service in the mines; others had their villages raided by the army and volunteer militia. In December 1850, the Ahwahneechees and the Chowchilla in the Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley fought back leading a raid on the Fresno River post of James D. Savage. With the support of Mariposa County Sheriff James Burney, Savage led a militia of seventy four men in a retaliatory attack against a Chowchilla camp on the Fresno River near present-day Oakhurst, California on January 11, 1851. The militia attacked with rifles at daylight but were surprised when the Chowchilla returned fire with rifles and pistols of their own. Surprised and unprepared, Savage's forces staggered and dispersed, resulting in a victory for the Native Americans in what would become known as the first battle of the Mariposa War. War Mobilization Burney made an appeal to John McDougal, the second Governor of California. This led to the creation of the Mariposa Battalion, a Californian State Militia, under "Major" James D. Savage. At least one-fifth of the volunteers were Texans and had served previously under Colonel Jack Hays during the Mexican-American War. Its commands were: Company A : 70 men, led by Capt. John J. Kuykendall Company B : 72 men led by Capt. John Boling Company C : 56 men led by Capt. William Dill Besides the military, officials from the Federal Indian commission sought a peaceful solution. On March 19, 1851, the Commissioners signed a treaty at Camp Fremont aside Mariposa Creek with six tribes. However, as the Ahwahneechees and Chowchillas were absent from the talks, a military campaign was launched against them the same day. First campaign The military action began when Company A — led by Captain Kuykendall — proceeded south to the King's and upper Kaweah Rivers and to the Tulare Valley. After arriving at the King's River, scouts located a large Chowchilla village nearby. Company A charged into the Chowchilla camp, killing Native Americans. Some survivors were pursued, ridden down and taken prisoner. However, as Kuykendall's men had abandoned their horses for the village charge, many of the Chowchilla were able to escape on foot. After the village attack, Kuykendall ordered his command to move onto the headwaters of the Kahweah River where they were unable to locate any more Chowchilla. A few days later, a group of Chowchilla entered their camp to sue for peace. The offer of peace was