Battle of Pinos Altos: Difference between revisions

Battle of Pinos Altos
Part of the American Civil War Apache Wars
Date September 27, 1861 Location Pinos Altos, Confederate Arizona Modern Day: Pinos Altos, New Mexico Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
Confederate States	Apache
Commanders and leaders
Thomas J. Mastin	Mangas Coloradas, Cochise
Strength
15+ militia, 1 cannon	300+ warriors
Casualties and losses
1+ killed, unknown wounded	10+ killed, 20+ wounded

The Battle of Pinos Altos was a military action of the Apache Wars. The combatants were; settlers of the currently abandoned Pinos Altos mining town, the Confederate Arizona Guards and Apache warriors. The town was located about five to ten miles from the present day Silver City, New Mexico.

Conflict between the Confederates and Apaches was at it's 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 chiefs Mangas Coloradas and Cochise who by 1861 had formed an alliance with eachother's band 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". Over time all Arizonan volunteers became known as the "Arizona Guards" or the "Arizona Rangers." Unfortunately for the rebel cause, half of the "Minute Men" deserted, the other were poorly equipped. This meant the "Arizona Guards" had to provide most of the protection to the Pinos Altos miners.

The combined force of Mangas Coloradas and Cochise, numbered well over 300 strong, turned their attention to Pinos Altos in the early morning of September 27, 1861. They hoped to achieve another victory as they did at Tubac only weeks earlier. The native army attacked simultaneously the nearby mining camp and the town itself.

The assault completely suprised 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 contibuting nothing to the town's defense. Unfortunately the Arizona Guards were on patrol when the Apaches attacked, two forces, Mastin commanded one while the other portion patrolled elsewhere.

However, Mastin's squad of fifteen men, arrived back at the town, not long after hostilities began. The other portion was still on patrol. Upon arrival, Captain Mastin ordered his fifteen 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 few hours the two sides battled, until by 12:00 am, the Apaches and Arizonans were fighting hand to hand.

With the fighting at its climax around 12:30 am, 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 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 defenders position and fired on the wave of oncoming Apache warriors. Many natives fell, dead or wounded. The Apaches decided to abandon their effort and began to retreat. So the Arizona Guards mounted their horses and gave chase. The fighting was over by 1:00 pm, the Apaches fled to the Gila River.

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 over twenty wounded 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. Settler and militia casualties are unknown, what is known is that some militiamen were indeed harmed in the fighting. 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.

• American Indian Wars
• American Civil War
• New Mexico Campaign

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