Battle of Pinos Altos
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pinos Altos was a military action of the Apache Wars
. It was fought on September 27, 1861 between settler
s of Pinos Altos
mining town
, the Confederate
Arizona Guards, and Apache
warrior
s. The town is located about seven miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico
.
Chiefs
Mangas Coloradas
and after the Bascom Affair
, Cochise
, who by 1861 had formed an alliance with each other and vowed to destroy all of the Americans and Mexicans
encroaching on their land.
Apaches attacked several towns, killing many settlers. Pinos Altos, being one of the major mining towns in the area, formed its own two militia
companies for garrison
duty. The first company under Captain Thomas J. Mastin called themselves the "Arizona Guards", the other under Captain William Markt, called themselves the "Minute Men". The founder of Phoenix
, Jack Swilling
was a First Lieutenant
of the Arizona Guards, he is believed to have fought in the Pinos Altos enagement. One of the soldiers of the company engaged was James Henry Tevis. Most of the Arizona Guards were settlers and miners from around Pinos Altos
and the Mimbres River
valley or other parts of southern New Mexico Territory who had joined to protect their lives and property due to the escalating conflict with the Mimbreños.
When the provisional Arizona Territory was annexed to the Confederacy after Lt. Colonel John Baylor
occupied Mesilla in July 1861, the Militia companies were mustered into the Confederate Army. Unfortunately for the rebel cause, half of the Minute Men deserted just after their induction, the others were poorly equipped. This meant the Arizona Guards had to provide most of the protection for the Pinos Altos miners.
. The natives attacked simultaneously the nearby mining camp and the town itself.
The assault completely surprised the town's population. Many miners, at their camp, were trapped in their diggings and subsequently killed. Some survivors stayed underground, too afraid to venture out, thus contributing nothing to the town's defense. The Arizona Guards were on patrol when the Apaches attacked, two forces, Mastin commanded one while the other portion patrolled elsewhere. Apache forces first attempted to burn several log cabins which ran along the perimeter of the settlement, this failed and the natives were repulsed.
Fortunately for the miners, Mastin's squad of fifteen men, arrived back at the town, not long after hostilities began, the other portion was still on patrol. Captain Mastin ordered his men, the remnants of the Minute Men, and the towns civilian defenders to take up defensive positions in the center of the settlement. For a while the two sides fought at medium to long range until the natives launched a full attack at about 12:00 noon. At this time the Apaches and rebels were fighting hand to hand
.
With the battle at its climax around 12:30 pm, Captain Mastin realized something must be done to aid his overwhelmed militiamen. So he ordered the old cannon
, which sat in front of the famous Sam and Roy Bean
's store, to be loaded with nails and buckshot. This was done due to the lack of cannon balls, the cannon was only there in front of Roy Bean's store for show.
After finding some old rusty nails and some buckshot, the gun was wheeled into the defender's position and fired on the wave of oncoming Apache warriors. Many natives fell, dead or wounded. The Apaches decided to cease their effort and began to retreat so the Arizona Guards mounted their horses and gave chase, while the civilian fighting men fired muskets from their house windows. The engagement was over by 1:00 pm, the Apaches fled to the Gila River
or to Mexico.
Within the last half hour of the battle, Captain Thomas Mastin managed to turn an almost certain defeat into victory with his simple order to bring up the old cannon. At least ten Apaches were killed and left on the battlefield after the natives had retreated. Over twenty dead and wounded were picked up and dragged away by the Apaches, according to Confederate accounts. Captain Mastin was mortally wounded, sometime while leading the cavalry charge that decided the battle, he died a few days later at Pinos Altos. Other accounts say Mastin was killed by an Apache bullet, before the cannon was ever in use. Five Confederates were killed, including Mastin, seven other settlers or militiamen were severely wounded. Command of the Arizona guards passed to Lieutenant
Thomas Helm.
Apache tactics changed at this point, other than at the Apache Pass
engagement, Apaches ceased massing in large numbers and continued their cause by means of guerilla warfare. They stopped attacking well defended settlements, or settlements with large bodies of Confederate troops. Instead they continued attacking mining camps and smaller isolated communities. Captain Peter Hardeman of the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles with twenty-five men were near Pinos Altos immediately after the Apaches retreated. Hardeman's troop came across the Apache trail and tracked them for days, all the way to the Gila River before turning back due to their rations which were running low. Confederate forces chased Apaches into Mexico several times in 1861 and 1862. The Arizona Guards penetrated as far as Lake Guzman in Chihuahua, without ever catching the elusive natives.
As for Pinos Altos, most of the settlers ended their stay at the camp. Despite their victory, many were afraid the Chiricahua would attack again. On October 8, Governor Baylor received a distress message from the miners of Pinos Altos so 100 men were sent to reinforce the Arizona Guards, the largest Confederate force ever sent to relieve a town threatened by natives. The Apaches never attacked again so the reinforcing company was withdrawn. Only about seventy miners remained in Pinos Altos after the battle, the Arizona Guards continued their garrison duty.
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
. It was fought on September 27, 1861 between settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s of Pinos Altos
Pinos Altos, New Mexico
Pinos Altos, in Grant County, New Mexico, was a mining town, formed in 1860 following the discovery of gold in the nearby Pinos Altos Mountains. The town site is located about five to ten miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico...
mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
, the Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
Arizona Guards, and Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s. The town is located about seven miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant County. The city is the home of Western New Mexico University.-History:...
.
Background
Conflict between the Confederates and Apaches was at its height in September 1861. Since the 1860 discovery of gold in the nearby Pinos Altos Mountains, thousands of white settlers had flocked to the region. This infuriated the ApacheApache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
Chiefs
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas, or Dasoda-hae , was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Eastern Chiricahua nation, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico...
and after the Bascom Affair
Bascom Affair
The Bascom Affair is considered to be the key event in triggering the 1860s Apache War. The Apache Wars were fought during the nineteenth century between the U.S. military and many tribes in what is now the southwestern United States...
, Cochise
Cochise
Cochise was a chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache and the leader of an uprising that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him.-Biography:...
, who by 1861 had formed an alliance with each other and vowed to destroy all of the Americans and Mexicans
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
encroaching on their land.
Apaches attacked several towns, killing many settlers. Pinos Altos, being one of the major mining towns in the area, formed its own two militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
companies for garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
duty. The first company under Captain Thomas J. Mastin called themselves the "Arizona Guards", the other under Captain William Markt, called themselves the "Minute Men". The founder of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Jack Swilling
Jack Swilling
John W. "Jack" Swilling founded the city of Phoenix, Arizona, in 1867. Other pioneers and travelers had seen and commented on the ancient Hohokam canals in that area, but it was J. W. Swilling who organized the first successful modern irrigation project in Arizona's Salt River Valley...
was a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of the Arizona Guards, he is believed to have fought in the Pinos Altos enagement. One of the soldiers of the company engaged was James Henry Tevis. Most of the Arizona Guards were settlers and miners from around Pinos Altos
Pinos Altos, New Mexico
Pinos Altos, in Grant County, New Mexico, was a mining town, formed in 1860 following the discovery of gold in the nearby Pinos Altos Mountains. The town site is located about five to ten miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico...
and the Mimbres River
Mimbres River
The Mimbres River is a river in southwestern New Mexico. It forms from snow pack and runoff on the south-western slopes of the Black Range and flows into a small endorheic basin east of Deming, New Mexico. The uplands watershed are administered by the US Forest Service, while the land in the...
valley or other parts of southern New Mexico Territory who had joined to protect their lives and property due to the escalating conflict with the Mimbreños.
When the provisional Arizona Territory was annexed to the Confederacy after Lt. Colonel John Baylor
John Baylor
John Robert Baylor was a politician in Texas and a military officer of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
occupied Mesilla in July 1861, the Militia companies were mustered into the Confederate Army. Unfortunately for the rebel cause, half of the Minute Men deserted just after their induction, the others were poorly equipped. This meant the Arizona Guards had to provide most of the protection for the Pinos Altos miners.
Battle
The combined force of Mangas Coloradas and Cochise, numbered well over 300 strong when they turned their attention to Pinos Altos in the early morning of September 27, 1861. The Apaches hoped to achieve another victory as they did at Tubac and attempted at PlacitoBattle of Placito
The Battle of Placito or Battle of the Placito was an engagement between ethnic Mexican settlers, Confederate soldiers and Apache warriors. It took place at the now abandoned village of Placito in Confederate Arizona...
. The natives attacked simultaneously the nearby mining camp and the town itself.
The assault completely surprised the town's population. Many miners, at their camp, were trapped in their diggings and subsequently killed. Some survivors stayed underground, too afraid to venture out, thus contributing nothing to the town's defense. The Arizona Guards were on patrol when the Apaches attacked, two forces, Mastin commanded one while the other portion patrolled elsewhere. Apache forces first attempted to burn several log cabins which ran along the perimeter of the settlement, this failed and the natives were repulsed.
Fortunately for the miners, Mastin's squad of fifteen men, arrived back at the town, not long after hostilities began, the other portion was still on patrol. Captain Mastin ordered his men, the remnants of the Minute Men, and the towns civilian defenders to take up defensive positions in the center of the settlement. For a while the two sides fought at medium to long range until the natives launched a full attack at about 12:00 noon. At this time the Apaches and rebels were fighting hand to hand
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
.
With the battle at its climax around 12:30 pm, Captain Mastin realized something must be done to aid his overwhelmed militiamen. So he ordered the old cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, which sat in front of the famous Sam and Roy Bean
Roy Bean
Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. was an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County, Texas, who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, Judge Roy Bean held court in his saloon along the Rio Grande in a desolate stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert of...
's store, to be loaded with nails and buckshot. This was done due to the lack of cannon balls, the cannon was only there in front of Roy Bean's store for show.
After finding some old rusty nails and some buckshot, the gun was wheeled into the defender's position and fired on the wave of oncoming Apache warriors. Many natives fell, dead or wounded. The Apaches decided to cease their effort and began to retreat so the Arizona Guards mounted their horses and gave chase, while the civilian fighting men fired muskets from their house windows. The engagement was over by 1:00 pm, the Apaches fled to the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
or to Mexico.
Aftermath
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Thomas Helm.
Apache tactics changed at this point, other than at the Apache Pass
Battle of Apache Pass
The Battle of Apache Pass was fought in 1862 at Apache Pass, Arizona in the United States, between Apache warriors and the Union volunteers of the California Column as it marched from California to capture Confederate Arizona and to reinforce New Mexico's Union army...
engagement, Apaches ceased massing in large numbers and continued their cause by means of guerilla warfare. They stopped attacking well defended settlements, or settlements with large bodies of Confederate troops. Instead they continued attacking mining camps and smaller isolated communities. Captain Peter Hardeman of the 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles with twenty-five men were near Pinos Altos immediately after the Apaches retreated. Hardeman's troop came across the Apache trail and tracked them for days, all the way to the Gila River before turning back due to their rations which were running low. Confederate forces chased Apaches into Mexico several times in 1861 and 1862. The Arizona Guards penetrated as far as Lake Guzman in Chihuahua, without ever catching the elusive natives.
As for Pinos Altos, most of the settlers ended their stay at the camp. Despite their victory, many were afraid the Chiricahua would attack again. On October 8, Governor Baylor received a distress message from the miners of Pinos Altos so 100 men were sent to reinforce the Arizona Guards, the largest Confederate force ever sent to relieve a town threatened by natives. The Apaches never attacked again so the reinforcing company was withdrawn. Only about seventy miners remained in Pinos Altos after the battle, the Arizona Guards continued their garrison duty.