The Modoc War , or the Modoc Campaign ( also known as the Lava Beds War ) , was an armed Bearing_arms conflict Hostile_encounter between the Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern Oregon from 1872 to 1873 .

Occupying defensive Defending positions throughout the lava beds south of Tule Lake ( in present-day Lava Beds National Monument ) , those few warriors resisted Defending for months the more numerous United States Army forces sent Sending against them , which were reinforced Cause_change_of_strength with artillery .