A troop of the United States Army's California Column attacked a superior force of Chiricahua Apaches at their camp and routed them from the field.

By March 27, the garrison of Camp Mimbres was informed of the attack so Captain James H. Whitlock organized an expedition to retrieve the stolen livestock.

They headed towards Stein's Peak in the Sierra Bonita Mountains, and when they arrived, an Apache trail was spotted which led north into the San Simon Valley.

While burning the mescal, 30 of the retreating Apaches turned around and attacked the soldiers to try to stop the destruction of their food, but they were driven off by effective volleys of rifle fire.

Similar to the earlier Battle of Apache Pass, the Californians were outnumbered but managed to defeat a larger force of hardened warriors.