The Battle of the Diablo Mountains, an engagement in the Jicarilla War, was fought in October 1854 between the U.S. Army and the Lipan Apache. A small force of Mounted Rifles attacked a much larger force of Lipan Apache at the base of the Diablo Mountains in Texas.

Setting out from Fort Inge in South Texas on October 1, 1854, Captain John G. Walker, in command of about 40 men of the Mounted Rifles, headed for the Diablo Mountains region along the Rio Grande border with Mexico.

Also known as Sierra Diablo, this mountain range extending north and south along the border between Hudspeth and Culberson Counties, is in the Chihuahuan Desert near Van Horn, Texas.

The troops’ mission was to investigate the reports from local settlers of stolen livestock, taken by Apache warriors. On the third day out, on the morning of October 3, 1854, Captain Walker and his men encountered over 200 Lipan warriors near a herd of captured farm animals. Walker immediately ordered an attack, which surprised the Apache. A brief skirmish ensued, and the Apache quickly fled, leaving most of the stolen livestock.

The number of casualties is unknown, except for Second Lieutenant Eugene Asa Carr, who was wounded by an arrow and subsequently commended by General Persifor F. Smith for his “gallantry and coolness” and promoted to first lieutenant. This was the future general’s first combat action.

One of the last conflicts of the Texas–Indian wars also took place at Sierra Diablo in 1880, with the Apache under the command of Chief Victorio versus the Texas Rangers under George W. Baylor.

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2025.

Also See:

Apache – The Fiercest Warriors of the Southwest

Native Americans – First Owners of America

Texas Indian Battles

Texas – The Lone Star State

Sources:

Alchetron Encyclopedia
Fandom
Wikipedia
Wikipedia – Sierra Diablo