Second Battle of Fort Defiance 1860
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 30 August 1860 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1860 | 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 | Navajo Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 35.7469, -109.0686 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Fort Defiance was a military engagement fought during the United States period of the Navajo Wars. On April 29, 1860, about 1,000 Navajo warriors assaulted the United States Army garrison of Fort Defiance in New Mexico Territory, now within present day Arizona. The Navajo achieved a surprise attack but was ultimately repulsed by 150 American defenders of the 3rd Infantry under Captain Oliver L. Shepherd. The Americans formed in the center of the buildings and withstood the Navajo attack. The natives retreated with a loss of around seven dead and several wounded while the Americans suffered four men killed in action and three wounded.
The second Navajo assault on Fort Defiance was the only instance of hostile natives attacking a heavily garrisoned fort subsequent to occupation during the Mexican–American War. It was one of the largest battles fought within the borders of Arizona. It was also one of the reasons why the militia commander Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Antonio Chaves ordered an unauthorized campaign into Navajo territory in 1860 and 1861.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Second Battle of Fort Defiance (revision 1370736182), 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 Canyon de Chelly 1864 · 60 km
- Battle of Fort Tularosa 1880 · 213 km
- Battle of Mount Gray 1864 · 217 km
- Battle of Cibecue Creek 1881 · 231 km
- Battle of Fort Apache 1881 · 233 km
- Battle of Albuquerque 1862 · 234 km
Other battles of the Navajo Wars
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles