Battle of the Catalina River
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Catalina River was a military engagement fought on March 21, 1784 during the Spanish
conquest of the present day Arizona
. The combatants were Apache
and Navajo
warrior
s, Spanish
soldier
s and Tucson militia
.
, on March 21, 1784, an Apache and Navajo force withdrew to the Catalina Mountains but before making it all the way there, a pursuing group Spaniards and Pima
s caught up with them.
Reinforced by thirty Pima scout
s from the neighboring towns of Tupson and San Xavier, the Spanish force consisted of forty-eight men, including five Tucson
citizens, serving as militia, along with twelve men of the remount herd guard. The Spanish and Pima force left Tucson and after only forty-five minutes, caught up with the Navajos and Apaches at the base of the Catalina Mountains, near the Catalina River
as it was called at the time.
The native army split in two, 400 out of 500 warriors continued up the mountain. The other 100 natives were directed to delay the Spaniards in order to allow the escape of the main Apache and Navajo force. Lieutenant
Tomás Equrrola's was in command, his troop killed fourteen warriors and wounded many others, among them Chief
Chiquito
, who was the one who commanded and instigated his followers to raid Tucson. The Spaniards and Pimas suffered an unknown amount of casualties themselves.
Eventually the remaining 100 natives were routed but when the Spanish cavalry tried to pursue they were unable. The fourteen dead Apaches and or Navajos were decapitated and their heads brought back to Tucson and placed along the presidio
walls, as a warning, next to the heads of the three warriors killed in the raid.
Spanish period of Arizona
In the late 18th century, colonists began steadily entering the region of northern New Spain that is the modern-day U.S. state of Arizona. They were attracted by reports of the discovery of deposits of silver around the Arizonac mining camp...
conquest of the present day Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The combatants were 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...
and 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, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s and Tucson 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...
.
Battle
After the native raid, known as the Fourth Battle of TucsonFourth Battle of Tucson
The Fourth Battle of Tucson was a raid during the Spanish-Apache Wars. At break of day, on March 21, 1784, a force of no more than 500 Apaches and Navajos attacked Spanish cavalry guards protecting a herd of livestock at the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson in southern Arizona.-Battle:The Spanish...
, on March 21, 1784, an Apache and Navajo force withdrew to the Catalina Mountains but before making it all the way there, a pursuing group Spaniards and Pima
Pima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
s caught up with them.
Reinforced by thirty Pima scout
Scout
A scout is a soldier performing reconnaissance and other support duties.Scout may also refer to:-Aircraft:* Scout , pre-1920s terminology for a single-seat fighter...
s from the neighboring towns of Tupson and San Xavier, the Spanish force consisted of forty-eight men, including five Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
citizens, serving as militia, along with twelve men of the remount herd guard. The Spanish and Pima force left Tucson and after only forty-five minutes, caught up with the Navajos and Apaches at the base of the Catalina Mountains, near the Catalina River
San Pedro River (Arizona)
San Pedro River is a northward-flowing stream originating about ten miles south of Sierra Vista, Arizona near Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. It is one of only two rivers which flow north from Mexico into the United States. The river flows north through Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and...
as it was called at the time.
The native army split in two, 400 out of 500 warriors continued up the mountain. The other 100 natives were directed to delay the Spaniards in order to allow the escape of the main Apache and Navajo force. 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...
Tomás Equrrola's was in command, his troop killed fourteen warriors and wounded many others, among them 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 ...
Chiquito
Chiquito
Augusto Valdez Pangan, Sr. , better known as Chiquito, was a popular Filipino actor appearing mainly in comedy films.-Biography:...
, who was the one who commanded and instigated his followers to raid Tucson. The Spaniards and Pimas suffered an unknown amount of casualties themselves.
Eventually the remaining 100 natives were routed but when the Spanish cavalry tried to pursue they were unable. The fourteen dead Apaches and or Navajos were decapitated and their heads brought back to Tucson and placed along the 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...
walls, as a warning, next to the heads of the three warriors killed in the raid.
See also
- Spanish period of ArizonaSpanish period of ArizonaIn the late 18th century, colonists began steadily entering the region of northern New Spain that is the modern-day U.S. state of Arizona. They were attracted by reports of the discovery of deposits of silver around the Arizonac mining camp...
- Capture of Tucson (1846)Capture of Tucson (1846)The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on the Mexican city of Tucson, Sonora, now the present day Tucson, Arizona. The would be combatants were provisional Mexican Army troops and the American Mormon Battalion. Tucson fell in December of 1846 without resistance.-Capture:The...
- Capture of Tucson (1862)Capture of Tucson (1862)The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militiamen without a shot fired.-Background:...
- Siege of TubacSiege of TubacThe 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...
- American Indian Wars
- Apache WarsApache WarsThe 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...
- Navajo WarsNavajo WarsThe 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....