The Second Battle of the Stronghold (a.k.a. Lava Beds) was a battle

Battle

Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...

 during the Modoc War

Modoc War

The Modoc War, or Modoc Campaign , was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc tribe and the United States Army in southern Oregon and northern California from 1872–1873. The Modoc War was the last of the Indian Wars to occur in California or Oregon...

 between a band of the Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 Modoc tribe and the Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, in northeastern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The battle began on April 15, 1873, and ended on April 17, 1873. The Army succeeded in forcing the Modoc to abandon their fortified position at Captain Jack's Stronghold

Captain Jack's Stronghold

Captain Jack's Stronghold, named for Modoc chief Captain Jack, is a part of Lava Beds National Monument.The stronghold can be accessed from the Perez turnoff, off Highway 139 between Tulelake and Canby, California....

 in the Lava Beds

Lava Beds National Monument

Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California, in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties. The Monument lies on the northeastern flank of the Medicine Lake Volcano, with the largest total area covered by a volcano in the Cascade Range....

, but failed to capture the band.

Background

Following the assassination of Major General Edward Canby

Edward Canby

Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War, Reconstruction era, and the Indian Wars...

 and another member of a peace delegation during a peace conference on April 11, 1873, the Army, under the command of Colonel Alvan Gillem, made preparations to attack the Stronghold.

Fighting

On April 15 a general attack began, troops advancing from Gillem's camp on the west and Mason's camp at Hospital Rock, northeast of the Stronghold. Fighting continued throughout the day, the troops remaining in position during the night. Each advance of troops on the 16th was under heavy fire from the Modoc positions. That night the troops succeeded in cutting the Modoc off from their water supply at the shore of Tule Lake

Tule Lake

Tule Lake is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon.-Geography:Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River...

. By the morning of April 17 everything was in readiness for the final attack on the Stronghold. When the order was given to advance, the troops charged into the Stronghold.

After the fighting along the shoreline of Tule Lake on the afternoon and night of April 16, the Modocs defending the Stronghold realized that their water supply had been cut off by the troops commanding the shoreline. On April 17, before the troops had received the order to charge the Stronghold, the Modoc escaped through a crevice left unguarded during a movement of troops from one position to another.

Casualties

During the fighting at the Stronghold, April 15 - 17, casualties included one officer and six enlisted men killed, and thirteen enlisted men wounded. The only Modoc casualty was a boy, reported to have been killed when a cannon ball, which he was attempting to open with an axe, exploded. Several Modoc women were reported to have died from sickness.

U.S.

Col. Alvan C. Gillem, 1st U.S. Cavalry commanding



Mason's Command - Major Edwin C. Mason

• 1st U.S. Cavalry
  • Troop B
  • Troop C
• 21st U.S. Infantry
  • Company B
  • Company C
  • Company I
• 4th U.S. Artillery
  • Howitzer Battery
• Scouts
  • Warm Springs

Green's Command - Major John Green

John Green (soldier)

John Green was a United States cavalry officer, who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership at the First Battle of the Stronghold during the Modoc War.-Early life:...

• 1st U.S. Cavalry
  • Troop F
  • Troop K
  • Troop H (remained behind as rear guard)
• 12th U.S. Infantry
  • Company E
  • Company G
• 4th U.S. Infantry
  • Battery A
  • Battery E
  • Battery K
  • Battery M