Battle of Lincoln (1878)

The Battle of Lincoln in New Mexico from July 15 through July 19, 1878 was the largest armed conflict of the Lincoln County War, a now famous range war which took place in Lincoln, New Mexico. The "war" led to the notoriety of gunman Billy the Kid. The Battle of Lincoln was also one of the larger gunfights of the American Old West.

Background
The range war had begun with the murder of rancher John Tunstall by members of the Jesse Evans Gang, who were hired by the "Murphy-Dolan" faction as gunmen to harass that faction's competition. The murder and the subsequent lack of action by Lincoln County Sheriff William J. Brady led to the formation of the Lincoln County Regulators, led by Richard "Dick" Brewer and other friends and supporters of Tunstall. The Regulators included Billy the Kid, Charlie Bowdre, John Middleton, Frank Coe, George Coe, and Doc Scurlock. The conflict resulted in numerous killings by both factions, including the shooting death of Sheriff Brady, and culminated in a final showdown in Lincoln.

On April 29, 1878, a posse including the Evans Gang and the Seven Rivers Warriors, under the direction of Sheriff Peppin, engaged Regulators Frank McNab, Ab Saunders, and Frank Coe in a shootout at the Fritz Ranch. McNab was killed in a hail of gunfire, with Saunders being badly wounded, and Frank Coe captured. On April 30, 1878, Seven Rivers members Tom Green, Charles Marshall, Jim Patterson and John Galvin were killed in Lincoln, and although the Regulators were blamed, that was never proven. Frank Coe escaped custody some time after his capture, although it is not clear exactly when, allegedly with the assistance of Deputy Sheriff Wallace Olinger, who also gave him a pistol. On May 15, twenty-two Regulators led by Deputy Sheriff Doc Scurlock (who had been deputized by the new Sheriff, John N. Copeland), and including Billy the Kid, tracked down Seven Rivers gang member Manuel Segovia, who is believed to have shot McNab. There was a short fight and Segovia was shot and killed while allegedly trying to escape custody,

The morning after the shootout at the Fritz Ranch, George Coe, also a Regulator and the cousin of Frank Coe, took up position on the roof of McSween's house. George Coe, missing his trigger finger due to an earlier gunfight with Buckshot Roberts, took aim at 'Dutch Charlie' Kruling, a member of the Seven Rivers Warriors gang. The distance has been estimated at being 444 yards, but that has never been confirmed, although it was likely in excess of 350 yards. Henry Newton Brown warned Coe he was wasting his shot, and could not hope to hit him at that distance. To Brown’s astonishment, Coe hit Kruling, wounding him.

The battle
Alexander McSween, the former partner to John Tunstall, had organized and supported the Regulators, although he himself was a non-combatant during the conflict. On July 15, 1878, McSween gathered his Regulators in the town of Lincoln, while at the same time forces hired by the "Murphy-Dolan" faction organized to meet them, to include Jesse Evans and his gang, and the John Kinney Gang, and led by the newly appointed Sheriff George Peppin.

On July 15, the Regulators gathered in Lincoln, organized by McSween, and received word that a large posse was on its way into town. Instead of attempting to flee they elected to remain in town to meet the posse. The "Murphy-Dolan" forces soon rode into town from the west, and surrounded the McSween house, where the Regulators, as well as the new school teacher and the local Presbyterian minister and his family, had taken refuge.

The Murphy-Dolan men believed that they could take the Regulators by surprise, but were ill-informed. This opened up a barrage of gunfire from the posse, and return fire from the Regulators which soon changed to sporadic gunfire that continued throughout most of the day. At least five Murphy-Dolan men were wounded in the exchange, but the Regulators suffered no casualties. At around 4:30pm that afternoon, a detachment of cavalry arrived from Fort Stanton (bringing with them a Gatling gun and a howitzer cannon), under the command of Lieutenant George Smith. The soldiers placed themselves between the posse and the Regulators, effectively stopping the gunfire exchanges.

Shooting exchanges continued through July 18, and by that time Colonel Nathan Dudley had come from Fort Stanton and taken command. When a soldier was wounded, Dudley gave his soldiers authority to end the conflict, and the cavalry detachment who were present in Lincoln became involved, ultimately benefiting the Murphy-Dolan faction. Members of that faction then set fire to the house, but when McSween attempted to surrender, he was shot nine times and killed, while the remaining Regulators escaped. McSween, his business colleague Harvey Morris, and Tom Cullins were the fatal casualties suffered by the Regulators. The Murphy-Dolan faction had suffered several wounded and two, Bob Beckwith and Charlie Crawford, were killed.

Aftermath
McSween's wife Susan survived and pressed for action against the Murphy-Dolan faction, but none was taken. In September, 1878, President of the United States Rutherford Hayes dismissed Governor Axtell, replacing him with Lew Wallace, who immediately began trying to bring the lawlessness to an end. For many involved in the conflict he issued general amnesty, but for others, including Billy the Kid, he issued warrants. A pardon was discussed, but much due to his notoriety brought about by the range war, it never came to pass. Eventually, William Bonney aka Billy the Kid was killed by lawman Pat Garrett. By that time the Regulators had simply broken up, with many reverting to normal lives.