First Battle of the Stronghold 1873
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 January 1873 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1873 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Modoc War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 41.9093, -121.5331 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The First Battle of the Stronghold (January 17, 1873) was the second battle in the Modoc War of 1872–1873. The battle was fought between the United States Army under Lieutenant Colonel Frank Wheaton and a band of the Native American Modoc tribe from Oregon and California, led by Captain Jack (Kintpuash in Modoc).
The US Army forces tried to dislodge the Modoc from the natural fortress, now called Captain Jack's Stronghold, in the lava beds along the south shore of Tule Lake in northeastern California. They had illegally left the Klamath Reservation in Oregon, to which they had been relocated from their territory in order to enable European Americans to settle in the area. The Modoc soundly defeated the Army, inflicting numerous casualties and forcing it to retreat. Factors aiding the Modoc included their excellent defensive position, steady patience, and a thick fog that obscured portions of the battlefield.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article First Battle of the Stronghold (revision 1370619124), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Lost River 1872 · 10 km
- Second Battle of the Stronghold 1873 · 10 km
- Battle of Sand Butte 1873 · 17 km
- Battle of Dry Lake 1873 · 30 km
- Battle of Castle Crags · 107 km
- Battle of Mud Lake 1865 · 250 km
Other battles of the Modoc War
- Battle of Lost River 1872
- Battle of Dry Lake 1873
- Battle of Sand Butte 1873
- Second Battle of the Stronghold 1873
All 5 battles of the Modoc War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles