The Bonneville Expedition was a military operation launched by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1857 at the beginning of the Chiricahua Apache Wars. Colonel

Benjamin Bonneville Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville (April 14, 1796 – June 12, 1878) was an American officer in the United States Army, fur trade, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. He is noted for his expeditions to the Oregon Country and the Gre ...

, Lieutenant Colonel Dixon S. Miles, and Colonel

William W. Loring William Wing Loring (December 4, 1818 – December 30, 1886) was an American soldier who served in the armies of the United States, the Confederacy, and Egypt. Biography Early life William was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, to Reuben a ...

commanded parties which headed west from

Fort Fillmore Fort Fillmore, located at 32°13′30″N 106°42′52″W, was a United States military fortification established by Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner in September 1851 near Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, primarily for the purpose of protecting sett ...

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

. The expedition quickly engaged

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 ...

s in two small but significant battles, the first in the

Black Range Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

and the second along 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 ...

near present-day

Safford, Arizona Safford (Western Apache: Ichʼįʼ Nahiłtį́į́) is a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 10,129. The city is the county seat of Graham County. Safford is the principal ...

.Michno, pg. 53-56

Expedition

In late May 1857, responding to the threat from constant Apache raids, Colonel Bonneville organized a two-pronged expedition into

Apacheria Apachería was the term used to designate the region inhabited by the Apache people. The earliest written records have it as a region extending from north of the Arkansas River into what are now the northern states of Mexico and from Central Tex ...

. Hundreds of troops assembled at Fort Fillmore and

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. Colonel Loring commanded the northern column, which left from Albuquerque for the

Mogollon Mountains The Mogollon Mountains or Mogollon Range ( or ) are a mountain range in Grant County and Catron County of southwestern New Mexico, in the Southwestern United States. They are primarily protected within the Gila National Forest. Geography The Mo ...

, while Miles commanded the southern column, which would advance west along the Gila. Bonneville accompanied the southern column, but Miles was in command. Altogether about 800 infantry, cavalry and

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

were involved, 600 of whom were part of Mile's column. Loring's command was the first to make contact with the enemy. Chief Black Knife and his band were in the area with 2,000 head of stolen sheep. On May 24, Loring's force caught up with the Apaches in the Black Range near the Mogollons after pursuing them for days. At a little rocky valley the Apaches were attacked and defeated at their camp. Seven warriors were killed and left on the field while the rest fled into the mountains. Chief Black Knife was one of the killed; nine others were captured and all of the livestock was recaptured. There were no American casualties in the engagement. The southern column had to wait longer for an engagement. They moved slower than Colonel Loring's men partly because Bonneville split his force in two and marched it in tight configuration on both sides of the river. This tactic made many of Bonneville's officers believe they would have no chance of catching up with any Apaches. Captain

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. L ...

commanded the right wing of about 300 men, which was the only part of the column to fight a battle. On June 27, more than a month after the start of the expedition, Ewell and his men came across a rancheria east of

Mount Graham Mount Graham (called in Nnee biyati' (Western Apache) Dził Nchaa Sí'an - ′Big Seated Mountain′) is a mountain in Graham County, Arizona, United States, approximately northeast of Tucson. The mountain reaches in height. It is the highes ...

, on the Gila River. Ewell wasted no time in waiting for the left wing so he and his men hastily advanced into the Apache camp and killed or wounded about 40 warriors in a short engagement before Bonneville or Miles could arrive. Forty-five women and children were also captured. Two American officers were killed, and seven enlisted men were wounded. One of the killed Apaches was believed to have been responsible for the death of

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

Henry I. Dodge.

References

* {{reflist Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition Bonneville Expedition 1857 in the United States May 1857 events June 1857 events July 1857 events