Battle of Sunset Pass

The rescue of Charles King by Sergeant Bernard Taylor at Sunset Pass.

Date	November 1, 1874
Location	Sunset Pass, Arizona
Result	Apache victory

Belligerents

United States

Apache

Commanders and leaders

Charles King

unknown

Strength

≈40

unknown

The Battle of Sunset Pass was fought in November 1874 during the Yavapai War. Following the theft of by a band of Tonto Apaches, a troop of United States Army soldiers was dispatched to track the natives and recover the stolen property. The Americans found the raiders at Sunset Pass, in Coconino County, Arizona, where a small skirmish ensued.

In October 1874 a group of renegade Tonto warriors stole some livestock from a settler in the Tonto Basin so on the morning of November 1, 1874 about forty men of the 5th Cavalry, including some Apache scouts, left Camp Verde to pursue the hostiles. The patrol reached Sunset Pass, near the Little Colorado River, that same day so the commander, First Lieutenant Charles King, decided that the spot would be a good place to make camp for the night. However, shortly after the Americans stopped, King took a few men with him on a hike up a nearby mesa in order to have a better view of the surrounding terrain. Unbeknown to King, the Tontos he was looking for were waiting to ambush the party while they climbed up the mesa. King and his men were about a half a mile away from camp when suddenly a volley or arrows and bullets was fired from the Tontos hiding behind rocks and boulders. King was badly wounded within the first few minutes of the fight, having been hit in the head twice by arrows and one by a bullet to his right arm.

Under a heavy enemy fire, Sergeant Bernard Taylor raced forward and rescued King who was almost unconscious. Sergeant Taylor then carried the wounded King all the way back to camp. By which time the remainder of the patrol moved in to engage. Second Lieutenant George O. Eaton assumed command at that point and he fought the Apaches for some time before disengaging. In the end, King's probe was regarded as a failure though Sergeant Taylor, George Deary, and Rudolph von Medem later received the Medal of Honor for their conduct in this battle and other engagements.

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Wikipedia