UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

The attack happened on Sunday morning at 6:00 am, once every Apache went to sleep after their traditional ritual dance. Under the command of William Sanders Oury (also known as Bill Oury) and Juan Elias, an organized attack was arranged to target the Apache near Camp Grant in Arizona on April 30, 1871. As Oury, Elias, and their 148 followers pursued their attack, approximately 108 Apache were murdered with a small number of survivors. As the nation (including President Grant) received word about the Camp Grant Massacre, a trial proceeded months later that underwent 17 minutes with the verdict of not guilty for the defendants involved within the massacre. In the next following paragraphs, I will uncover the historical context, production of silences, historical actors, lateral memory, exemplary memory, and current memory activism of the Camp Grant Massacre.