Battle of the Mimbres River

The Battle of the Mimbres River was a surprise attack launched by a troop of American militia against an encampment of Chiricahua Apaches along the western shore of the Mimbres River.

Battle of the Mimbres River
Part of the Apache Wars
An Apache Warrior by William F. Farny.
Date December 4, 1860 Location Mimbres River, New Mexico Territory Result United States Victory
Belligerents
United States	Apache
Commanders and leaders
James Henry Tevis	Mangas Coloradas
Strength
30 militia	unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown	4 killed
Civilian Casualties: 13 captured

On December 4, 1860, a force of thirty armed miners led by James Henry Tevis attacked at sunrise, claiming it was retaliation for stolen livestock. The surprised Apaches, led by Mangas Coloradas, were quickly defeated in a short close quarters action. Four warriors were killed, and an unknown number were wounded. The settlers' casualties are unknown, if any at all. Thirteen women and children were captured and several warriors fled, leaving their families behind. Mangas Coloradas survived. The Americans recovered some of their livestock.

See also

• American Indian Wars
• Capture of Tucson (1862)

References

• Cochise, Ciyé "The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise" New York: Pyramid Books 1972
• Lavender, David. The Rockies. Revised Edition. N.Y.: Harper & Row, 1975.
• Limerick, Patricia Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. N.Y.: W.W. Norton, 1987.
• Thrapp, Dan L. (1979). The Conquest of Apacheria. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1286-7.
• Williams, Albert N. Rocky Mountain Country. N.Y.: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1950.