Bald Hills War
Bald Hills War (1858–1864) was a war fought by the forces of the California Militia, California Volunteers and soldiers of the U.S. Army against the Chilula, Lassik, Hupa, Mattole, Nongatl, Sinkyone, Tsnungwe, Wailaki, Whilkut and Wiyot Native American peoples.
| Bald Hills War | |||||||
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| Part of the American Indian Wars | |||||||
Map of Northwestern California, ca. 1866, showing the Theatre of the Bald Hills War with a number of forts that figured in the fighting. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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United States |
Whilkut – "Wintoons" Chilula – "Redwoods" Hupa "Mountain tribes" Chimariko Lassik Mattole Nongatl Sinkyone Tsnungwe Wailaki | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Gabriel J. Rains Henry M. Black William C. Kibbe Isaac G. Messec Francis J. Lippitt Stephen G. Whipple |
Lassic-Wailaki + Say-Winne Claw-Foot Tsewenaldin John-Hupa Big Jim-Hupa | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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1858–59 Trinity Rangers 1859–1861 Company B, U.S. Fourth Infantry Regiment May 1859 – Jan 1860 Hydesville Volunteer Company 1860 Humboldt Volunteers 1861 Company B, U.S. 6th Infantry Regiment 1861–1862 Mounted Volunteers 1862–1865 2nd Regiment California Infantry Co. A, 3rd Regiment California Infantry 1863–65 1st Btn. California Mountaineers Co. A, 1st Btn. Native Cavalry 1864 Co's C,G,E; 6th Regiment California Infantry |
Whilkut 250–350 (1858 est.) Hupa 200 (1856 est.): 203 | ||||||
The war was fought within the boundaries of the counties of Mendocino, Trinity, Humboldt, Klamath, and Del Norte in Northern California. During the American Civil War, Army reorganization created the Department of the Pacific on 15 January 1861, and on 12 December 1861, the Humboldt Military District, which was formed to organize the effort to unseat the native population. The district was headquartered at Fort Humboldt, which is now a California State Historic Park located within the City of Eureka, California. The District's efforts were directed at waging the ongoing Bald Hills War against the native people in those counties.