Thomas J. Mastin
Thomas J. Mastin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | October 7, 1861 (aged 22) |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, entrepreneur, Confederate captain |
| Known for | Founder of the Arizona Guards |
Thomas J. Mastin (September 13, 1839 – October 7, 1861) was an attorney, entrepreneur, and Confederate captain. He established the Arizona Guards, a unit that served within the Confederate Army during both the American Civil War and the Apache Wars.
Biography
Mastin was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi as the fourth child among nine siblings to Reuben Frasier and Letita Minerva Mastin. In 1841, his family relocated to Pontotoc, Mississippi, where his father worked as a blacksmith. After pursuing opportunities connected to the California Gold Rush, they eventually settled in Quincy, California by 1857.
By 1858, Mastin had moved to Gila City, located in the New Mexico Territory, where he practiced law and engaged in various business activities. In 1860, he was chosen as a delegate to the constitutional convention held in Tucson, which resulted in the formation of the provisional Arizona Territory. Governor Lewis S. Owings appointed him as attorney general of Castle Dome County, an area now incorporated into Yuma County, Arizona. According to the 1860 census, Mastin was an unmarried merchant with real estate valued at $2,000 and personal property worth $6,500. He managed a mining operation in Piños Altos, where gold deposits were first found in May 1860.
Mastin identified two quartz veins near Piños Altos, which he named Pacific and Atlantic. By 1861, he had become a co-owner of a ranch alongside Thomas Jefferson Helm and had gained recognition locally—The Mesilla Times referred to him as "colonel." He practiced law within Mesilla County and argued cases before the Supreme Court of the Territory of Arizona. On March 16, 1861, Mastin represented Piños Altos at the convention that established Confederate Arizona. After surviving an assassination attempt in May of that year, he formed the Arizona Guards on July 18. Following Arizona’s secession on August 1 under Governor John R. Baylor, this unit was integrated into the Confederate Army and stationed at Fort Fillmore for approximately one year.
The Arizona Guards primarily undertook reconnaissance missions targeting the Apache, pursuing them into northern Mexico. On September 27, Mastin sustained serious injuries during the Battle of Pinos Altos while defending against an Apache assault; he succumbed to blood poisoning on October 7. His funeral was conducted by his soldiers and local residents who commemorated him with a medal for thirty days. Lieutenant Helm assumed command after his death. Mastin’s burial took place in Piños Altos cemetery; however, his gravestone bears the name "Marston."
In 1866, amid a renewed gold rush at Piños Altos, Virgil Mastin constructed a 15-stamp mill to process ore extracted from the Atlantic lode. By the time mining operations ceased in the 1870s, Piños Altos had yielded close to $3 million worth of gold over a span of thirty years.