Battle of Lost River
| Battle of Lost River | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Modoc War (Indian Wars) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States | Modoc | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Captain James Jackson |
Captain Jack Scarface Charley | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40+ {U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment}+citizens | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed, 7 wounded | 2 killed, 3 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Lost River in November 1872 was the first battle in the Modoc War in the northwestern United States. The skirmish, which was fought near the Lost River along the California–Oregon border, was the result of an attempt by the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army to force a band of the Modoc tribe to relocate back to the Klamath Reservation, which they had left in objection of its conditions.
In the subsequent war, Captain Jack of the Modoc and 53 warriors held off more than 1000 U.S. soldiers for 7 months in the area of the present-day Lava Beds National Monument. Part of this was named Captain Jack's Stronghold in his honor.