Legends of the Old West

Episode: BUFFALO SOLDIERS Ep. 4 | “Victorio’s War”
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Chris Wimmer (Black Barrel Media)

Episode Overview

This episode chronicles the dramatic year-long conflict known as Victorio’s War (1879-1880) between the U.S. Army—particularly the famed Buffalo Soldiers (9th and 10th Cavalry, 24th and 25th Infantry)—and Chief Victorio of the Warm Springs Apache. The episode dives into the campaign’s turning points, the innovative military strategies deployed on both sides, and the chaos and tragedy that unfolded across the American Southwest. Interwoven are stories of legendary figures like Billy the Kid, the resilience and tactics of Victorio, and the pivotal role Black soldiers played in shaping the course of the West.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Apache Wars and Victorio’s Background

• By the late 1870s, the U.S. Army’s campaign against the Apache had spanned more than three decades, with constant threats to soldiers and settlers across New Mexico and Texas.
• Victorio, chief of the Warm Springs Apache (a Chiricahua band), was an expert strategist and survivalist, revered for his ability to keep his people alive and evade the military.
• The forced relocation to the infamous San Carlos reservation—described as “hell’s 40 acres”—led Victorio and his people to rebel in 1879.
  • “For years, Victorio's Warm Springs Apache had been told they could remain near Ojo Caliente... those assurances were always broken. By 1877, federal officials ordered the bands... to move to the San Carlos reservation in Arizona territory... The land was barren, the water was bad, and the climate was punishing. The soldiers who guarded the reservation called it hell's 40 acres.” (07:13)

2. The Rebellion Begins: 1879

• April 1879: Victorio leads his band away from San Carlos, initiating a ferocious campaign across the Southwest.
• Notably, his tactics involved rapid strikes, deep knowledge of the terrain, and skillful ambushes of both settlers and soldiers.
• As Victorio’s war escalated:
  • September 4, 1879: Victorio’s warriors kill 5 soldiers, 3 civilians, and an entire family (12:09)
  • Repeated ambushes and massacres occur, with places like Hell’s Canyon, Massacre Canyon, and Victorio Canyon forever etched in local memory.

3. Relentless Guerilla Warfare and Army Setbacks

• Over a year, Victorio and his fighters would launch at least 20 major raids or engagements, repeatedly escaping U.S. and Mexican military pursuit.
• “The Apache moved, the soldiers followed. The Apache set a trap. The soldiers rode into it. The Apache won the fight. The soldiers retreated, the Apache moved on and started the pattern all over again.” (16:01)
• The fighting spilled across borders, with the 9th Cavalry chasing Victorio into the mountains of northern Mexico, only to be forced to retreat due to lack of water.
• Raids and counter-attacks left dozens dead on both sides, with Victorio’s warriors and their families living in constant motion and peril.

4. The Army Adapts: Buffalo Soldiers and the “Waterhole Strategy”

• Colonel Benjamin Grierson of the 10th Cavalry recognizes the futility of chasing Victorio and adopts a new strategy: control of water sources.
  • “Instead of chasing Victorio all over the map... the army started prioritizing the one element Victorio needed for survival: water. Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry... stationed themselves at as many natural springs in the Southwest as possible.” (00:53, 20:51)
• Major battles at water sources:
  • Tinaja de las Palmas (Quitman Canyon): Soldiers repel Victorio’s attempt to take a waterhole (23:35)
  • Rattlesnake Springs (Sierra Diablo Mountains): After a grueling 65-mile march, the Buffalo Soldiers arrive first and successfully defend the strategic waterhole on August 6, 1880—a turning point that deprives the Apaches of vital resources.
  • “At 3:30 in the morning on August 6, 1880, Colonel Benjamin Grierson... caught up to the rest of the roughly 170 troopers... in the Sierra Diablo Mountains... They had pushed themselves and their horses to the limit because they were in a race to reach a waterhole... before Apache Chief Victorio and his roughly 125 warriors arrived.” (00:53)
  • “For one of the rare times in his year-long war, Victorio pulled his warriors back and ran south toward the Rio Grande. The army had won the field at Rattlesnake Springs.” (04:41)

5. The Endgame: Defeat and Aftermath

• Exhausted and denied water, Victorio’s fighters are forced south into Mexico after the defeat at Rattlesnake Springs.
• October 14, 1880: With most warriors out raiding, Mexican soldiers encircle Victorio’s depleted camp at Tres Castillos (Three Castles), resulting in a massacre. Victorio himself is killed—whether by his own hand or in battle is uncertain.
  • “When the soldiers attacked the camp, the resistance from the Apache was brave but futile and the attack quickly turned into a slaughter. The reported numbers were that the military killed 62 men and boys and 16 women and children. The soldiers took 68 women and children prisoner... Victorio ... died during the one-sided battle.” (28:38)
• This marks a turning point in the Apache Wars.
• Aftermath:
  • Prominent lieutenant Nana and Victorio’s sister Lozen escape, continuing resistance.
  • Seven Buffalo Soldiers earn the Medal of Honor for actions during the campaign.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Victorio’s strategic genius:
  • “Victorio understood strategy like few others. He knew the mountains and deserts of the Southwest as intimately as other men knew their houses.” (06:05)
• On the futility of old tactics:
  • “Chasing the now legendary Apache leader from place to place was pointless and costly. Instead, Grierson stationed soldiers at prominent natural springs and waited for Victorio to come to him.” (20:51)
• On the impact for the Buffalo Soldiers:
  • “Of the 13 Buffalo soldiers who received the Medal of Honor for their actions during service in the American West, seven were from the year of Victorio's war.” (31:37)
• On the tragedy at Tres Castillos:
  • “Victorio... died during the one-sided battle. Some accounts claim he died by his own hand rather than surrender. Others say he was shot in the fighting. However he met his end, his year long war was over.” (29:12)

Important Episode Timestamps

• 00:53 – 07:45: Background on Victorio, formation of the Buffalo Soldiers, and initial campaign settings
• 12:09 – 14:30: Outbreak of Victorio’s War; major ambushes and reprisal violence
• 16:01 – 20:00: Guerrilla warfare, army struggles, and patterns of ambush and escape
• 20:51 – 22:56: Introduction of the “wait by the waterhole” strategy; success at Rattlesnake Springs
• 23:35 – 28:38: Final campaign, the decisive battles at key water sources, and the trapping of Victorio near Tres Castillos
• 29:12 – 31:37: Aftermath, fate of survivors, and the historical impact of the Buffalo Soldiers’ campaign

Closing Reflections

Victorio’s War represents a harrowing struggle for survival, autonomy, and dignity—both for the Warm Springs Apache and the Buffalo Soldiers. The ultimate defeat of Victorio marked an irreversible shift in Apache resistance, but not before both his band and the African American soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry left their indelible mark on the turbulent history of the American West.

Next Episode Preview: The saga continues with Nana’s Raid, as Victorio’s aged lieutenant picks up the banner of resistance in the summer of 1881.