The warrior Nana may have been an octogenarian, but his unrestrained presence in southwestern New Mexico Territory in the summer of 1881 filled white folks with old fears as quickly as a flash flood fills an arroyo. By mid-August, a combined military and civilian party had taken the field to stop or at least contain the Warm Springs Apache leader and his marauders. Nana, believed to be about 80 and afflicted with arthritis, had launched a spectacular raid that June in response to wrongs that he had suffered. Most of Nana’s resentment stemmed from a mid-October 1880 Mexican militia ambush at Tres Castillos in Old Mexico. The great Mimbres Chief Victorio and close to 80 other Apaches had been massacred there, though Nana and his followers had been able to evade the ambushers and escape into the Sierra Madre. If, 10 months later, the makeshift American posse hoped to achieve another “Tres Castillos,” Nana had other ideas. He planned to turn the tables on them and remind them that Apaches knew a thing or two about carrying out an ambush.

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Although not a chief, Nana was an important Mimbres leader who was as old as the hills at the time of his famous raid.

Nana’s raid began when he and his wide-ranging warriors (less than 40) attacked a surveying crew in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, in late June 1881. They then fought their way north through the Sacramento, San Andreas, San Mateo and Black Range mountains. By August 17, the ancient warrior was in the vicinity of Hillsboro, New Mexico Territory. On the 18th, the Apaches shot their way through the small mining community of Gold Dust without injuring anyone. The raiders then half-heartedly struck the Trujillo Ranch, about five miles south of Hillsboro. The half-blood owner was suspected of supplying the Apaches with arms and ammunition. Nobody was injured there either, but the Indians continued south to attack Perry Ousley’s ranch; they burned his place and killed him.

Next, the raiders moved past Tierra Blanca Creek to Absolom D. Irwin’s ranch, about three miles north of Lake Valley. (The present-day ghost town of Lake Valley is at a different site.) Absolom was away on business, but his wife, Sally, and their five children made a run for it. Some of them got away, but Sally was severely beaten and a baby was snatched from her arms. Although Absolom arrived in time to put out the ranch house fire, his family was gone. Believing them captured, he rode to Lake Valley to give the alarm.

In response to the recent atrocities, a posse formed at Hillsboro and arrived at Lake Valley by the night of the 18th. When someone reported seeing Indians seven miles away on Berrenda Creek, the Lake Valley Mining Company superintendent, George Daly, took charge of the posse. Support was solicited from Lieutenant George Washington Smith at a nearby military encampment. Smith had been dispatched with elements of Companies B and H of the 9th Cavalry, with orders to block the Apaches’ passage south. Somewhat reluctantly, Smith and the black troopers joined up with Daly’s civilian posse, some of whose members were full of bravado by the time they left William Cotton’s saloon shortly after midnight. Accounts vary as to the number in the party, but a fair estimate would be 16 to 20 so-called buffalo soldiers and 20 civilians.

The force followed Berrenda Creek and then a creek known today as Pollock Creek, which dipped into Dry Gavilan Canyon. That canyon in turn ran into Gavilan Canyon, which is where, at 10:30 a.m. on August 19, Nana ambushed the Americans. Accounts vary as to exactly what happened, but it is certain that Lieutenant Smith and Daly, the leaders, were killed in the opening salvos. Apparently, Smith was unhorsed in the first volley, but he was helped back on his mount, only to be mortally shot. Bullets struck several other soldiers and civilians as well, causing some of the men — including Sergeant William Baker of Company H — to flee. Sergeant Brent Woods of Company B rallied what men he could and even advanced before calling for an orderly retreat. The wounded were also evacuated. Under Woods’ direction, the ambushed party threw up rock barricades and fought the Apaches for about six hours.

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