Battle of Lincoln (1878)

Belligerents Murphy-Dolan Faction
Fort StantonRegulatorsCommanders and leaders George Smith
George Peppin
Nathan DudleyAlexander McSween†
Billy the KidStrength

150

Murphy-Dolan Faction ~60 46–53Casualties and losses 2 killed
5-10 wounded 5 killed
4-5 wounded Civilian casualties:
1 wounded

The Battle of Lincoln, New Mexico, so-called Five-Day Battle or Five-Day Siege, was a five-day-long firefight between the Murphy-Dolan Faction and the Regulators that took place between July 15–19, 1878, in Lincoln, New Mexico. It was the largest armed battle of the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory. The firefight was interrupted and suppressed by United States Cavalry led by Lt. Col. Nathan Dudley from Fort Stanton.

By September 1878, when Territorial Governor Lew Wallace was appointed by the president, many of the Regulators and other fighters had returned to normal life, as many had left the area. Wallace tasked Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett to reduce lawlessness in the region, and, within three years, he and his deputies had hunted down and killed William "Billy the Kid" Bonney and other figures who had continued to operate in the area.