*IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER* Although the Battleground site is on Federal BLM Land, the only road access to this historic site is through private property from Westside Rd (60) to the north. There is a gate that contains a sign with two phone numbers to call the landowner (209) 480-8291 or (208) 740-9309 who may (or may not) give you access to the road to drive to the site. Otherwise, you will have to access the site from the west bluff and hike in to it from a BLM road.
The Battle of Infernal Caverns was one of California's most famous Indian battles and one of the last. There have been a number of books written about this battle and the events leading up to it. Wikipedia.com contains a writeup on the Battle of Infernal Caverns and reads:
Infernal Caverns is the site of an 1867 battle between U.S. armed forces and Shoshone, Paiute, and Pit River Indians. Infernal Caverns Battleground is California Historical Landmark No. 16.
Infernal Caverns, also known as Hell Caves, is located 6.5 miles west of Likely, California, and 1 mile south of the Ferry Ranch in Modoc County, California. The Infernal Caverns Battleground was the site of one of the last Indian battles fought in California, on September 26–27, 1867.
United States Army General George Crook was sent west to quell Indian uprisings that had begun in 1848 when the Northern Paiutes, related to the Shoshone tribe, bitterly attacked and killed European-Americans. The last incident that had brought U.S. Army action was when marauding Indians killed 78 miners that were en route to Colorado.
With the 39th Mounted Infantry, General Crook tracked the Indians south from Goose Lake (which lies on what is now the California-Oregon border), engaging them in a desolate spot named Infernal Caverns. The two-day battle began high in a canyon covered with giant boulders, rocky caverns, and hollow fumaroles caused by lava flows. Eight soldiers were killed in action. Six were buried at the site, and a seventh, Sgt. David Rustler, was transported by double mule travois to Camp Warner at Goose Lake, where he died a few days later. Lt. John Madigan, the only officer killed in the fight, was buried just outside of the town of Alturas, California. Six white marble tombstones were erected by the U.S. government to mark the burial location for the soldiers. One additional tombstone was added in 1995 for Private Willoughby Sawyer, who also died in this battle and whose marker was missing. This historical omission was discovered by California historian Chris J. Wright.
We also located a really nice writeup on the events surrounding the Infernal Caves Indian Battle from the book titled, Historic Spots in California, Third Edition and reads:
The Battle of Infernal Caverns, one of the most famous Indian fights in California, took place on September 26-27, 1867, between 110 soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel George Crook and a band of 75 Piutes, 30 Pit Rivers, and a few Modoc. For some time the Indians, well equipped with arms and ammunition, had been terrorizing the settlers throughout southern Idaho, western Nevada, and northeastern California, and Colonel Crook and his men had been sent to subdue them. The Indians were finally driven into a rough region on the South Fork of the Pit River. Here, before a seemingly impregnable fortress of caves and rocks, a pitched battle took place. The Indians were eventually driven from their stronghold, leaving many of their number dead, but not before eight of Crook's command were killed and 14 wounded.
The battleground of Infernal Caverns, where the old fortifications may still be seen, is on the Monroe Ranch about 17 miles south of Alturas. At the foot of the slope the graves of six of the soldiers killed in action have been marked by regulations Army headstones. Lieutenant John Madigan, 1st Cav., who was among those killed, was brevetted posthumously for conspicuous bravery. His body was secretly buried at a spot near the forks of the Pit River not far from Alturas (visit his grave here).
Our family was not able to locate the official California Historical Marker at Infernal Caverns above the graves. The landowner who gave us road access to this site didn't think any official landmark exists here anymore, so it has most likely been removed.
Another book documents this Battle of Infernal Caverns and is a detailed and well-written documentary of the events surrounding this battle by Joe Wasson and titled The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict, 1864-1868. Wasson was a newspaperman who followed General Crooks and his soldiers from Camp Warner to seek out the Indians that were causing so much trouble and mayhem to many white settlers in the area.
It also should be noted that the men who died and who's headstones reside here were not actually buried here but less than a mile north of here. Unfortunately, their bodies were most likely dug up by the Indians, for when a detachment of soldiers returned to disinter their remains, their bodies could not be found.
I've narrowed down excerpts that highlight some of the soldiers' deaths from Joe Wasson's accounts and they read:
...
... To make matters worse, Company D Private Carl Bross (Braus) crawled out too far ahead of the rest, and in the dark was accidentally shot and killed by his own friends.
... Appearing on the the exposed hill moments later, Lieutenant Madigan stood for a few seconds, still wearing his tightly buttoned overcoat. Whether he stopped to assess the ground or encourage his men, the delay was fatal.; a bullet crashed straight through his skull and he crumpled to the ground with the same type of death wound, and on the exact spot that Private Lyons fell the day before.
... Private James (or Bryan) Carey, Company H, a long-time resident of New Orleans, boldly forged through several passageways (of the caves after the Battle ended), found dead Indians and took their scalps. He entered a large cave, head first, with with a revolver in hand, when a wounded warrior shot him through the heart. Carey tumbled off a ledge and down into the dark pit. No one would venture to go down and get him. Parnell went to cap, had a blacksmith fashion a long pole and make a horseshoe into a drag-hook, and fasten it to the end. Carey's comrades tied a lariat to the end of the pole and reached down into the pit as far as they could. After several tries, they hooked the horseshoe into Carey's waistbelt and hauled his body up.
... In the valley below Infernal Caverns, Crook packed up to return to Camp Warner. On the afternoon of September 28, less than one mile north of the campsite they buried the bodies of Barchet, Lyons, Meara, Sawyer, Carey and Bross in separate graves side by side. They burned logs over the top and let the horses trample down the ground to obliterate any evidence of graves. Wasson commented that there was a "horror attendant in knowing that one has to be left hundreds of miles in the wilderness without so much as a little lumber to designate the line of demarcation between human human and Mother Earth;" but, he realized the necessity of hiding the graves, given "the well-known practices of the human hyenas" who inhabited the country. The precaution failed, however, for when a detachment of soldiers returned later to disinter the remains, no traces of them could be found, their belief being that the Indians had dug them up.
... On September 29, the command began its march north, along the west bank of the South Fork Pit. Fifteen miles brought them to the junction of the North Fork. They cross over, and 20 rods north and 30 rods west of the junction they stopped to bury Lieutenant Madigan. He was eulogized in a special ceremony.
In reading excerpts from Joe Wasson's personal account on the Battle of Infernal Caverns, I found it interesting that two individuals were not interred at this site: civilian Lawrence Traynor, who fought in the Battle along with the army contingent and died from wounds on the way back to Camp Warner; and Private James Kingston, who was shot in the head and died after reaching Camp Warner. I know that a grave for David Rustler was placed here many years after the original six graves were placed. I also think graves for Traynor and Kingston should be placed here as well, with possibly the grave for Lt. John Madigan added as well.
