Battle 1
September 8, 1863; Dwyer, New Mexico: Capt. James H. Whitlock raised his Company F, Fifth California Infantry, in Plumas County, California, but the unit spent much of its service in Arizona and New Mexico Territory. After serving at Fort Yuma, Tucson, and Las Cruces, the company moved to Camp Mimbres, near present-day Dwyer, New Mexico, in August 1863. Mimbres was not a permanent camp, so the troops may have moved around to different spots for better water and grass.
On 4 September, Whitlock took a detachment out to scout for Apaches. The soldiers found an Indian camp the next day, but the warriors fled. Without a fight, Whitlock captured two mules, a Sharps carbine, an army blanket, and 1,000 pounds of mescal, then he burned the camp. On 8 September, Whitlock surprised another Apache camp and engaged the Indians in "a spirited fight" for fifteen minutes.
The warriors took away their wounded, so the Indian losses were unknown, but Whitlock suffered one soldier and one civilian guide seriously wounded. After another short stint at Camp Mimbres, Whitlock moved his command to Fort West, on the Gila River.
Battle 2
September 17, 1865; Kingston, New Mexico: The First Battalion of California Veteran Infantry was formed in December 1864 by consolidating the First California Infantry and the Fifth California Infantry. Commanded by Lt. Col. Edwin A. Rigg, the battalion's seven companies were scattered about various posts in New Mexico Territory. From February 1865 to February 1866, Company D was posted to Fort McRae, on the Rio Grande. In September 1865 Apaches raided the fort's stock, running off a number of horses. Lt. John Slater, with ten mounted men and twenty foot soldiers, left the post on 12 September in pursuit of the thieves.
The Indians' trail crossed the Rio Grande and headed into the mountains to the west. Slater followed the tracks along the length of the Black Range and through the Mimbres Mountains. On 17 September the soldiers overtook the Apaches in a mountain canyon, but the Indians were not willing to give up their horses without a fight. The warriors were armed exclusively with rifles and pistols, and during a hot exchange, Slater and two privates, John Kelly and Richard B. Mason, were severely wounded. Nevertheless, Slater emerged the winner. He reported that he and his men killed several Apaches and wounded many others. In addition, they recovered most of the stolen stock and captured many Indian ponies and mules to boot. The troopers returned to Fort McRae on 20 September, after a march of 275 miles.
