US ResearchConflictsIndian Wars and Frontier ConflictsNogales Border Incident (1915)
Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts

Nogales Border Incident (1915)

1915
Arizona
Era
Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts
Year
1915
Location
Arizona
Status
Verified engagement
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Outcome
Inconclusive; US troops reinforced border line
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Ambos Nogales, or as it is known in Mexico La batalla del 27 de agosto, was an engagement fought on 27 August 1918 between Mexican military and civilian militia forces and elements of U.S. Army troops of the 35th Infantry Regiment, who were reinforced by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, and commanded by Lt. The American soldiers and militia forces were stationed in Nogales, Arizona, and the Mexican soldiers and armed Mexican militia were in Nogales, Sonora.

Duration
Single day engagement (August 27, 1918)
Historical context

The frontier period of the American West (roughly 1865–1900) was defined by cattle drives, mining booms, railroad construction, and the violent suppression of Indigenous resistance. Texas longhorn cattle drives north along the Chisholm Trail to railheads in Kansas brought beef to eastern markets from the 1860s through the 1880s. Mining rushes to the Black Hills (1874), Colorado (1858–1859), and the Comstock Lode in Nevada attracted tens of thousands of prospectors and boom towns that rose and collapsed within years. The range wars between cattle ranchers and homesteaders, vigilante justice, and the careers of figures like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid became mythologized in dime novels and later in film. The Dawes Act (1887) and the opening of Oklahoma Territory to homesteading (1889) completed the legal dismantling of Indigenous land tenure in the West. By 1890 the US Census declared the frontier effectively closed, and the era of open-range cattle drives ended with the introduction of barbed wire fencing across the plains.

Casualties & Losses

~3 total

Forces Involved

Mexican military and civilian militia forces and elements of U.S. Army troops of the 35th Infantry Regiment, who were reinforced by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Nogales Border Incident (1915) take place?
Nogales Border Incident (1915) took place in 1915. Single day engagement (August 27, 1918).
Where was Nogales Border Incident (1915) fought?
Nogales Border Incident (1915) was fought in Arizona, United States.
What was the outcome of Nogales Border Incident (1915)?
Inconclusive; US troops reinforced border line
What was the significance of Nogales Border Incident (1915)?
The Battle of Ambos Nogales, or as it is known in Mexico La batalla del 27 de agosto, was an engagement fought on 27 August 1918 between Mexican military and civilian militia forces and elements of U.S. Army troops of the 35th Infantry Regiment, who were reinforced by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10t
Protected heritage nearby

Historic Sites near Nogales Border Incident (1915)

US Post Office and Immigration Station-Nogales Main
Industrial · 0.2 mi
Hotel Blanca
Industrial · 0.2 mi
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All battles in Arizona
Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Wikipedia source.

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