Victorio ( Bidu-ya , Beduiat ; ca. 1825–October 14, 1880) was a warrior and chief of the Warm Springs band of the Tchihendeh (or Chihenne , often called Mimbreño ) division of the central Apaches in what is now the American states of Texas , New Mexico , Arizona , and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua .
58-573: In Victorio's War from September 1879 to October 1880, Victorio led a band of Apaches, never numbering more than 200 men, in a running battle with the U.S. and Mexican armies and the civilian population of New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico, fighting two dozen skirmishes and battles. He and most of his followers were killed or captured by the Mexican army in the Battle of Tres Castillos in October 1880. Victorio
116-755: A guerrilla war across southern New Mexico, west Texas and northern Mexico. Victorio fought many battles and skirmishes with the United States Army and raided several settlements until the Mexican Army killed him and most of his warriors in October 1880 in the Battle of Tres Castillos . After Victorio's death, his lieutenant Nana led a raid in 1881. Scholar Dan Thrapp wrote of Victorio's War that "never again were [Apache] fighters in such numbers to roam and ravage that country, nor were they again to be so ably led and managed." Victorio, according to scholar Robert N. Watt, "is widely acknowledged as being one of
174-691: A stagecoach and killed the driver and wounded a passenger, James. J. Byrne, a general during the American Civil War . Byrne died a few days later. Tres Castillos , 29°58′N 105°47′W / 29.97°N 105.78°W / 29.97; -105.78 , October 14–15, 1880. Victorio took refuge in the desert of northern Mexico, sending out two raiding parties in search of badly needed ammunition and horses. A Mexican force of 250 men encircled his encampment and killed 62 men and boys, including Victorio, and 16 women and children, taking 68 women and children prisoners. Three Mexicans were killed. Nana
232-701: A cemetery at the site of the battle has at least 32 graves. The canyon where the battle took place is called "Massacre Canyon" and a nearby flat area is called Victorio Park. Lieutenant Day received the Medal of Honor for his actions eleven years later, and First Sergeant John Denny received his Medal of Honor almost sixteen years later. Lieutenant Robert Temple Emmet also received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Las Animas Canyon. Cuchillo Negro , 33°27′N 107°43′W / 33.45°N 107.71°W / 33.45; -107.71 (approximate), September 29–30, 1879. A two-day running fight in which 200 soldiers of
290-528: A company of the 9th Cavalry in Hospital Canyon, driving them from the mountains, and capturing supplies. Major Morrow and much of the 9th Cavalry retired from the field, exhausted and short of horses after chasing Victorio for the previous month. Rio Grande Valley , 32°52′N 107°17′W / 32.86°N 107.29°W / 32.86; -107.29 (approximate), March 1880. War parties sent out by Victorio raided with impunity settlements along
348-763: A group of Apaches and killed 10 of them, including Victorio's son Washington, who had a reputation as a fierce warrior. Northern Mexico , June and early July 1880. Victorio raided ranches and settlements in northern Mexico to gather supplies and livestock, with the apparent intention of driving the livestock to New Mexico, especially the Mescalero Reservation, to trade for arms and ammunition. In July, several Mexican soldiers and Apaches were killed in clashes between Victorio and Mexican military forces. Tinaja de las Palmas (or Quitman Canyon ), 31°01′N 105°14′W / 31.01°N 105.24°W / 31.01; -105.24 , July 30, 1880. Victorio crossed
406-450: A horse is located in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, as a recognition to the N’nee (chiricahua) and Apache peoples. Victorio%27s War The Apache can endure fatigue and famine and can live without water for periods that would kill the hardiest mountaineer ... In fighting them we must of necessity be the pursuers and unless we can surprise them by sudden and unexpected attack, the advantage
464-556: A knife rather than face capture, and historians such as Kathleen Chamberlain note that the Mexicans at the battle could not identify which body was Victorio's. An Apache chief named "Vittorio" and loosely based on Victorio appears as a minor antagonist in Harry Whittington 's 1963 novel Desert Stake-Out. Vittorio takes several people captive after learning that one of them murdered his brother, but later releases them upon learning that
522-474: A month. On August 9, 1880, Victorio and his band attacked a stagecoach and mortally wounded retired Major General James J. Byrne. In October 1880, in north-eastern Chihuahua (a land well known to the Guadalupe and Limpia Southern Mescaleros), having sent Nana and Mangus to raid for food and ammunition, Victorio, with only a few warriors and even less ammunition, and his band were surrounded and killed by soldiers of
580-490: A rescue party; on October 12 he killed five of another rescue party (among its members was gunfighter Johnny Ringo ). The civilians abandoned the goods in a wagon train to the Apaches. Guzman Mountains, Mexico , 31°22′N 107°44′W / 31.36°N 107.74°W / 31.36; -107.74 (approximate), October 27–28, 1879. Victorio crossed the border into Mexico and was followed by Major Morrow and 81 men of
638-535: A reservation at Ojo Caliente. Victorio's Apaches attacked settlers near Silver City beginning in April 1879. 9th Cavalry began its almost constant pursuit of Victorio's band. Captain Beyer and Lieutenant Wright's C Troop, along with some men of I troop, two Navaho scouts, and John R. Foster, a local guide, left Fort Bayard in pursuit on May 25, 1879. Following a tip from local settlers, and finding dead animal carcasses nearby,
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#1732855868307696-415: A skirmish with the 9th Cavalry which cost the soldiers one dead, and Victorio many of his horses. Morrow reported several Indians killed. The 10th Cavalry of Buffalo Soldiers was called in from Fort Bliss, Texas to assist in the hunt for Victorio. San Andres Mountains , 32°55′N 106°33′W / 32.92°N 106.55°W / 32.92; -106.55 , February 9, 1880. The Apache routed
754-854: Is all in their favor ... You rarely see an Indian; you see the puff of smoke and hear the whiz of his bullets, but the Indian is thoroughly hidden in his rocks ... —General George Crook Victorio ' s War , or the Victorio Campaign , was an armed conflict between the Apache followers of Chief Victorio , the United States , and Mexico beginning in September 1879. Faced with arrest and forcible relocation from his homeland in New Mexico to San Carlos Indian Reservation in southeastern Arizona , Victorio led
812-460: The Alma Massacre – a raid on United States settlers' homes around Alma, New Mexico . During this event, 41 settlers were killed. Victorio's warriors were finally driven off by the arrival of American soldiers from Fort Bayard . However, Victorio continued his campaign with the attack on Fort Tularosa , where his warriors had to face a detachment (K troop) of the 9th Cavalry and were repulsed by
870-915: The Mescalero reservation in New Mexico. Fearing arrest, Victorio left the reservation on August 21, 1879, to escape both possible punishment and removal from his homeland by the U.S. government. Fleeing with him were approximately 80 warriors and their wives and children. His band was soon augmented by additional followers from the Mescalero and other Apache bands. However, he never had more than 200 warriors under his command—and rarely, if at all, were they concentrated in one place at one time. Victorio's chief lieutenants were his sister Lozen and Nana, reputed to be more than 70 years old in 1879. Ojo Caliente , 33°34′N 107°36′W / 33.57°N 107.60°W / 33.57; -107.60 , September 4, 1879. From
928-688: The Mexican Army under Colonel Joaquin Terrazas in the Battle of Tres Castillos ( 29°58′01″N 105°46′59″W / 29.967°N 105.783°W / 29.967; -105.783 ). An 1886 appendix for Papers Relating to the Foreign Nations of the United States states that, contemporaneously, the Tarahumara Scout credited with killing Victorio in 1880 was Mauricio Corredor. The Apache version states that Victorio actually committed suicide with
986-470: The Rio Grande for livestock, supplies, and ammunition, killing at least 20 civilians. The cavalry, having lost many horses, rested and resupplied during the month and prepared to take on an expanded campaign against Victorio. Hembrillo Basin , 32°55′26″N 106°38′42″W / 32.924°N 106.645°W / 32.924; -106.645 (approximate), April 5–8, 1880. In the largest battle of
1044-796: The "Buffalo Soldiers" after a harsh fight. Victorio's camp near the Rio Palomas, in the Black Range, was surprised and attacked on May 23–25, 1880, but the Mimbreños and Mescaleros succeeded in repulsing the soldiers. After the Rio Palomas battle, Victorio went on some raids to Mexico repeatedly fording the Rio Grande, after having been intercepted and beaten off, with a 60 warriors' party, at Quitman Canyon (July 30, 1880). Chased by more than 4,000 armed men ( 9th , 10th , 6th U.S. Cavalry , 15th U.S. Infantry , Texas Rangers ), Victorio evaded all of them for more than
1102-597: The 10th Cavalry near the Rio Grande and Fort Quitman , Texas. This would be the single worst day (in terms of deaths) for the 10th Cavalry until June 21, 1916 at the Battle of Carrizal . Carrizo Canyon , August 12, 1881. Nineteen soldiers and Captain Parker from K Troop of the 9th Cavalry, from Fort Wingate chased Nana's band of about forty to sixty Apaches into the Carrizo Canyon. Five Apaches were killed, two Privates from
1160-498: The 9th Cavalry and Charles B. Gatewood 's Apache scouts. Morrow attempted to dislodge Victorio from the mountains, but gave up because of lack of water and exhaustion. The official death toll was one soldier, but Gatewood recalled several soldiers and one Apache scout killed. Candelaria Mountains, Mexico , 31°07′N 106°57′W / 31.117°N 106.950°W / 31.117; -106.950 , November 9, 1879. An armed force of 18 Mexican civilians searching for Victorio
1218-437: The 9th Cavalry and 36 Indian scouts attempted to find and defeat Victorio in the northern Black Range. Two soldiers were killed and Victorio suffered what were probably his first casualties of the war. Lloyd's Ranch , 32°34′N 107°26′W / 32.57°N 107.44°W / 32.57; -107.44 , October 10–12, 1879. Victorio raided the ranch, present day Nutt, New Mexico , and killed four armed civilians in
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#17328558683071276-517: The 9th Cavalry encountered Victorio's band on May 29, 1879 in a canyon in the Mimbres Mountains . Negotiation broke down, the Apache band moved their women and children to safety, and shooting broke out. I Troop flanked the right side, climbing the mountain toward the Apaches and the Apaches fled on foot without leaving a trail. The cavalry destroyed the Apache camp equipment. Apache losses were unknown,
1334-498: The 9th Cavalry lost one man, and Beyer's force patrolled for 14 more days before returning to Fort Bayard. Victorio would not be encountered again until August 1879. Sergeant Thomas Boyne would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on May 29, 1879. In July 1879, Victorio and others were charged by a civilian court in Silver City, New Mexico , with murder and horse theft. Victorio, Nana, and other Warm Springs Apaches were then at
1392-524: The 9th Cavalry were killed, and Nana escaped. Sergeant Thomas Shaw was awarded the Medal of Honor. Battle of Cuchillo Negro Creek , August 16, 1881. Lieutenant Gustavus Valois and I Troop of the 9th Cavalry, on patrol from Fort Craig , encountered an exhausted Mexican who informed the cavalry that Nana's Apaches killed his family at his nearby ranch. Lieutenant George R. Burnett and 15 soldiers from I Troop along with Mexican volunteers (a combined force of about 50 men) searched for Nana's warriors and found
1450-513: The 9th cavalry in the San Mateo Mountains, probably near Vicks Mountain (named after him), killing one American officer and eluding capture or defeat. Caballo Mountains , 33°08′N 107°13′W / 33.13°N 107.21°W / 33.13; -107.21 , January 30, 1880. Captain Rucker and a 9th cavalry contingent crossed the Rio Grande river and approximately one mile east of
1508-596: The Cabello Mountains near the Animas Creek (January 30, 1880), and again near Aleman's Wells, San Andres Mountains west of White Sands, (February 2, 1880), then again in the San Andres Mountains (perhaps near Victorio's Peak) routing the cavalrymen and chasing them to the Rio Grande (February 9, 1880), then (April 4, 1880) at Hembrillo Canyon, San Andres Mountains. In April 1880, Victorio was credited with leading
1566-609: The Gavilan Canyon (a stream bed between the Mimbres Mountains and the Mimbres River, to the south of Carrizo Canyon). Smith and three troopers were immediately killed. Sergeant Brent Woods took command after a brief period of confusion and led a charge up the canyon wall against the Apaches. Nana and his warriors retreated. Reinforcements arrived to give chase, but Nana and his band escaped back to Mexico. Sergeant Woods received
1624-403: The Medal of Honor for his actions. Alma Massacre The Alma Massacre involved an April 28, 1880, Chiricahua Apache raid on United States settlers' homes around Alma , New Mexico Territory . At least 41 people were killed during the raid. The Chiricahua Apache raiding party was led by Victorio during his 1879–1880 guerrilla action . The party first attacked a silver mine near
1682-644: The Mescalero reservation, Victorio and his followers headed for their homeland at Ojo Caliente. Victorio needed horses and he stole about a dozen near Tres Rios . Arriving at Ojo Caliente, 40 of Victorio's men attacked a company of the 9th Cavalry, killing 5 soldiers and 3 civilians and capturing 68 horses and mules. McEvers Ranch , 32°43′N 107°34′W / 32.72°N 107.57°W / 32.72; -107.57 , September 11, 1879. Victorio ambushed an armed group of civilian volunteers searching for him. The Apaches killed ten armed civilians near McEvers Ranch (Lake Valley) and stole livestock from ranches in
1740-551: The Mimbreños were moved to San Carlos Reservation in Arizona Territory in 1877. Victorio and his followers (including old Nana) left the reservation twice, seeking and temporarily obtaining hospitality in Fort Stanton Reservation among their Sierra Blanca and Sacramento Mescalero allies and relatives (Caballero was probably Victorio's brother-in-law and Mangus' uncle, San Juan was too an old friend and Nana's wife
1798-523: The Rio Grande into Texas and encountered the 10th Cavalry of Colonel Benjamin Grierson . Rather than chasing Victorio, Grierson's strategy was to station soldiers at strategic locations, such as the infrequent waterholes in the deserts of Trans-Pecos Texas. Grierson and three companies of African-American soldiers prevented Victorio and 125 warriors from accessing the Tinaja (waterhole) de las Palmas. One soldier
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1856-574: The Warm Springs band of the Tchihendeh people and second principal leader of the whole Tchihendeh Apache division, as well as did Nana , Delgadito , Cochise , Juh , Geronimo and other Apache leaders. Mangas Coloradas taught Victorio how to create an ambush and to wait for enemies to enter the killing zone. As was the custom, he became the leader of a large mixed band of Mimbreños and Mescaleros (led by his friend – and probably brother-in-law as
1914-532: The aftermath of the Battle of Hembrillo Basin, 1,000 U.S. soldiers descended upon the Mescalero reservation. In an effort to cut off Victorio from men and supplies provided him by the Mescaleros, the soldiers imprisoned many of the men and killed 14 who resisted or attempted to flee. Alma , 33°23′N 108°54′W / 33.38°N 108.90°W / 33.38; -108.90 , April 28, 1880. His forces divided into several war bands, Victorio raged through
1972-549: The area, also killing a family living nearby at Jaralosa Creek. The survivors of the ambush said the Apache force consisted of 100 men. Las Animas Canyon , 33°03′N 107°45′W / 33.05°N 107.75°W / 33.05; -107.75 , September 18, 1879. From McEvers Ranch, Victorio headed north to the Black Range . Four companies (more than 100 men) of the 9th Cavalry found Victorio's trail and were lured into Las Las Animas Canyon. Victorio and 150 men ambushed
2030-639: The best guerrilla leaders of the Apache Wars." In 1879, Victorio was about 55 years old. He was a veteran warrior and leader of the Warm Springs ( Ojo Caliente in Spanish ) or Chihenne band of Apaches. The homeland of the Warm Springs band was north of present-day Monticello, New Mexico , in the Cañada Alamosa . A reservation at Ojo Caliente was established for Victorio and his band, and a census in 1876 recorded 916 Apache men, women, and children in residence. In
2088-561: The eastern slopes of the Black Range, west of Hillsboro, New Mexico . Morrow had one man killed and Nana later said the Apaches had 6 killed. Victorio continued on northward. San Mateo Mountains , 33°33′N 107°26′W / 33.55°N 107.43°W / 33.55; -107.43 , January 17, 1880. Returning to his old home in Ojo Caliente, Victorio attempted to negotiate terms of surrender that would allow him and his followers to remain at Ojo Caliente. Failing that, he fought
2146-483: The fight. At dark, Nana and his warriors dispersed into the mountain. Two of the 9th Cavalry were wounded and six of the cavalry's horses were killed. Private Augustus Walley , First Sergeant Moses Williams , and Lieutenant George Burnett all received the Medal of Honor for their actions on this day. Gavilan Canyon , August 19, 1881. Lieutenant George W. Smith and B Troop of the 9th Cavalry, on patrol from Fort Cummings were ambushed by Chief Nana and his Apache band in
2204-519: The fort. Nobody was hurt among the defenders and they claimed to have inflicted several casualties on Victorio's Apaches. Palomas Creek , 33°08′N 107°48′W / 33.14°N 107.80°W / 33.14; -107.80 , May 24, 1880. A force of approximately 60 Apache scouts headed by Chief of Scouts Henry K. Parker surrounded and surprised Victorio and a large number of his followers. They killed about 30 men, women, and children before running out of ammunition and withdrawing. Victorio
2262-422: The government of Mexico to find and defeat him were unsuccessful. Percha Creek , 32°55′N 107°37′W / 32.92°N 107.62°W / 32.92; -107.62 (approximate), January 12, 1880. Victorio evaded U.S. efforts to block him at the border and slipped back into New Mexico in early January. Major Morrow and a strong force of the 9th Cavalry with artillery caught him at Percha Creek on
2320-684: The husband of another daughter of Mangas Coloradas, as well the same Cochise – Caballero ) and fought against the United States Army . From 1870 to 1880, Victorio, chief of the Coppermine Mimbreños and principal leader of all the Tchihende, along with Loco, chief of the Warm Spring Mimbreños and second-ranking among the Tchihende, were moved to and left at least three different reservations, some more than once, despite their bands' request to live on traditional lands. Victorio, Loco, and
2378-555: The killer is already dead and that the novel's protagonist, Merrick, is well regarded by the Mescaleros. In the Philippe Morvan's novel, Ours , published in 2018 by Calmann-Lévy , Victorio is an important character of the plot. Mentioned in Ulzana's Raid by Burt Lancaster . In famous comics Blueberry (comic) , an Apache chief "Vittorio", again loosely based on Victorio is a recurrent character. A memorial statue of Victorio riding
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2436-719: The late 1870s, the U.S. government pursued the policy of concentrating all Apache bands at the San Carlos Indian Reservation in the Arizona desert. Victorio and the Warm Springs Apache opposed the move, both peacefully and violently. Some of the Apaches at San Carlos were enemies of the Warm Springs band, the management of the reservation by government agents was corrupt, and San Carlos was characterized by overcrowding, little grass for livestock to graze or game to hunt, bad water, and hot temperatures. Deaths of Apaches at
2494-450: The mutilated family. The soldiers followed the Apache trail and found Nana's group of about 40 to 60 warriors disguised as Mexicans near the foothills of the Black Range at Chuchillo Negro Creek. The Apaches opened fire and a prolonged engagement followed, with the Apaches retreating into the mountains. At one point, the soldiers thought their commanding officer was retreating (his horse ran away) and began to retreat, but were brought back to
2552-460: The present day town of Cooney , in the Mogollon Mountains on April 28, 1880. At the mining camp, they killed three. They then caught up to three men fleeing the area, one of whom was sergeant James C. Cooney , killing them all. Following the initial attack, the Apaches went on to kill another thirty-five people in the area, mainly sheepherders and their families. Victorio and his men left
2610-592: The reservation were numerous, especially from malaria , a disease previously almost unknown among them. The commander of the U.S. army in New Mexico, Colonel Edward Hatch , and the local commander at Ojo Caliente, Lt. Charles W. Merritt, of the 9th Cavalry (made up of African-Americans, the Buffalo Soldiers as they were called by the Apache) unsuccessfully petitioned the government in Washington, D.C. to allow Victorio
2668-465: The river the Apache lured him into an ambush. The army had several horses killed and one soldier wounded before they were able to withdraw. Aleman , 33°00′N 106°54′W / 33.00°N 106.9°W / 33.00; -106.9 (approximate), February 3, 1880. Victorio entered the Jornada del Muerto pursued by Major Morrow with 5 companies of cavalry (~150 men) and Indian scouts. He had
2726-411: The rugged Mogollon Mountains , killing a reported 41 civilians, including the Alma Massacre . Fort Tularosa , 33°53′N 108°32′W / 33.88°N 108.54°W / 33.88; -108.54 , May 14, 1880. In the Battle of Fort Tularosa about 100 Apaches attacked a makeshift fort defended by 25 soldiers of the 9th Cavalry. Local residents of Aragon, New Mexico also took refuge in
2784-520: The soldiers and from the heights above the canyon pinned the soldiers down for the remainder of the day. Late in the afternoon, First Sergeant John Denny and another soldier, while under fire, carried Private A. Freeland to safety across four hundred yards of open ground. Lieutenant Day also rescued a soldier while under fire. The cavalry was able to withdraw after dark, leaving much of its camp gear to be captured by Apaches. Five or six soldiers and two or three Navajo scouts were reported killed—although
2842-474: The war in numbers engaged. More than 500 soldiers and Indian scouts attempted to encircle Victorio's camp. Not all the U.S. troops found their way to the battlefield and after skirmishing at long distance Victorio withdrew successfully. The U.S. had two dead and three Apache bodies were reported found on the battlefield. Mescalero Reservation , 33°10′N 105°46′W / 33.16°N 105.77°W / 33.16; -105.77 , April 16, 1880. In
2900-492: The water in the springs, but was fended off by the soldiers. Grierson had 3 dead, but estimated that he had killed or wounded 30 Apaches. Victorio turned back to Mexico after the battle, unable to reach territory familiar to him in New Mexico. A mountain and canyon in the area are named for Victorio. Fort Quitman , 31°02′N 105°21′W / 31.03°N 105.35°W / 31.03; -105.35 (approximate), August 10, 1880. Returning to Mexico, Victorio attacked
2958-480: Was a Mescalero woman), before they came back to Ojo Caliente only to leave permanently in late August 1879, which started Victorio's War . Despite Nautzili 's efforts, many Northern Mescalero warriors, led by Caballero and Muchacho Negro, joined him with their families, and San Juan and other Mescaleros also left their reservation; many Guadalupe and Limpia Mescalero too ( Carnoviste and Alsate were close allies to Victorio after 1874) joined Victorio's people. Victorio
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#17328558683073016-446: Was ambushed and killed. A relief force of 35 men sent out to look for the missing men was also ambushed with fifteen killed. Victorio did not bother to collect the antique arms of the dead Mexicans, indicating that he had sufficient and better arms. This battle stimulated cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to hunt down Victorio. After these battles, Victorio moved through northern Mexico, raiding and accumulating supplies. Efforts by
3074-610: Was born around the year 1825 near the Hacienda Encinillas, Chihuahua City ( Ją’éłąyá ), Mexico and its believed he was baptized with the name of "Pedro Cedillo", on his early childhood he was taken from the Hacienda by the Chihenne band during a raid to the site and he was raised as a warrior, then he received the name "Biduya". Victorio grew up in the Chihenne band. There is speculation that he or his band had Navajo kinship ties and
3132-444: Was killed. Grierson claimed to have killed 7 Apaches. Rattlesnake Springs , 31°21′N 104°52′W / 31.35°N 104.86°W / 31.35; -104.86 , August 6, 1880. Badly in need of water and probably attempting to return to New Mexico, Victorio headed north from Mexico toward Rattlesnake Springs, Texas. After a grueling march, Grierson beat him to Rattlesnake Springs. Victorio made several attempts to reach
3190-577: Was known among the Navajo as "he who checks his horse". Victorio's sister was the famous woman warrior Lozen , or the "Dextrous Horse Thief". In 1853 he was considered a chief or sub-chief by the United States Army and signed a document. In his twenties, he rode with Mangas Coloradas , leader of the Coppermine band of the Tchihendeh people and principal leader of the whole Tchihendeh Apache division (who took him as his son-in-law), and Cuchillo Negro , leader of
3248-496: Was leading a raiding party and was not present during the battle. Victorio's sister, Lozen, was one of the few Apaches to escape the battle. Author Dan L. Thrapp called the battle a "massacre" as Victorio had little ammunition to resist the attack. Ojo Caliente (Texas) , 31°04′N 105°35′W / 31.06°N 105.58°W / 31.06; -105.58 (approximate), October 28, 1880. Thirty-five Apaches en route to reinforce Victorio ambushed and killed 5 soldiers of
3306-598: Was successful at raiding and evading capture by the military and won a significant engagement at Las Animas Canyon in what is now the Aldo Leopold Wilderness on September 18, 1879. Within a few months, Victorio led an impressive series of other fights against troops of the 9th, 10th, and 6th U.S. Cavalry near the Percha River (Rio Puerco) (January 1, 1880), in the San Mateos Mountains (January 17, 1880) and
3364-429: Was wounded. This was the first major defeat of Victorio, and it was accomplished by Apache scouts rather than soldiers. After this defeat, Victorio divided his followers into several groups and fled toward Mexico. Deming , 32°14′N 107°26′W / 32.23°N 107.43°W / 32.23; -107.43 (approximate), June 5, 1880. Tracking Victorio's forces south to Mexico, Parker's Apache scouts found
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