Battle of the Pinal Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Pinal Mountains was one of many small battles to occur between Apache
warrior
s and Spanish
colonists. The exact date of the battle is unknown but happened on one day in mid June, 1788 in the Pinal Mountains
of southern Arizona
.
of the Spanish Army
led a 208 man force of Sonora
n troops that killed eleven Apache warriors and four women and children. Thirty-four Apache men, women and children were captured. The Apaches slain included a chieftain
named Quilcho.
Romero's expedition recovered two captive Pima
s from Tucson
and eleven animals with a loss of two men dead. The so-called highlight of this offensive was a battle in the Pinal Mountains. Ensign
Joeseph Moraga with about ten men from their pack-train escort decided to scout ahead of the wagon train
.
After scouting a little while in the extreme front, on horseback, the force spotted and attacked a ranchería
, protected by "no more than 100 enemies". After Moraga slayed one Apache himself in hand-to-hand combat. Captain Romero, commanding the main force, heard the firing and raced to the scene, arriving just before the battle ended where his men skirmishing a bit first. The Spaniards lost one man, but killed six Apache warriors.
s salary. Romero left a widow, Doña Luisa Bohorquez, and at least two sons.
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
colonists. The exact date of the battle is unknown but happened on one day in mid June, 1788 in the Pinal Mountains
Pinaleno Mountains
The Pinaleño Mountains, or the Pinal Mountains, are a remote mountain range in southeastern Arizona. They have over of vertical relief, more than any other range in the state. The mountains are surrounded by the Sonoran-Chihuahuan Desert. Subalpine forests cover the higher elevations...
of southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Battle
Beginning on May 31, 1788 to June 24, Captain Pablo RomeroPablo Romero
Pablo Romero Hernandez is a former Cuban amateur boxer best known for winning two light-heavyweight gold medals at World Championships. The dominant light-heavy of the eighties he never participated in Olympics as his country boycotted both the 1984 and 1988 games...
of the Spanish Army
Spanish Army
The Spanish Army is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies - dating back to the 15th century.-Introduction:...
led a 208 man force of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
n troops that killed eleven Apache warriors and four women and children. Thirty-four Apache men, women and children were captured. The Apaches slain included a chieftain
Chieftain
Chieftain may refer to:The leader or head of a group:* a tribal chief or a village head.* a member of the 'House of chiefs'.* a captain, to which 'chieftain' is etymologically related.* Clan chief, the head of a Scottish clan....
named Quilcho.
Romero's expedition recovered two captive Pima
Pima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
s from Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
and eleven animals with a loss of two men dead. The so-called highlight of this offensive was a battle in the Pinal Mountains. Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
Joeseph Moraga with about ten men from their pack-train escort decided to scout ahead of the wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
.
After scouting a little while in the extreme front, on horseback, the force spotted and attacked a ranchería
Ranchería
The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...
, protected by "no more than 100 enemies". After Moraga slayed one Apache himself in hand-to-hand combat. Captain Romero, commanding the main force, heard the firing and raced to the scene, arriving just before the battle ended where his men skirmishing a bit first. The Spaniards lost one man, but killed six Apache warriors.
Aftermath
Captain Romero evidently left straightaway after the expedition ended to report to the commandant of arms in Arizpe how well he succeeded in his sweep across Apacheria, so the King of Spain granted him a commission. However, shortly thereafter, on June 30, a band of Apaches caught and killed him on the hill of San Borja between Chinapa and Bacoachi. Thus, Romero did not live to see the king's commission granting him 2,400 pesoPeso
The word peso was the name of a coin that originated in Spain and became of immense importance internationally...
s salary. Romero left a widow, Doña Luisa Bohorquez, and at least two sons.
See also
- Spanish period of ArizonaSpanish period of ArizonaIn the late 18th century, colonists began steadily entering the region of northern New Spain that is the modern-day U.S. state of Arizona. They were attracted by reports of the discovery of deposits of silver around the Arizonac mining camp...
- Capture of Tucson (1846)Capture of Tucson (1846)The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on the Mexican city of Tucson, Sonora, now the present day Tucson, Arizona. The would be combatants were provisional Mexican Army troops and the American Mormon Battalion. Tucson fell in December of 1846 without resistance.-Capture:The...
- Capture of Tucson (1862)Capture of Tucson (1862)The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militiamen without a shot fired.-Background:...
- Siege of TubacSiege of TubacThe Siege of Tubac was a siege of the Apache Wars, between settlers and militia of Confederate Arizona and Chiricahua Apaches. The battle took place at Tubac in the present day southern Arizona...
- American Indian Wars
- Apache WarsApache WarsThe Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
- Navajo WarsNavajo WarsThe Navajo Wars were a series of battles and other conflicts, often separated with treaties that involved raids by different Navajo bands on the rancheras along the Rio Grande and the counter campaigns by the Spanish, Mexican, and United States governments, and sometimes their civilian elements....