited for Montgomery to come with fresh supplies to save his men and assimilate them into his force.

On December 2, 1775, Montgomery, leaving General David Wooster in command of Montreal, marched for Quebec city; and during a snowstorm on December 31, began his attack. Finding no way to gain a tactical advantage, Montgomery, Arnold, and James Livingston committed their combined forces on an all out attack on the city. It was a disaster! The colonials were soundly defeated by a force of Governor Carlton's redcoats and Canadian militia. With Montgomery laying dead on the field and over half of the colonial forces dead or captured (including famed folk hero Daniel Morgan), a wounded Arnold lead a retreat back to Montreal, while Livingston took his forces back to Ticonderoga. But Arnold would return to a much more hostile Montreal then what Montgomery left. Turns out all that good will the commander had built up before his march on Quebec city was destroyed by the heavy handed administration of David Wooster. Wooster was committing the same abuses the colonists were rebelling against; gun confiscation, quartering troops in on private property, throwing suspected loyalists in the brigg without trial. So upset the citizens of Montreal at Wooster treatment of them that they even convinced local native tribes to harass colonial traffic coming in and out of the city. Arnold relieved Wooster of command and implored Congress to send a delegation up to Montreal to smooth things over with the locals. Benjamin Franklin (PA), Charles Caroll (MD), and Samuel Chase (MD) came to try and improve relations but to no avail. The local leaders, the natives, and the Catholic clergy (who were enjoying some autonomy under the Quebec Act) had let it be known that they felt like Montreal was being dragged into a war they wanted no part in, and that while they would not actively fight against colonial military occupation, they would not aid them in anyway. The Continental Army and all its associated militias were not welcome. To try and salvage any good will, or at least keep the residents of Montreal from attacking their troops, the delegates recommended to Arnold that the majority of the army be placed just east outside the city walls.

Wooster and Arnold

It is then that Carlton made his counter attack, utilizing riverboats fitted with cannons and reinforcements redcoats from England. The colonials were chased out of Montreal were they would make a last stand to salvage the colonial Canadian expeditionary force on Valcour Island, in Lake Champlain. But Arnold's make shift fleet was no match for the forces of the British Navy and so all forces retreated to Ticonderoga. Carlton would pursue no further, not risking to engage the now heavy fortified post of famed General Horatio Gates, who would assume Arnolds forces into his own. Thus ends America's forays into Canada forever.

Canada represents a missed opportunity for early America, mostly do to poor PR. Congress's heavy handed diplomacy and Wooster's abusive command reinforced the French Canadians distrust and dislike of the colonials. The old prejudices played more of a role in defeating the Americans then any battle, for the defeats could have easily been avoided if they would have had the support the people; men and material, and the cooperation of the natives could have gone along way to preventing this military disaster. So bungled an effort which turned the French Canadians to view the colonials with more disgust then their long time traditional enemies, the British.

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Use To.

So much of the architure of the ancient world is quite marvelous. They did things by hand that we could not even imagine doing without the help of computer calculation and massive machinery. It makes you think just how much knowledge was lost during the opening years of the Dark Ages, how much further our societies achievements might be at this point if not for barbarians invasions destroying the civilized world. How much did the Romans and Greeks know before the ruthless and brutal Huns and Germans arrived at the gates. I fully intend to explore this topic at a later date.

Badass Woman of History #3: Tomoe Gozen

Tomoe Gozen: Hero of the Genpei War

Despite what anime may have us believe woman samurai were not all that common in feudal Japan. However, the ones that did exist distinguished themselves among the warrior class. Most women born or married into a samurai family would receive some martial training, enough to try and be an effective guardian if the samurai's personal home was invaded and the children and elderly needed protecting or be given enough time to escape, they were called Onna-bugeisha; but never at the full intensity level of the actual samurai. Gozen's training is a surprise as she started off not as a daughter or wife of a samurai, but as a concubine to one, and on top of that seemed to have achieved full samurai status. Her life before her martial adventures is not documented, but what is fact is she was concubine and later wife to Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka of the Minamoto Clan, and her rise to fame took place during the civil war, known as the Genpei war, in which the Minamoto Clan challenged the Taira Clan for the imperial throne.

 Lord Kiso no Yoshinaka

The Genpei war, 1180-1185, was the climax of a decades long hated rivalry between the two most powerful clans in the empire, the the Tiara (the imperial family) and the Minamoto, descendants through marriage of the former imperial clan whose Emperor Shirakawa's abdication lead to the rise of the Tiara. There was a palace coup among different factions of the Tiara that placed a three year old boy, from the hard line branch of the Tiara, on the throne instead of the crown prince who was more conciliatory to the rivals of the Tiara, preventing the Minamota from gaining a foothold within the ruling government. The Minamoto declared war on the Tiara, calling to arms many of the minor clans and the Buddhist temples. The heads of the two main branches of the Minamoto, Lord Kiso and Minamoto no Yoritomo, declared their intent was not to overthrow the imperial family, but to place the rightful heir, Prince Mochihito on the throne.

Into this conflict, enter Tomoe Gozen. There are little to no sources of how she got involved, when she received her training, or exactly when during the war Lord Kiso fell in love with her and decided to elevate her from concubine to wife. But all the sources agree that she was strikingly beautiful, a marksmen (markswoman?) with a bow, skillful swordsman (swordwoman?), and had a remarkable way with horses. The Tale of Heike, considered one of the prime sources for information regarding the Genpie war confirms the other tales:

"Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors."

The first record of her exploits on the battlefield where during the Battle of Yokotagawara, 1182. Minamoto forces suffer several minor defeats at the hands of a Tiara loyalist governor of one of the eastern provinces, but manged to get away mostly unscathed and undeterred. The governor, whose name is lost to history, is "punished" for not bringing the rebellion to a swift end, and while a new governor is waiting to be named the Minamoto score their first major victory against a leaderless loyalist force. During the battle Tomoe was in the thick of the fighting and manged to collect the heads of 7 Tiara loyalist samurai, badges of skill and honor in a brutal age.

Statue of Tome Gozen and Kiso no Yoshinaka outside of the museum in Nagano

For the next year the war would be at a stalemate, with neither side making headway against the other. The Tiara forces, while larger and able to undeniably defend its strongholds, could not effectively pin down the rebels. The rebel forces under the Minamoto made several successful strategic runs on loyalist outposts and supply depots, but nothing that would put a major dent in the Tiara war machine. On top of that a famine had struck the country making fielding large scale armies impractical if not impossible. After avoiding a split with his cousin and fellow rebel leader Yoritomo, Lord Kiso received word of the Tiara recruiting a large army to set against him and this army could potentially worsen the famine in the surrounding regions as those being "recruited" were essential farmers. Tiara forces were spotted coming through a mountain pass between the eastern and western halves of Honshu, their goal to collect and train more farmers. The Battle of Kurikara, also known as the Battle of Tonamiyama, was about to begin. Kiso split his forces in three, he retained personal command of his samurai and archers while he gave command of his cavalry to Tomoe and command of his foot soldiers to his uncle Yukiie. While the other two forces went the long way around to get into position, as not to be seen, Kiso engaged in a deceptive ploy to make his army seem at full strength at his position, deploying standard archer attacks and agreeing to individual duels between samurai on both sides. At sunset, with his forces all in position, his samurai charged in a frontal assault while Tomoe's cavalry appeared behind the enemy position and Yukiie's foot soldiers rushed in on a flank. So heavy were the Tiara losses that they believed they could no longer hold the city of Kyoto which they were marching from, and fell back further into Tiara territory, handing the Minamoto rebel forces a major victory, turning the tide of the war in the rebels favor.

Depiction of Tomoe Gozen's cavalry charge

The Minamoto would dominate the battlefields for the next 2 years, Tomoe would be spotted in many small engagements either at her lords side as bodyguard or leading one of his elite samurai or cavalry units. It was said Tomoe collected many samurai head trophies for her lord/husband, and no warrior under estimated her for her gender. But the two lovers would not see the end of the war where a puppet Tiara emperor was placed on the throne and the Minamoto established the first Shogunate (military dictatorship). Near the end of 1154 Lord Kiso's cousin Yoritomo again made a play for sole leadership of Clan Minamoto, the family feud came to final blows at the Battle of Awazu. Lord Kiso and Tomoe, traveling with 300 troops, were ambushed by 6000 troops of Yoritomo and another cousin Yoshitsune. Fighting lasted all day as Tomoe and Kiso tried to break out of the encirclement, the larger force finding it not as easy as they had hoped. At one point Tomoe's sword is knocked fromher hand, but instead of fleeing her lord's side to try and recover it she picked up a large branch and weided like a great club. As dusk was approaching the two sides forces had been cut down significantly; the treacherous cousins had 1500 troops left, Kiso and Tomoe had 20. Kiso ordered Tomoe to flee the field with 4 others. There is dispute on why he did this; some say because he felt it would be dishonorable to die with a woman, but to me that explanation does not seem to hold water. This is a woman he raised out of near sexual slavery to be not only a wife but a trusted bodyguard and general in his armies. Surly, no one would find it shameful for him to die with his most loyal samurai and champion.  The other, is that he truly did love her and valued her person, not wanting to see her die needlessly. Call me a romantic, but I believe this makes more sense. So after beheading one last samurai for the protection of her lord husband she obeyed and left the field. Shortly after, Lord Kiso would find his horse stuck in the mud and while trying to free it he was struck dead by an arrow.

Battle of Awazu - Tomoe Gozen's Last Stand

But everything around the conclusion of Tomoe's whereabouts afterward are shrouded in mystery. The legend's end, favored by poets and playwrights, say she snuck back on the battlefield and removed her husbands head from his corpse so it cannot be taken as a trophy, then proceeded to drown it and herself in the ocean. Another account says she lost in a duel with a samurai by the name of Wada Yoshimori, becoming his concubine. And still another account that after the battle and lose of her husband she retired altogther from her violent career and become a nun in a Buddhist temple. We will probably never know what happened her, but in our modern era she has become a Japanese national and pop culture icon; and national parades, festivals, or re-enactments of Japanese history always find at least a couple of people costumed as the fearsome female samurai.

There is a fictionalized novel of her exploits at Amazon:

But for a more historical understanding her and other female samurai my I suggest:



Also along the right hand side of the blog you can find other recommended material on the Genpei War

Happy Bastille Day

228 years ago today the infamous political prison, the Bastille was stormed by rioting commoners of Paris, aided by sympathetic factions within the police force. As I stated in the Independence Day post, this event would spark a 17 year conflict, both internally and internationally, that would end in 1815 with the second defeat of Napoleon and see the European powers develop a democratic republic for the people of France.

Louise XVI

 France's support for the American Revolution had put it in a financially precarious place. While not destitute or bankrupt, it would take a few years for the French economy to fully recover. That is if appropriate and sensible people were in charge. Unfortunately the ruler of France was Louise the XVI, and while not as disinterested in rule as Emperor Nero, he was as frivolous in his bacchanal pursuits of pleasure. To make matters worse, the majority of the aristocracy, drunk on the idea their old rivals the British were just served a humiliating lose of their colonies, followed the king in his hedonism. The lavish life styles of the upper class were spiraling France's weakened economy down further, and the only solution, to those in power who did not want to give up the years long party, was to tax the commoners. The people of the cities were growing desperate, trade was down, french coinage was not worth as much anymore, there were food shortages and now crippling taxes.

Jacques Necker

  Enter Jacques Necker, France's Finance Minister, he saw the hardship being endured by the people from the policies he was being forced to implement. He also, was not willing to turn a blind eye to the growing resentment that was starting to form within the starving populace, as they watched the aristocracy's gilded carriages go by. He implored the French court to take serious look at what was happening around them and to make changes before the 3rd Estate (the common people) revolt just like the Americans did. With the help of the king's cousin Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, the king was persuaded to allow the representatives from the 3rd estate to assemble into delegation to discuss and codify their grievances and suggest ways to alleviate them. On June 20th, at a meeting of the assembly, they took what is known as the Tennis Court Oath, not to disband until the king and the aristocracy agreed to make changes to the government forming a constitutional monarchy, they named themselves the National Constitute Assembly. This demand infuriated the king, he had the Assembly forcibly disbanded and dismissed Jacques Necker as Finance Minister, banishing him from court.

News of the kings reaction hit Paris like a tinderbox, the city was engulfed in anarchistic riots. The chaos soon reached the Hotel national des Invalides, a government run retirement home for military veterans. There, under the influence of a number of veterans, the rioters formed up into the "Bourgeois Militia". The militia spread forming other groups into the militia, including some of the police and national guard. Now being identified as an army, and no longer as malcontent rioters, the militia knew that it was only a matter of time before the regular army was sent against them. They needed weapons and ammo fast. What they saw was the monolithic citadel prison, the Bastille, as the most likely place to acquire all the arms they needed. They marched onto the prison, and at this point it was not just about the guns; as they marched leaders within the make shift army started to goad their followers to attack the prison with all they had, that it was a symbol of the oppressive goverment they were now fighting against; that the people inside, once freed would be like beacons to the rest of France. The ironic thing was, most of the prisoners, included the vast majority of the high profile ones, had been evacuated a day or two before (including the deviant sociopath Marquis de Sade), and most of the staff and guards with them. But once the fortress had fallen that did not matter to the people, the Bastille become the symbol the revolution leadership needed it to be to begin the loooonnnggg road to democracy.

One interesting tidbit about this event, is the fate of one of its heirlooms, the massive key to the main front gate. After its fall and the revolution had begun, one of the early leaders of the revolution was Marquise de Lafayette, the same general whose forces aided George Washington during the American Revolution (though he tried to be a more moderate voice within the French Revolution, and the radicals made him pay for it). Lafayette hoped that America would send troops to aid in their cause, and as a token of good will sent them the key to the prison, which had been presented to him by the Bourgeois Militia. The key made its way to Thomas Pain, writer of the pamphlet "Common Sense" which had inspired Jefferson's in his writing the Declaration. Pain then gave the key to another founding father, Rutledge (if you watched the videos in my 1776 post, the character of Rutledge is the one who sings Molasses, to Rum, to Slaves) who then presents it to President George Washington. The key now sits in a display case in the historic site of Mt. Vernon.

And so to leave you on this historic day I bring to you the French national anthem: La Marseillaise

Happy Birthday Caesar

So today is Caesar's 2117th Birthday, woohoo toga party. I really do hope you all enjoyed my, (long) labor of love, series on the great general. But if it only wet your whistle and you want to immerse yourself into the Roman world may I recommend:

HBO's Rome

Like I said in the last of the Caesar post the cast for season one is absolutely phenomenal, in both looks and talent. Ciaren Hines (Mance Ryder of Game of Thrones) is magnificent as Caesar, he plays the mighty Roman's air of dignity and his Machiavellian mind perfectly; James Purefoy (Joe Caroll in The Following) is a terrific Mark Antony, a boorish soldier's solider held in check only by his loyalty to his friend and commander Caesar; and other memorable performances by Kevin McKidd, Polly Walker, and Ray Stevenson. While the first season does take some creative licenses with details of events, it does an excellent job of the overall sequence of those events, not to mention the costum and set design are spot on. Season one pretty much follows the second half of my series, from the Gallic war to his assassination; mostly through the eyes of two fictional legionnaires who get caught up in the events of the time. To be honest I don't really recommend season 2 as some of the actors had changed, and there is a noticably decline in set budget, it just did not feel as grand as the first.

Homecoming

Joan of Arc's Ring

While she may be last in our poll, Joan of Arc made news a few days ago. After 600 years in the possession of the British, this heirloom of Joan is returned to France. Eventually our Badass Women series well cover Joan, but for now enjoy this act of good will between neighbors.

Independance Day: An International Affair

"Gentleman, we are about to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper" John Handcock

The paper Hancock was referring to was America's Declaration of Independence; the storm, the wrath of the British Empire. The next year, and every year since, for 241 years, we Americans celebrate those men's brave decision to defy convention, to give the middle finger to their ancestral homeland and become their own nation. To commemorate that event we revel in community during the day, attending BBQs, beach days, concerts, and festivals; at dusk we may listen to speechs from local leaders, politicians, or celebrities extolling the achievements of our nation or reading passages from the famed document penned by Thomas Jefferson. Finally, once the sun goes down, we regal ourselves with massive firework displays, symbolizing the hard fought battles for our freedom. I know it's hard to fathom for us Americans, but to the rest of the world, the 4th of July (and its preceding or proceeding weekend) was just like any other day. The 4th is a uniquely American holiday, however, Independence Day is not. The idea of an Independence Day is celebratied in a myriad of other countries, on different dates, all with their own unique stories. While it would be a monumental task to go through them all, here are 6 to wet your appetite:

France: Bastille Day - July 14th

In 1789, after decades of abuse at the hands of the French king and aristocracy the commoner citizens of Paris had enough. After a failed attempt to establish a binding constitution between the the King, the aristocracy, the church, and the people, the citizens of Paris, aided by local police forces stormed the infamous prison, the Bastille, where the upper class kept political prisoners. This sparked a series of events for years to come; from revolution, to anarchy, to the reign of terror, to the military dictatorship of Napoleon, and finally to democracy. After decades of internal conflict and international war, the French people were free.

To celebrate, the day starts with a massive military parade (the largest in Europe) down Paris's famous avenue, Champs-Elysee, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, were the leadership of France and other heads of state and ambassadors sit in review. The parade is broadcast throughout France, meanwhile smaller parades dot the countryside where ever garrisons of French troops may be stationed. The rest of the day is spent in appreciation of French culture as people attend feasts of local cuisine and attend art and music festivals of local French artists; even the large museums and galleries participate.

Other countries with strong ties to France get in on the action. Bastille Day is celebrated by French Canadians with parades and festivals all over Canada, especially in Vancouver and Onterio. Liege, Belgium has been celebrating the day since the French helped liberate them from the Germans in WWI. The city of Podicherry, India, a former French colony city, celebrates with its own parade waving both French and Indian flags. Prague in the Czech Republic has a "July 14th Market Day" were the streets are filled with French food and music. Even here in the US, in cities that traditionally had large French descent populations get in on the action; St. Louise, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Philadelphia all have festivals to mark the day, with smaller events dotting the country.

Mexico: Grito de Dolores - September 15-16

At 2:30 am, on September 16, 1810, the people of the small town of Doloros, just outside the city of Guanajuato, awoke to the ringing of the church bells. Once the people had gathered at the church to see what the commotion was the local Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo, gave an impassioned speech during which he says:

"My Children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once....Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriotes? Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad goverment! Death to the Napoleon collaborators! Death to the gachupines!"

His speech brought to the surface the resentment the Mexican people were already feeling toward their Spanish rulers, who under the alliance with Napolean started to curb religious freedom, speech, and assembly. His words sparked a 10 year long revolution for Mexican independence. Spain was now fighting a three front war; back home as allies of the French's march for European dominance, with rebel Texans who were already chaffing under the Spanish yoke, and now in the very heart of their holdings in the new world.

This event is celebrated as Grito de Dolores (the Cry of Doloros). On the night of the 15th, the President of Mexico will ring the bell at the presidential palace and from it's balcony give a speech on Mexican patriotism, invoking the name of Hidalgo and other heroes of the Mexican revolution. Afterward the bells will ring again while the President waves the national flag over the crowd. On the following day the country is awash in fiestas and parades.

Greece: Independence and Annunciation Day - March 24-25

The Greek celebration of independence is as much a religious festival as it is secular one as it coincides with the Greek Orthodox observance day of the Annunciation, the day Mother Mary received an angelic message that she was pregnant with the Christ.There is also another significant  religious connection to Greek independence, as the revolution was fought for religious freedom as much as secular freedom, as the Muslim Turks treated Christians as inferior second class citizens and imposed a tax on any who would not convert to Islam. March 25, 1821, is the commemorated start date of the Greek War for Independence from the Ottoman Empire. Technically fighting was already occurring throughout the Baltics including Greece by different rebel groups, scattered and uncoordinated, sometimes uncooperative with one another. Then one group, the Filiki Etaireria, gained support from the Russian Czar and the Russian Orthodox Church. This kind of support gave them the power and authority needed to call all other factions under their banner, including the powerful but fractured, Greek Orthodox Church. And so on that fateful March night, Bishop Germanos blessed the banner of the combined Greek forces.

Festivities start in Athens on the 24th with a student parade through the ancient city to the parliament building, dressed in school uniforms or traditional Greek heritage dress. Then on the 25th the entire country comes to a standstill as religious services are held all morning followed by a military parade. Accompanying the soliders on parade are Greek Orthodox priests and bishops in full regalia, blessing the flag waving crowds as they walk past. Then it is off to home where the traditional meal of the day is Bakaliaros Skordalia, a fried and salted cod in garlic sauce made with potatoes and olive oil.

Indian Independence Day - August 15

Since the mid 1600's European powers had been competing for control of trade in the large, resource rich sub-continent of India. By 1773, Britain's East India Company, with the backing of the British military, had pushed out all other competitors and had subdued several small local kingdoms, establishing a company run government in Calcutta. But after several bloody uprisings and conflicts with neighboring kingdoms Britain decided to step in and take direct control of the companies territory, even expanding into conquered neighbors; and in 1858 the government of the British Raj was established. The British Raj consisted of principalities and other semi-autonomous states, and provinces run by parliament appointed governors; all, governor's, princes, Raj's, and any other rulers and administrators all answered to a Viceroy who was appointed directly by the British crown. The government of the British Raj ruled an area from Pakistan to the West to Burma in the east, from the Himalayan in the North to the Indian ocean to the south. Then in 1930s Mahatma Ghandi lead a non-violent revolt to British rule. After the WWII the British Empire did not have the resources to keep control and subdue the movement so on August 15, 1947, the flag of the British Raj at it's capital, the Red Fort in Delhi, was lowered and the new national flag of India was raised. 

Celebration of this event begins with a ceremonial raising of the Indian flag at the Red Fort with a 21 gun salute. Afterwards the Prime Minister gives a speech about the country's achievements that past year, what pressing issues the country still faces, and a call to action to solve them (much like our State of the Union Address given every year by the President). On this day the citizenry is clothed with their most colorful apparel and the buildings are decorated in colored lights as street fairs fill the cities. And high above, kites of every shape and color are flown all day and well into dusk.

Israel: Yom Ha'atzmaut - On the Hebrew Calendar day of Iyar 5 (falls between 4/15 - 5/15)

In 70AD, after four years of revolt against Roman rule in Judea and the rest of Palestine, the rebels were put down. It has been the second time the Jewish population of the Kingdom of Judea had rose up against Rome and its puppet king and between those two open conflicts and other instances of malcontent Rome had enough. As punishment the city of Jerusalem and its great Temple were burned to the ground. The Kingdom of Judea was no more. Thus begun Jewish diaspora, the Jewish people spread out among the nations of the middle east, north Africa, and Europe, without a homeland of their own. Since then Palestine had changed hands among foreign powers more then a dozen times. Until on May 15, 1948, the British gave up their claim on the land and the new State of Israel was born. After almost 19 centuries the Jewish people had their homeland back to self rule as their own.

 To celebrate this monumental event in Jewish history crowds gather the night before at Mount Herzl, a national cemetery were Theodor Herzl, father of the Zionist movement, is buried. There, people will be treated to performances of various artists followed by a speech from the speaker of the Knesset (parliament) and a lighting of 12 torches, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. The day itself has been declared a Jewish religious holiday by the Chief Rabbinate in 1950, and so there is a religious ceremony conducted with a reading of the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). The day is filled with military parades, contests of Hebrew singing and scripture recital, awards for outstanding civil and military achievments, and music festivals.

Belize: September Celebrations - September 21

Belize's September Celebrations commemorate two events in the nation's history. The first is the defeat of the Spanish by British naval forces in a battle known as the Battle of St. George's Caye, ending the exploitative Spanish rule in favor of a more benevolent British rule. The Spanish had been trying to force out the settlers and natives alike, after they had opted to live under British rule instead of Spain, and to strip the land dry of its resources. They finally pushed their way through the channel at Montego Caye Shoal and faced the last ditch defenses of British naval captains John Moss and Thomaas Barrow. John Moss commanded the warships Merlin, Towzer, and Tickler; Thomas Barrow commanded the warships Swinger, Teazer, and several other smaller vessels. They faced off against 35 Spainish warships and through skill and superior knowledge of the areas, shoals, reefs, channels, etc., won the day driving the Spanish out for good. The resort colony would be given semi-autonomous rule under the Brits until September 21, 1981, when through an act of parliament they were granted independance.

The day is celebrated with the Queen of the Bay beauty pageant, along with various talent shows and concerts. Like most countries, they also have a parade of military and other uniformed personal (police, emts, firefighters, etc.), but afterward comes a grand carnival parade of dance and costumes depicting their Maya and Mestizo heritage, all to calypso music.