The Battle of Hembrillo Basin was fought April 5–8, 1880 between the United States Army against a combined band of Chiricahua and Mescalero Apaches led by Chief Victorio.

Victorio held off an attack by superior numbers of army soldiers and Indian scouts, evacuated his women and children from the battlefield, and withdrew successfully.

Forced out of one of his strongholds, Victorio engaged in a running battle with thousands of American and Mexico troops which would end with his defeat and death by the Mexican army a few months later.

[5] In March 1880, Pueblo Indian scouts discovered that Victorio had taken refuge in Hembrillo Basin, located on the western slopes of the San Andres Mountains.

Captain Carroll with more than 100 men of the 9th Cavalry, composed of African-American soldiers, would support the assault by advancing up the Hembrillo Valley from the west.

Captain Hooker with more than 100 soldiers and some Navajo scouts would station themselves on the eastern side of the San Andres Mountains to block the escape route of the Apache.

Carroll deployed his two companies in a V-shape and advanced, but the Apache occupied higher ground and opened fire at long range.

He removed his warriors encircling Carroll to a high ridge south of the battlefield and held the army forces at bay for a few hours while the Apache women and children fled the area.

Accounts by white officers of the battle portrayed the Buffalo Soldiers as getting sick on bad water and stumbling accidentally into contact with Victorio.

[14] The army believed with reason that some of the Mescaleros living on their reservation about 70 kilometres (43 mi) distant from the battlefield were providing Victorio with supplies and men.

After the escape of Victorio from Hembrillo Basin, Colonel Hatch ordered all U.S. forces in the area to converge on the Mescalero reservation near Fort Stanton.

Their survey found rock art and other artifacts indicating that the Hembrillo Basin with its springs of potable water, rare in the surrounding desert, had long been a sacred site for Native Americans.

Warriors with longer range rifles were stationed on ridge tops to fire down on the advancing American troops, keeping the attackers at a distance of 600 yards (550 m).

[16] Officers from nearby White Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss are frequently given staff tours of the battlefield to increase knowledge of small unit tactics against overwhelming odds.