Battle of Turret Peak

The Battle of Turret Peak occurred March 27, 1873 in the Arizona Territory between the United States Army and a group of Yavapai and Tonto Apaches as part of lieutenant colonel George Crook's campaign to force the Yavapai and Apaches to reservations.

Background

In June of 1871, George Crook was assigned to the Southwest to help quell skirmishes between settlers and members of the Yavapai and Apache tribes in central Arizona territory. He organized the "Tonto Basin campaign" to track down members of the tribes and return them to the reservations. Over the course of the operation, there were over 20 clashes, including an successful attack in December 1872 on an Yavapai camp at Skeleton Cave that killed 76. On March 11, 1873, a band of Tonto Apaches attacked and killed 3 white men. Crook's men tracked the the attackers to a Yavapai stronghold on Turret Peak in central Arizona.

Attack

On March 27, 1873, a group of soldiers and Apache guides under the command of Captain George M. Randall crept up Turret Peak at night, and surprised a rancheria near the crest of the mountain. 26 Indians were killed, and several more captured.

Aftermath

The attack at Skeleton Cave and Turret Peak proved demoralizing to the Yavapai and Apache people. Two weeks after the battle, on April 6, many of the Yavapai and Tonto Apache people surrendered to Crook at Camp Verde. Several of the soldiers who fought at Turret Peak were later awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions.

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