Battle of the Florida Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Florida Mountains was an action of the Apache Wars
, forces involved were Chiricahua
Apache
warrior
s and mounted Confederate States
militia
. The battle occurred in a pass
of the Florida Mountains
within Confederate Arizona, now the modern day southwestern New Mexico
. The exact date of the engagement is unknown.
, Chief
of the Gila River
Apache
s, fought Confederate soldiers throughout Arizona's rebellious period. The Arizona Guards, a force of Confederate militia
, recruited in Traditional Arizona
, were in action almost immediately after their induction into service on August 1, 1861.
In early August, a group of Arizonans, known as the Ake Party were traveling from the Tucson region to the western shores of the Rio Grande River near Mesilla
. Most of whom had left their town of Tubac
after the siege
of their old presidio
.
They had nearly made it to the river when they were ambush
ed by a force of Apache
warrior
s, this engagement became known as the Battle of Cooke's Canyon
in mid August. Word of the engagement and the plunder of hundreds of heads of livestock
led to the Arizona Guards involvement in this Apache campaign.
border. Mastin knew that the Apaches could not travel very fast with stolen livestock.
The Captain and thirty-five of his men arrived at the base of the mountains early the next day. There they settled themselves in the foothills and awaited the fleeing Apaches. Mastin’s hunch had paid off. The Arizona Guards occupied their new post in the Florida Mountains for only a short time when their picket
s reported the approach of the native warriors.
The Arizonans charged the Apaches as they entered the pass, and a running fight ensued. The Apaches were routed, and much of the livestock was recaptured. As many as eight of the Apaches were killed, with no loss to the Confederate forces.
The Arizona Guards pursued the Apaches back to Cooke's Canyon, where they attempted to regroup. A small skirmish was fought with no casualties inflicted to either side. The Apaches retreated to their usual strongholds in northern Mexico
.
John R. Baylor heard of the Arizona Guard's victory in the Florida Mountains, however the success was overshadowed by two defeats at the hands of Mescalero
Apaches within ten days of the Florida Mountains battle. These engagements occurred at and near Fort Davis, Texas
so Baylor's men were not involved in the fighting. Captain Mastin would go on to lead the Arizona Guards to victory at the Battle of Pinos Altos
, where he was mortally wounded.
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...
, forces involved were Chiricahua
Chiricahua
Chiricahua are a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At the time of European encounter, they were living in 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico...
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 and mounted Confederate States
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
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...
. The battle occurred in a pass
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
of the Florida Mountains
Florida Mountains
The Florida Mountains are a small 12-mi long, mountain range in New Mexico. The mountains lie in southern Luna County about 15 mi southeast of Deming, and 20 mi north of Chihuahua state, Mexico; the range lies in the north of the Chihuahuan Desert region, and extreme southwestern New...
within Confederate Arizona, now the modern day southwestern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. The exact date of the engagement is unknown.
Background
Mangas ColoradasMangas 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...
, Chief
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 ...
of 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:...
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...
s, fought Confederate soldiers throughout Arizona's rebellious period. The Arizona Guards, a force of Confederate 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...
, recruited in Traditional Arizona
Traditional Arizona
Prior to the adoption of its name for a U.S. state, Arizona was traditionally defined as the region south of the Gila River to the present day Mexican border, and east of the Colorado River on the California border to the Rio Grande river, east of the present day Mesilla, New Mexico...
, were in action almost immediately after their induction into service on August 1, 1861.
In early August, a group of Arizonans, known as the Ake Party were traveling from the Tucson region to the western shores of the Rio Grande River near Mesilla
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
. Most of whom had left their town of Tubac
Tubac, Arizona
Tubac is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 949 at the 2000 census. The place name Tubac is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name, which translates into English as "rotten". The original O'odham name is written...
after the siege
Siege of Tubac
The Siege of Tubac was a siege of the Apache Wars, between settlers and militia of Confederate Arizona and Chiricahua Apaches. The battle took place at Tubac in the present day southern Arizona...
of their old presidio
Presidio
A presidio is a fortified base established by the Spanish in North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fortresses were built to protect against pirates, hostile native Americans and enemy colonists. Other presidios were held by Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth...
.
They had nearly made it to the river when they were ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
ed by a force of 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, this engagement became known as the Battle of Cooke's Canyon
Battle of Cooke's Canyon
The Battle of Cooke's Canyon was an engagement of the Apache Wars fought in August of 1861, between settlers from Confederate Arizona, and Chiricahua Apaches. It occurred about forty miles northwest of Mesilla, in Cooke's Canyon...
in mid August. Word of the engagement and the plunder of hundreds of heads of livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
led to the Arizona Guards involvement in this Apache campaign.
Battle
As soon as Thomas J. Mastin, captain of the Arizona Guards, received the Ake Party’s distress call, he realized that a night time pursuit would likely lead to an ambush of the pursuers, Captain Mastin ordered the pursuit to begin the next morning. Mastin did not head for Cook Canyon, however, he had a hunch as to where the Apaches were headed with their stolen property. Instead, he ordered the his militia to proceed to the passes over the Florida Mountains, near the MexicanMexico
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...
border. Mastin knew that the Apaches could not travel very fast with stolen livestock.
The Captain and thirty-five of his men arrived at the base of the mountains early the next day. There they settled themselves in the foothills and awaited the fleeing Apaches. Mastin’s hunch had paid off. The Arizona Guards occupied their new post in the Florida Mountains for only a short time when their picket
Picket (military)
In military terminology, a picket refers to soldiers or troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit performing a similar function...
s reported the approach of the native warriors.
The Arizonans charged the Apaches as they entered the pass, and a running fight ensued. The Apaches were routed, and much of the livestock was recaptured. As many as eight of the Apaches were killed, with no loss to the Confederate forces.
The Arizona Guards pursued the Apaches back to Cooke's Canyon, where they attempted to regroup. A small skirmish was fought with no casualties inflicted to either side. The Apaches retreated to their usual strongholds in northern Mexico
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...
.
Aftermath
GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
John R. Baylor heard of the Arizona Guard's victory in the Florida Mountains, however the success was overshadowed by two defeats at the hands of Mescalero
Mescalero
Mescalero is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southcentral New Mexico...
Apaches within ten days of the Florida Mountains battle. These engagements occurred at and near Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis, Texas
Fort Davis is a census-designated place in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2000 census and 1,041 according to a 2007 estimate. It is the county seat of Jeff Davis County...
so Baylor's men were not involved in the fighting. Captain Mastin would go on to lead the Arizona Guards to victory at the Battle of Pinos Altos
Battle of Pinos Altos
The Battle of Pinos Altos was a military action of the Apache Wars. It was fought on September 27, 1861 between settlers of Pinos Altos mining town, the Confederate Arizona Guards, and Apache warriors. The town is located about seven miles north of the present day Silver City, New...
, where he was mortally wounded.
See also
- American Indian Wars
- The Florida Mountains are located at: 32.12373°N 107.62173°W