Battleground Gunfight facts for kids
The ridge where the posse was positioned.
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| Date | October 8, 1901 |
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| Location | Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona Territory, United States |
| Also known as | Battleground Shootout |
| Participants | Bill Smith |
| Outcome | Outlaws escape |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Non-fatal injuries | maybe 2 |
The Battleground Gunfight, also known as the Battleground Shootout, was a big gunfight. It happened between a group of lawmen and the Smith Gang. This event took place on October 8, 1901. The location was a forest clearing called "Battleground" in Arizona Territory.
Nine Arizona Rangers and deputies found Bill Smith and his gang. The gang was known for stealing cattle. During a long gun battle, Ranger Carlos Tafolla and Deputy Bill Maxwell were killed. One or two of the outlaws might have been hurt. In the end, the Smith Gang got away and escaped into Mexico.
Contents
Why the Fight Happened
The Arizona Rangers were a new police force, started in 1901. The Battleground Gunfight was their first big shootout. The Smith Gang was one of the first groups the rangers wanted to catch.
The Smith Gang's Actions
Bill Smith lived with his family on a ranch near the Blue River. His ranch was a base for stealing cattle from nearby settlers. One settler, Henry Barrett, was a former Rough Rider. In 1898, Bill Smith and his brothers were arrested for stealing calves. Bill took the blame and went to jail. Because of this, Bill held a grudge against Henry Barrett.
In early October 1901, the Smith Gang was seen near Springerville. They were heading south with about 15 to 20 stolen horses. Police heard that the gang had also robbed a train in Utah. A few days later, Bill and his brother Al met Henry Barrett. Bill threatened to kill Barrett. Barrett then told the sheriff of Apache County. The sheriff quickly put together a team of lawmen.
The Lawmen's Pursuit
The sheriff's deputy, Hank Sharp, led the lawmen. Henry Barrett and two other locals, Pete Peterson and Elijah Holgate, joined them. Meanwhile, Arizona Rangers Carlos Tafolla and Duane Hamblin were also looking for the Smith Gang. The rangers and the sheriff's team met at Greer. They decided to work together to find the outlaws.
The rangers made Barrett, Peterson, and Holgate deputies. They followed the outlaws' trail to the Little Colorado River. From there, they went to Lorenzo Crosby's ranch. They asked Crosby and the Maxwell brothers, Arch and William Thomas "Bill" Maxwell, to join them. These three men were excellent trackers. They also became deputies. This made the team nine men in total. The team continued tracking the gang south to Big Lake. On October 7, they found an empty camp that the outlaws had recently used. The lawmen decided to camp there for the night. They planned to continue their search the next morning.
The Gunfight Begins
On the morning of October 8, the lawmen had breakfast and got ready. They rode through the White Mountains. This area was heavily forested and hard to travel through. It was also very cold, and snow covered the ground.
Finding the Outlaws
That day, the Smith Gang was camped in a canyon on the Fort Apache reservation. The canyon was about 200 yards wide and 100 feet deep. The gang needed food, so they killed a bear that afternoon. The lawmen, about half a mile away, heard the gunshots. The Maxwell brothers found where the bear was shot. Trails in the snow led them to the Smiths' camp, which was six miles from where the lawmen had camped. It was almost dark by then.
As the lawmen got close to the canyon, the Smiths' guard dog started barking. This warned Bill Smith. He went to the canyon's edge to look. He saw the lawmen coming and ran back to tell his gang.
The Standoff
Bill Smith's gang included his brothers Al, George, and Floyd. It also included his brother-in-law, Adam Slagger, and two other unknown men. Of the nine lawmen, only Henry Barrett had combat experience. He had fought with Theodore Roosevelt in 1898.
About 300 yards from the camp, the lawmen got off their horses. They tied them to trees to approach the outlaws on foot. The lawmen came from the west. This meant they would have to shoot into the sunlight if a fight started. The deep canyon was shadowy. It gave the Smith Gang a good place to defend themselves.
When the lawmen reached the camp, Tafolla, Hamblin, and Bill Maxwell went forward. They went into a clearing to demand the outlaws surrender. Barrett and the other five stayed hidden behind a ridge. Bill Maxwell called out for the gang to surrender. Bill Smith replied, "All right, which way do you want us to come out?" Maxwell said, "Come right out this way." Barrett, who saw what was happening, yelled for Tafolla and the others to lie down for cover. Only Hamblin followed his advice.
The Battleground Shootout
A moment later, Bill Smith appeared. He had a rifle hidden behind his back. Suddenly, he showed his weapon and started shooting. Bill Maxwell was shot in the forehead and died right away. Then Tafolla was shot twice in the body and fell. He managed to pull out his revolver and shot back. Others on both sides then started firing.
The fight lasted for at least a couple of hours. It was already dark when it ended. During the fighting, Ranger Hamblin moved around the canyon. He managed to scare away the outlaws' horses. So, when the Smith Gang decided to escape that night, they had to climb out of the canyon on foot. They eventually succeeded. The lawmen took over the gang's camp. However, they did not chase the criminals further. Tafolla was badly hurt and needed a doctor.
After the Fight
After the Smith Gang escaped, Hank Sharp and Arch Maxwell left. They went to Nutrioso, 20 miles away. They went to get a doctor named Rudd and to share news of the fight. The rest of the lawmen stayed at the camp with Tafolla and Bill Maxwell's body. Sadly, Tafolla died before the doctor arrived. Before he passed, he gave Henry Barrett a silver dollar. He said, "Give this to my wife. It, and the month's wages coming to me will be all she will ever have."
The Outlaws' Escape
The outlaws made their way out of the canyon. They went into what is now Bear Wallow Wilderness. The next evening, they arrived at a cow camp on Beaver Creek. The cowboys there were forced to prepare food for the gang. Bill Smith recognized one of the cowboys, Marion Lee. Lee made dinner for the gang. He also told them that they had killed Bill Maxwell.
Bill Smith did not know that one of the men he shot was his friend. He told Lee, "When he stood up that way we thought he was Barrett. Barrett was the man we wanted. We feel mighty sorry over killing Will [Bill] Maxwell, he was a good friend of ours. Tell his mother for us that we're very sorry we killed him."
After taking some horses, the gang went into the Blue River Wilderness. They went to Hugh McKean's ranch, hoping to trade horses. McKean refused to deal with the gang. So, they held him at gunpoint and stole his horses, food, and weapons. The Smith Gang then went east. They crossed the Arizona border into New Mexico. From there, they went south into Texas and crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico.
The Aftermath for Law Enforcement
When the captain of the Arizona Rangers, Burton C. Mossman, heard about the fight, he sent three of his men after the outlaws. The United States Army also sent Apache Scouts Chicken and Josh. The scouts tracked the gang across New Mexico. But they lost the trail at the Rio Grande.
The lawmen failed to capture the outlaws. However, they did succeed in driving the Smith Gang out of Arizona Territory. Tafolla and Maxwell were killed in the gunfight. One or two of the outlaws might have been hurt by Barrett. He had a Spanish rifle that could shoot through trees.
Tafolla was buried at St. Johns. Bill Maxwell was buried in his family's cemetery at Nutrioso. Maxwell's hat was left at the scene. The lawmen thought it would bring bad luck to touch it. For years afterward, cowboys claimed they saw the hat while working in the area.
Images for kids
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The ridge where the posse was positioned.
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The canyon where the Smith Gang was positioned.
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Apache Scouts at Fort Apache in 1919.
