The Battle of City of Rocks

The Battle of City of Rocks was an engagement which occurred on September 12, 1862, between Confederate sympathizer and Snake Indians in the rocky terrain of City of Rocks (in modern-day Idaho).

Battle of the City of Rocks
Part of American Indian Wars
Date September 12th, 1862 Location City of Rocks National Reserve, Utah Territory Result Inconclusive
Confederate sympathizers	Snake Indians
Commanders and leaders
unknown	unknown
Strength
15	~30-40
Casualties and losses
6 killed, 2 Wounded	15-20 killed

Battle

In late 1862 a party of 15 men with 19 horses were trying to join the Confederate army by taking the California Trail. Many of these men came from California and the Nevada Territory. On the 3rd of September they left Lassen's Meadows and took the route through Goose Creek mountains.

On the early dawn of the 12th, while traveling along the path they soon reached the east side of City of Rocks and spotted a couple Natives. Then seeing smoke ascending from a camp faraway with some cattle near by. The party believing it was immigrant camp, sent 2 of the men over to hoping to buy some beef. The rest of the men continued on slowly until they saw 2 men returned with news that the camp was occupied by Natives. The men concluded that they should avoid the camp and so they rode along eastward as 6-7 Natives on road in towards them. The men soon saw that the Natives were careening something on one of their horses, which gave them the impression that they were bringing some beef.

As that was happening other Natives were seen coming out in all directions, some on horses others on foot. Between 30 and 40 Indians mounted on horses and rushed the men then opened fire. The men soon returned fire and kept riding forward with their gunfire holding Natives at distance. While being chased they noticed one of the Natives was caring and American flag. During chase some of the Natives rode on to the other side of a river that had to be crossed by the men. With their plan of trapping the men there, but the men rode and crossed the river and gathered together and repulse the Natives attack. During the fighting some of the men saw a canon about 15 miles ahead of them, so they rode as fast as they could thinking that the Natives would give up. They left some horses left behind and passed through the canon then finding cover behind a cluster of rocks to get ready for the attack. The Natives soon showed up the surround the men and started attacking them. The first 3 men who reached rocks were flanked by Natives on a higher ground, with two of them being killed. The fighting continued until dark, by which time the Natives had stolen all of the men horses and left. The other 3 men wounded during the fighting died that night.

Aftermath

The next day the men thinking the Native would try attacking again, they left the area and walked five days without any food. On the fifth day they ran into a wagon train on its way to the Humboldt, where they were supplied. The men hearing that some of the immigrants were robbed by the same Natives, with them taking supplies and the "Stars and Stripes." Three of the party chose to stay with wagons and head back to California, while the others headed east.

One of the men Named McBride later about the said "...the Indians exhibited considerable skill in warfare. While in the midst of the rocks and measurably sheltered from direct firing, the Indians would use their arrows, shoot them up in the air at an angle that brought them down in huge profusion around them in their hiding places."

Some of the men killed and wounded during the battle: "Joseph Snow was shot through the neck, Wm. Davis through the head, and Goodman was shot through the lungs, and lingered some hours in agony. John Comar was shot four times. John Sharp was shot in the mouth, from the rocks above, afterwards received other three shots from the Indians beneath. Benjamin White was also killed here. Samuel Riley had his left arm broke and Johnson Foster had his right arm also broke."