Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

First Battle of the Stronghold

First Battle of the Stronghold was a battle fought on 17 January 1873 at Tulelake, in what is now California, United States. It was part of the Modoc War, which ran from 1872 to 1873. The recorded result: Decisive Modoc victory. Recorded strength: 53 against 300 Infantry; 100 Cavalry; 2 howitzers.

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1873 sketch by William Simpson of Modocs at Captain Jack's Stronghold, in public domain, from Library of Congress
1873 sketch by William Simpson of Modocs at Captain Jack's Stronghold, in public domain, from Library of Congress. The original uploader was Gentgeen at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 January 1873
WhereTulelake, California, United States41.909N, 121.533W
OutcomeDecisive Modoc victory
BelligerentsModocagainstUnited States
Casualties and lossesNoneand42 killed, many wounded
Part ofModoc War1872 to 1873

Where it sits in the Modoc War

Battle of Lost River, 1872First Battle of the Stronghold, 1873Second Battle of the Stronghold, 1873Battle of Sand Butte, 1873Battle of Dry Lake, 187318721873First Battle of the Stronghold, 1873
5 placed engagements of the Modoc War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 January 1873
PlaceTulelake, California, United States
41.909N, 121.533W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength53300 Infantry; 100 Cavalry; 2 howitzers
Casualties and lossesNone42 killed, many wounded
Commanders
  • Frank Wheaton
  • Reuben Bernard
First Battle of the StrongholdFirst Battle of the StrongholdBattle of Lost RiverSecond Battle of the StrongholdBattle of Sand ButteBattle of Dry LakeBattle of Lost RiverMedfordKlamath FallsGrants PassMt. Shasta100 km41.909N, 121.533W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1873

First Battle of the Stronghold is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (23 in California).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q5390656, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article First Battle of the Stronghold, revision 1370619124, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.