A Concise Military History of the Victorio Campaign 1879-1880

A Concise History of the Victorio Campaign 1879-1880 highlights the relentless guerrilla campaign pursued by Victorio, leader of the Chihenne Apache for the return of their reservation lands around Ojo Caliente, New Mexico.

Between September 1879 and October 1880, Victorio’s warriors accounted for a fifth of the US soldiers killed in action with Apaches between 1861 and 1886, crippled a US Cavalry Regiment’s ability to operate in the field for three months, and temporarily bankrupted the US Army through his targeting of horses and mules.

A Concise History of the Victorio Campaign contains all the new material gathered since the publication of the Victorio Campaign trilogy 2017 and 2019 including new archaeological evidence reinterpreting an ambush near McEvers Ranch in September 1879. The author also finally visited (via mule) the site of one of Victorio’s greatest victories at Massacre Canyon and for the first time gives a coherent account of this battle.

Finally, A Concise History of the Victorio Campaign is intended to be a companion volume to the author’s Osprey books on Apache Tactics and Apache Warrior to illustrate in what manner these tactics and warrior culture were applied across a single campaign. Victorio’s tactical and operational thinking was far more sophisticated than previously credited allowing the Apaches to inflict military, economic and political damage far out of proportion to their numbers.