Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Apacheria
The following is from the book, Indian Wars, Bill Yenne.
October 1869 found Cochise and his Chiricahua Apache band terrorizing the southeast corner of Arizona Territory in the Pedregosa and Chiricahua Mountains north of the border with the Mexican State of Sonora. On October 5, his Chiricahua attacked a stage near Dragoon Springs and killed six people aboard. When word reached nearby Fort Bowie, Company G of the 1st Cavalry responded. After an exhausting forced march, they caught up with Cochise and his men in the Pedregosa foothills on October 8. A fierce firefight ensued in which the Chiricahua lost a dozen warriors, but Cochise and most of the band escaped.