Billy the Kid is the most remembered gunfighter of the Lincoln County War.
Date
February 18 – July 20, 1878 or July 14, 1881 (when Billy the Kid was killed)
Location
Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory
Caused by
Revenge killings
Resulted in
Regulators were suppressed and both factions collapsed
Parties
Murphy-Dolan-Riley Faction
General Store Monopoly
New Mexico lawmen
Jesse Evans Gang
Seven Rivers Warriors
John Kinney Gang
Tunstall-McSween-Chisum Faction
Lincoln County Regulators
New Mexico lawmen (briefly)
Lead figures
Lawrence Murphy
James Dolan
John Riley
William J. Brady †
George Peppin
Jesse Evans
Hugh Beckwith
John Tunstall †
John Chisum
Alexander McSween †
Dick Brewer †
Frank McNab †
Doc Scurlock
Billy the Kid
Number
16
64
Casualties and losses
15 killed
11 wounded
8 killed
12 wounded
v
t
e
Lincoln County War
Blackwater Massacre
Battle of Blazer's Mill
Gunfight at Fritz Ranch
Battle of Lincoln
The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881.[1] The feud became famous because of the participation of William H. Bonney ("Billy the Kid"). Other notable participants included Sheriff William J. Brady, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessmen Alexander McSween, James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy.[1]
The conflict began between two factions competing for profits from dry goods and cattle interests in the county. The older, established faction was dominated by James Dolan, who operated a dry goods monopoly through a general store referred to locally as "The House". English-born John Tunstall and his business partner Alexander McSween opened a competing store in 1876, with backing from established cattleman John Chisum. The two sides gathered lawmen, businessmen, Tunstall's ranch hands,[2] and criminal gangs to their assistance. The Dolan faction was allied with Lincoln County Sheriff Brady and aided by the Jesse Evans Gang. The Tunstall-McSween faction organized their own posse of armed men, known as the Lincoln County Regulators, and had their own lawmen consisting of town constable Richard M. Brewer[3] and Deputy US Marshal Robert A. Widenmann.[4]
The conflict was marked by revenge killings, starting with the murder of Tunstall by members of the Evans Gang. In revenge for this, the Regulators killed Sheriff Brady and others in a series of incidents. Further killings continued unabated for several months, climaxing in the battle of Lincoln, a five-day gunfight and siege that resulted in the death of McSween and the scattering of the Regulators. Pat Garrett was named County Sheriff in 1880, and he hunted down Billy the Kid, killing two other former Regulators in the process.
The war was fictionalized by several Hollywood movies, including The Left Handed Gun in 1958, John Wayne’s Chisum in 1970, Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid in 1973 and Young Guns in 1988. Ron Hansen’s novel The Kid (2016) is also inspired by the Lincoln County War.
^ abRoberts & Roberts 2004, p. 234.
^"The Real Billy the Kid". Cowboys and Outlaws. United States. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Nolan 2009, pp. 163, 510.
^Ball, Larry D. (1982). "Marshall John E. Sherman, Jr., 1876–82". The United States Marshals of New Mexico and Arizona Territories, 1846–1912. University of New Mexico Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780826306173.
and 19 Related for: Lincoln County War information
The LincolnCounty Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the LincolnCountyWar in New Mexico, during...
the age of 21. He is also known for his involvement in New Mexico's LincolnCountyWar, during which he allegedly committed three murders. McCarty was orphaned...
the various range wars and feuds such as the Pecos War, LincolnCountyWar, and the Colfax CountyWar. The ring name was applied to almost all state politicians...
arrested for "shooting up" the town of Lincoln while intoxicated. With the outbreak of the LincolnCountyWar in 1878, Bowdre sided with the Tunstall-McSween...
George Coe, when he was a member of the LincolnCounty Regulators, a deputized posse, during the 1878 LincolnCountyWar in the New Mexico Territory (New Mexico...
of the Old West known primarily due to its part in the Pecos War and the LincolnCountyWar. The gang was initially formed during the mid-1870s by disgruntled...
Cochise County, Arizona. Roscoe Burrell, nothing known of life after LincolnCountyWar. Serafin Aragon, nothing known of life after LincolnCountyWar. Ponciano...
ignited the LincolnCountyWar. Evans would figure prominently into the range war, often taking the lead on operations against the LincolnCounty Regulators...
Regulators during the LincolnCountyWar in New Mexico, Scurlock rode alongside such men as Billy the Kid. He was born in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, January...
businessman and gunman, and a main instigator of the LincolnCountyWar. Murphy was Irish Catholic born in County Wexford, Ireland, and as a young adult moved...
(June 15, 1837 — July 19, 1878) was a prominent figure during the LincolnCountyWar of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall...
Deputy United States Marshal and associate of Billy the Kid during the LincolnCountyWar. Widenmann was born January 24, 1852, to German-born parents in Ann...
leading factor in the LincolnCountyWar, who was shot and killed by members of the Murphy-Dolan faction. Born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, from a German...
member of the LincolnCounty Regulators during the LincolnCountyWar. Although he is sometimes referred to as the youngest of the LincolnCounty Regulators...
the screen by Andrew J. Fenady from his short story "Chisum and the LincolnCountyWar." The supporting cast features Forrest Tucker, Christopher George...
Union victory in the American Civil War, which dominated his presidency and resulted in the end of slavery. Lincoln took office following the 1860 presidential...