Battle of Fort Buchanan

Battle of Fort Buchanan
Part of Apache Wars, American Civil War
Ruins of Fort Buchanan in 1914.
Date February 17, 1865 Location Fort Buchanan, Arizona Territory now in Santa Cruz County, Arizona Result Apache victory, Fort Buchanan destroyed.
Belligerents
United States	Apache
Commanders and leaders
Michael Buckley	Cochise
Strength
9 cavalry 1 fort	~75 warriors
Casualties and losses
1 killed 1 wounded 1 fort destroyed	~2 killed
Civilian Casualties: 3 killed

The Battle of Fort Buchanan was an Apache attack on the United States Army post of Old Fort Buchanan in southern Arizona, which occurred on February 17, 1865. Though a skirmish, it ended with a significant Apache victory when they forced the small garrison of California Volunteers to retreat to the Santa Rita Mountains. Fort Buchanan was the only American military post conquered during the war against the Chiricahua.

Due to the major civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865 and numerous conflicts involving the various Native American tribes, the Union Army was stretched thin on the frontier. The southern half of New Mexico Territory and the newly created Arizona Territory joined the Confederacy in 1861 so troops in California were raised to occupy the region. After Lieutenant George Bascom's 1860 confrontation with Chief Cochise sometimes called the Bascom Affair, the Apache began attacking Union and Confederate troops across Arizona. By early 1865 the Chiricahua War was still being waged. According to reports at the time of attack, only nine American cavalrymen manned the fort, which did not have walls and was just a collection of military buildings including a vedette station. Corporal Michael Buckley from Company L of the 1st California Cavalry commanded and with the eight others he occupied the vedette station that was very similar to a small house.

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