b. Hastings, NY; 1860 US Federal Census, Ava, Jackson Co., IL; [Military Service: 1867 - Company D, U.S. Infantry, Camp Reynolds, Angel Island, CA]; [U.S. Returns from Regular Army Infantry Regiments, 1821-1916 - Charles A. Fonda - Private - Company D - Twenty-Third Infantry - Aug 14 1867 - Pacific Division - May 1 1868 - Warner Lakes, OR - Died from Wounds Received in Action with Indians Apr 28 1868]; [Pvt. Charles A. Fonda was mortally wounded at the skirmish of Otseo's Lodge in April 1868 against hostile Northern Paiute and Shoshone Indians near Warner Lakes, Oregon. Pvt. Fonda was shot in the knee and since his wound was serious, it was decided to amputate his leg in the field. He did not survive the operation, and was almost certainly buried in the field. The site of the skirmish is known, but Fonda's exact burial place is not. A government-issued headstone will be placed at the site near the end of July 2013. A newspaper account describes it as "a little east and south of the stone bridge." The headstone will be placed within 200 yards of the site of the stone bridge, on land that is on the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge.
The best description of the skirmish at Otseo's Lodge is in the book 'The Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict', 1864-1868 by Gregory Michno. A group of 18 soldiers and a few Indian scouts attempted to attack a group of Snake Indians at daybreak. The Indians heard the soldiers splashing as they crossed a creek, and retreated to high ground, The soldiers then attacked uphill across open ground, and suffered many casualties. Fonda was the only fatality. The skirmish occurred about 1/2 mile east of the site of Old Camp Warner, which had been abandoned the year before. John Griffin, Lakeview, OR]; [A Report of Surgical Cases treated in the Army of the United States from 1865 to 1871 by George Alexander Otis - DXXXIX Mention of a Primary Amputation of the Thigh By JM Dickson MD Acting Assistant Surgeon Private Charles A Fonda Co D 23d Infantry received a severe gunshot wound of the knee joint in a skirmish near Lake Warner Oregon April 29 1868. Amputation at the lower third of the thigh was performed on the next day. He died under the operation.] >> www.fonda.org <<