The Siege of Tubac
Date: August 3, 1861*
Location: Tubac, Confederate-occupied New Mexico Territory
* Unfortunately, the actual date(s) of the Siege of Tubac are not known, but most historians agree that it took place sometime in early August, with August 3rd being an estimated guess.
In reaction to thousands of people from the eastern US flooding the Pinos Altos Mountains after the discovery of gold in 1860 and the Bascom Affair in early 1861, infuriated Apaches led by Mangas Coloradas and Cochise attacked and laid siege to Tubac, an old Spanish presidio fort full of townsfolk. The Tubacans quickly dispatched a messenger to Tucson, a Confederate stronghold about 50 miles north, requesting aid in lifting the siege.
Apache Chief Mangas Coloradas & Confederate Captain Granville Henderson Oury
They defended the presidio for three days, until the messenger returned with a Confederate militia, led by Captain Granville Henderson Oury. The Confederates arrived just in time to help the Tubacans repulse the final assault, but even their combined numbers were not enough to defeat the hundreds of Apache warriors outside the Presidio walls. Though the Apaches would not make any further mass assaults, they continued to lay siege, effectively trapping the Tubacans and the Confederate reinforcements inside.
The Tubac Presidio before the siege
After several days under siege, food, water, and supplies began to dwindle, and the survivors decided to make a run for it to Tucson.
Fighting their way out of the siege and skirmishing as they retreated, the Tubacans and Confederates successfully made it to Tucson as the Apaches stormed into Tubac, burning and pillaging the entire town.
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