Battle of Pecos River
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pecos River was fought in 1864 during the Navajo Wars
. United States
Army troops and Apache
Scouts
defeated a force of Navajo
warrior
s next to the Pecos River
in New Mexico
. It is notable for being one of the many Indian war battles involving the California Column
Lorenzo Labadie commanded a Mescalero
Apache force of about sixty scouts
and Chief
Cadete which tracked a Navajo war party of 100 strong south along the Pecos after they raided livestock at Bosque Redondo reservation. Dozens of mules and horses were taken by the Navajo but they were closely pursued. The Navajo eventually realized that they couldn't escape without leaving the livestock so they chose to fight and took up positions along the river to wait for the Americans and Apaches. By then fifteen soldiers of the 2nd California Cavalry
along with at least ten men of the 5th Infantry
had arrived to reinforce Labadie, they were under the command of Lieutenant
Charles Newbold
. It was 11:00 am and the temperature was around ten degrees below zero when the Americans discovered the enemy waiting for them in a small valley. The Navajo opened fire at eighty yards and the Americans and Apaches quickly took cover and began returning fire. Newbold then ordered his soldiers to take up their revolvers and charge which according to Newbold "went down like a small tornado. Nine Navajos were killed in the attack.
Skirmishing ensued for several hours after and lasted all day until sundown. The engagement took place mostly at long range meaning that it was hard for both sides to see each other and the severe winter cold led to frostbite which slowed the soldier's and scout's ability to reload. Because of this the Apaches eventually abandoned their rifles and armed themselves with bows and arrows. The Americans also carried two Colt six-shooters
each. Fighting ended when the Navajo fled, the soldiers estimated that forty Navajo warriors were killed and left on the battlefield and at least twenty-five others were wounded. They also reported that around twenty-five others escaped. After a long and bloody fight not a single American or Apache was wounded. Fifty horses and mules were recovered. Less than two weeks later Colonel
Kit Carson
would lead American troops in the Fall of Canyon de Chelly
which led to the Long Walk
to Fort Sumner
Navajo Wars
The Navajo Wars were a series of battles and other conflicts, often separated with treaties that involved raids by different Navajo bands on the rancheras along the Rio Grande and the counter campaigns by the Spanish, Mexican, and United States governments, and sometimes their civilian elements....
. United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army troops 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...
Scouts
Apache scouts
The Apache Scouts were part of the United States Army Indian Scouts, most of their service was during the Apache Wars up to 1886 though the last scout retired in 1947. The Apache scouts were the eyes and ears of the United States military and sometimes the cultural translators for the various...
defeated a force of Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
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 next to the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
in 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...
. It is notable for being one of the many Indian war battles involving the California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
Battle
Indian AgentIndian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
Lorenzo Labadie commanded a 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...
Apache force of about sixty scouts
Apache scouts
The Apache Scouts were part of the United States Army Indian Scouts, most of their service was during the Apache Wars up to 1886 though the last scout retired in 1947. The Apache scouts were the eyes and ears of the United States military and sometimes the cultural translators for the various...
and 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 ...
Cadete which tracked a Navajo war party of 100 strong south along the Pecos after they raided livestock at Bosque Redondo reservation. Dozens of mules and horses were taken by the Navajo but they were closely pursued. The Navajo eventually realized that they couldn't escape without leaving the livestock so they chose to fight and took up positions along the river to wait for the Americans and Apaches. By then fifteen soldiers of the 2nd California Cavalry
2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
The 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, with most of its companies dispersed to various posts.-History:...
along with at least ten men of the 5th Infantry
5th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 5th Infantry Regiment is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army, tracing its origins to 1808...
had arrived to reinforce Labadie, they were under the command of Lieutenant
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...
Charles Newbold
Charles Newbold
Charles Newbold was an American blacksmith born in 1780 in Chesterfield, New Jersey. On June 26, 1797, Newbold received the first patent for a cast iron plow. However, he was unable to sell his plow because many farmers feared that the iron in it would poison the soil...
. It was 11:00 am and the temperature was around ten degrees below zero when the Americans discovered the enemy waiting for them in a small valley. The Navajo opened fire at eighty yards and the Americans and Apaches quickly took cover and began returning fire. Newbold then ordered his soldiers to take up their revolvers and charge which according to Newbold "went down like a small tornado. Nine Navajos were killed in the attack.
Skirmishing ensued for several hours after and lasted all day until sundown. The engagement took place mostly at long range meaning that it was hard for both sides to see each other and the severe winter cold led to frostbite which slowed the soldier's and scout's ability to reload. Because of this the Apaches eventually abandoned their rifles and armed themselves with bows and arrows. The Americans also carried two Colt six-shooters
Colt Army Model 1860
The Colt Army Model 1860 is a muzzle-loaded cap & ball .44-caliber revolver used during the American Civil War, made by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It was used as a side arm by cavalry, infantry, artillery troops, and naval forces....
each. Fighting ended when the Navajo fled, the soldiers estimated that forty Navajo warriors were killed and left on the battlefield and at least twenty-five others were wounded. They also reported that around twenty-five others escaped. After a long and bloody fight not a single American or Apache was wounded. Fifty horses and mules were recovered. Less than two weeks later Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
would lead American troops in the Fall of Canyon de Chelly
Battle of Canyon de Chelly
The Battle of Canyon de Chelly was fought in 1864 as part of the Navajo Wars. It was a successful operation for the United States Army which precipitated the Long Walk and was the final major military engagement between the Navajo and the Americans...
which led to the Long Walk
Long Walk of the Navajo
The Long Walk of the Navajo, also called the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo , refers to the 1864 deportation of the Navajo people by the U.S. Government. Navajos were forced to walk at gunpoint from their reservation in what is now Arizona to eastern New Mexico. The trip lasted about 18 days...
to Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...