Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Comancheria
June 1, 1882; Cloverdale, New Mexico: In April 1882 Apache chief Loco and several hundred Chiricahuas broke out from the San Carlos Agency, killing about forty settlers on their way to Mexico and fighting several battles with soldiers, including Horseshoe Canyon and Sierra Enmedio. Most of the Indians made it into Chihuahua, where Mexican soldiers under Col. Lorenzo Garcia surprised them and killed seventy-eight men, women, and children.
After their decisive defeat, the Apaches melted into the Sierra Madre. The U.S. forces that were congregated along the border pulled back to their respective bases, but cavalry scouts continued to patrol the area. On 1 June Lt. William Stanton, with detachments of Companies A and C, Sixth Cavalry, and some Indian scouts, ran into a small party of Apaches who had ventured north of the border. In Cloverdale Canyon of the Guadalupe Mountains, in the extreme southwest corner of New Mexico Territory, Stanton attacked the Indians, killing two and driving the others back into Mexico.