The Battle of the Florida Mountains was an action of the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

. Forces involved were

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehende ...

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

warriors and mounted

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

militia. The battle occurred in a

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places *Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland *Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits *Mountain pass, a lower place in a mountai ...

of the

Florida Mountains The Florida Mountains are a small long, mountain range in New Mexico. The mountains lie in southern Luna County about southeast of Deming, and north of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico; the range lies in the north of the Chihuahuan Desert regi ...

within

Confederate Arizona Arizona Territory, Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as Confederate Arizona, was an Constitution of the Confederate States, organized incorporated territory of the Confederate States that existed from August 1, 1861 to May 26, 1865, wh ...

, now southwestern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. The engagement occurred sometime around the middle of August 1861.

Background

Mangas Coloradas Mangas Coloradas or Mangus-Colorado (La-choy Ko-kun-noste, alias "Red Sleeve"), or Dasoda-hae ("He Just Sits There") (c. 1793 – January 18, 1863) was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Mimbreño (Tchihende) division of the Central ...

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...

Apaches, fought Confederate soldiers throughout Arizona's rebellious period. The Arizona Guards, a force of Confederate militia recruited in

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 between the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. It encompasses present-day Sout ...

, 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 , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

region to the western side of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

near Mesilla. Most of them had left their town of

Tubac Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name ''Cuwak'', which tr ...

after the

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

of their old

presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...

. By mid-August they had nearly made it to the river when they were

ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...

ed by a force of Apache warriors. This engagement became known as the

Battle of Cookes Canyon The Battle of Cookes Canyon was a military engagement fought between settlers from Confederate Arizona and Chiricahua Apaches in August 1861. It occurred about northwest of Mesilla, in Cookes Canyon. The exact date of the battle is unknown ...

. Word of the engagement and the plunder of hundreds of heads of livestock 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 nighttime 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, as he had a hunch as to where the Apaches were headed with their stolen property. Instead, he ordered the militia to proceed to the passes over the Florida Mountains, near the Mexican border. Mastin knew that the Apaches could not travel very fast with stolen livestock. The captain and 35 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 pickets 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.

Aftermath

Governor

John R. Baylor John R. Baylor (born John Robert Baylor; July 27, 1822 – February 6, 1894) was a US Indian agent, publisher and editor, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army.Mescalero Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-cen ...

Apaches within ten days of the Florida Mountains battle. These engagements occurred at and near

Fort Davis, Texas Fort Davis is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,201 at the 2010 census, up from 1,050 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jeff Davis County. Hist ...

, 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 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 n ...

, where he was mortally wounded.

References

*Cochise, Ciyé, "The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise". New York: Pyramid Books, 1972 * Kaywaykla, James (edited Eve Ball), "In the Days of Victorio: Recollections of a Warm Springs Apache". Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1970 *Limerick, Patricia Nelson, ''The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West''. New York: W.W. Norton, 1987 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Florida Mountains, Battle of Battles involving the Apache Battles involving the United States Battles involving Native Americans Native American history of New Mexico

Battle of the Florida Mountains The Battle of the Florida Mountains was an action of the Apache Wars. Forces involved were Chiricahua Apache warriors and mounted Confederate States militia. The battle occurred in a pass of the Florida Mountains within Confederate Arizona, no ...

History of United States expansionism History of Luna County, New Mexico 19th-century military history of the United States Confederate occupation of New Mexico Battles of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War Confederate victories of the American Civil War Battles of the American Civil War in New Mexico Apache Wars 1861 in New Mexico Territory August 1861 events

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References