Armed conflict between indigenous peoples and white people in northern Mexico and southern USA between 1879-1881
Victorio's War was the last major Apache resistance campaign in the American Southwest, marking the end of large-scale Apache guerrilla warfare.
Key Facts
- Start date
- September 1879
- End date
- 1881
- Decisive engagement
- Battle of Tres Castillos, October 1880
- Theater
- Southern New Mexico, west Texas, northern Mexico
- Apache leader killed
- Chief Victorio, October 1880
- Post-Victorio raid leader
- Nana, 1881
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Victorio and his Apache followers faced forced relocation from their homeland in New Mexico to the San Carlos Indian Reservation in southeastern Arizona, a move they strongly opposed. Facing arrest as well as displacement, Victorio chose armed resistance rather than submit to confinement on a distant reservation far from their traditional territory.
Beginning in September 1879, Victorio led Apache warriors in a guerrilla campaign across southern New Mexico, west Texas, and northern Mexico, fighting numerous battles and skirmishes against the United States Army and raiding settlements. The conflict involved both U.S. and Mexican military forces attempting to suppress the Apache bands over more than a year of mobile warfare.
The Mexican Army killed Victorio and most of his warriors at the Battle of Tres Castillos in October 1880, effectively ending the main campaign. His lieutenant Nana conducted a final raid in 1881. Scholars regard the conflict as the last occasion when Apache fighters in such numbers operated under capable leadership in the region, marking the close of significant Apache armed resistance.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Victorio, Nana.
Side B
2 belligerents