Otermín assembled a council of war which decided to make a surprise attack on the Pueblo. On August 20, settlers and soldiers abandoned their fortified enclave and raided the Pueblo. However, the important number of weapons of the Pueblo was a fact and although the Otermín's army managed to defeat many Puebloans, the number of his soldiers killed was even greater. In fact, the Pueblo victory over the Otermín's government was such that, according to reports from the Pueblo captives, most of the people of the population of New Mexico had been killed by them.