The Apaches' Last Stand in Arizona: The Battle of BigDry Wash.

BATTLE of Big Dry Wash, Ariz., 1882; APACHE (North American people) -- Wars; NATIVE American history; NATIVE American wars; NATIVE Americans

This article is an excerpt about the 1882 Big Dry Wash battle with Apache Indians in Arizona, which appeared in the January 1931 issue of Arizona Historical Review. The soldier and Indian scout killed and buried on the Dry Wash battlefield were taken up by the military authorities and moved to Fort Apache, where they were laid away with a full military funeral in the post cemetery. The company of Indian scouts that took part in it were in large part relatives, friends, and members of the same band of Apaches from which came the renegades--the White Mountain Apaches. That only one deserted to the enemy during the fight is a fine tribute to their loyalty to the government which they were serving as enlisted men.