Battle of Turret Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Turret Peak |
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| Part of the Yavapai War, Apache Wars | |||||||
 George Crook during the Tonto Basin Campaign. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |
Yavapai Apache |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 George Crook George M. Randall |
Delshay | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 57 killed | ||||||
The Battle of Turret Peak was a fight that happened on March 27, 1873. It took place in what is now Arizona between the United States Army and some Yavapai and Apache people. This battle was part of a bigger effort led by George Crook to move Native American tribes onto special lands called reservations.
Why the Battle Happened
In 1871, a military leader named George Crook came to the Southwest. His job was to stop conflicts between settlers and the Yavapai and Apache tribes in central Arizona.
Crook started a plan called the Tonto Basin Campaign. The goal was to find members of these tribes and bring them to reservations. During this campaign, there were more than twenty smaller fights.
One big event was the Battle of Salt River Canyon in December 1872. Soldiers attacked a Yavapai camp. After this, on March 11, 1873, a group of Tonto Apaches attacked and killed three settlers.
Crook's soldiers followed the attackers. They tracked them to a strong hideout used by the Yavapai people. This hideout was on a mountain called Turret Peak in central Arizona.
The Battle at Turret Peak
On March 27, 1873, a group of soldiers and Apache Scouts began to climb Turret Peak. They were led by Captain George Morton Randall. They started climbing around midnight.
Captain Randall told his men to crawl on their hands and knees. This was to make sure they didn't make any noise. They didn't want to alert anyone or accidentally kick loose rocks.
They waited until dawn before they attacked. The soldiers surprised a small village, called a rancheria, near the top of the mountain. The people living there were very surprised and scared.
Many of them jumped from the mountain, falling to their deaths. Some tried to fight back for a short time. Others were killed or gave up. In total, 57 Native Americans died. Several more were hurt or captured.
Sadly, some civilians were found in a cave after the fighting. They had been killed by accident. This happened either from the soldiers' covering fire or from rolling rocks.
The attack at Turret Peak greatly affected the Yavapai and Tonto Apache people. Just two weeks after the battle, on April 6, many of them surrendered. They gave up to General Crook at Camp Verde. Several soldiers who fought at Turret Peak later received the Medal of Honor for their bravery.
