Kit Carson and the First Battle of Adobe Walls: A Tale of Two Journeys by Alvin R. Lynn

Abstract

Reviewed by: Kit Carson and the First Battle of Adobe Walls: A Tale of Two Journeys by Alvin R. Lynn James Blackshear Kit Carson and the First Battle of Adobe Walls: A Tale of Two Journeys. By Alvin R. Lynn. (Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2014. Pp. 284. Maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.) In 1864, at the height of the Civil War, Colonel Kit Carson led 335 Union Army volunteers and 70 Indian auxiliaries out of Fort Bascom, New Mexico Territory, into the Texas Panhandle in search of Kiowa and Comanche bands who had been raiding along the Santa Fe Trail. In the heart of winter, after pushing the expedition across some of the most difficult country in the Southwest, he found the Indians deep within Comanchería. The battle that followed occurred near the ruins of an old adobe trading post. In this battle, later to be known as the First Battle of Adobe Walls, Carson quickly realized he was about to be overwhelmed and ordered a retreat back to New Mexico. Alvin R. Lynn’s account of this expedition is informative and entertaining on a number of levels. Both an experienced field archeologist and a historian of the Texas Panhandle, Lynn combines the two fields to create a multi-dimensional history of Carson’s journey across the Llano Estacado. He uses a metal detector and primary source documents to follow the expedition into Texas, searching the swales in the prairie grasses for wagon ruts and artifacts. He did such detective work for more than fifteen years, mapping Carson’s two-hundred mile journey and, in the process, identifying where his army camped and where they fought. The subtitle, A Tale of Two Journeys, reveals that two parallel narratives run through this work. One details Carson’s expedition and his furious fight against the Indians. The second is a recounting of the modern-day archeological journey that uncovered a trove of artifacts from Carson’s 1864 march. [End Page 121] Lynn’s familiarity and love of the land shine throughout as he describes the various topographies he traversed, making insightful observations at every point along the way. Such observations draw Carson’s own experiences closer. Along with the text, which is beautifully written, there are eighteen maps that detail individual sections of Carson’s route from Fort Bascom to Adobe Walls, including each place that his troopers camped. There are also sixteen archeological maps noting specific locations where artifacts were uncovered, from the Kiowa village Carson’s men destroyed to the actual ground where most of the fighting took place. There are also numerous black-and-white photos of key individuals, landscapes, and artifacts, a number of color illustrations of the battle, and many spectacular color vistas of the trail. The book is oversized with a beautifully rendered cover. While the reader may assume that this is a coffee-table book, it is not. Aside from the excellent graphics, photos, and tables, Lynn also furnishes a solid, sourced account of the journey and the battle. While the narrative of both Carson’s and Lynn’s journeys are the book’s strength, the archeological component of the work is also well-crafted. Such a combination provides readers interested in a variety of fields with the opportunity to join Lynn on his own expedition down the Canadian River to Adobe Walls. It is well worth the trip. James Blackshear Austin College/Collin College Copyright © 2015 The Texas State Historical Association