The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
and various
Apache tribal confederations fought in the
southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...
in 1846, the United States inherited conflicted territory from Mexico which was the home of both settlers and Apache tribes. Conflicts continued as new United States citizens came into traditional Apache lands to raise livestock and crops and to mine minerals.
The U.S. Army established forts to fight Apache tribal war parties and force Apaches to move to designated
Indian reservations created by the U.S. in accordance with the
Indian Removal Act. Some reservations were not on the traditional areas occupied by the Apache. In 1886, the U.S. Army put over 5,000 soldiers in the field to fight, which resulted in the surrender of
Geronimo and 30 of his followers. This is generally considered the end of the Apache Wars, although conflicts continued between citizens and Apaches. The
Confederate Army briefly participated in the wars during the early 1860s in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, before being diverted to action in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
and
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
.
Background
Historically, the Apache had raided enemy tribes and sometimes each other, for livestock, food or captives. They raided with small parties, for a specific purpose. The Apache only rarely united to gather armies of hundreds of men, using all tribal male members of warrior age.
The first conflicts between the Apache (who call themselves ''T`Inde, Inde, N`dee, N`ne'', meaning the "people") and other people in the Southwest date to the earliest Spanish settlements, but the specific set of conflicts now known as the Apache Wars began during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the ...
.
Cochise
The Apache Wars were sparked when American troops erroneously accused Apache leader
Cochise and his tribe of kidnapping a young boy during a raid. Cochise professed truthfully that his tribe had not kidnapped the boy and offered to try and find him for the Americans, but the commander refused to believe him and instead took Cochise and his party hostage for the return of the boy. Cochise escaped, and a standoff developed as Cochise's tribe and allies surrounded the American forces, demanding the release of the rest of Cochise's party. After a standoff, during which 3 additional braves and a number of American soldiers and postmen were captured, the Apache retreated, believing they were being
flanked, but in revenge for the continued holding of their people killed soldiers and postmen they had captured. The Americans in turn killed the 6 men they had captured, though they allowed the women and children to go free. In what became known as the
Bascom affair, three of the men killed were Cochise's brother and nephews, and Cochise gathered the Apache tribes and made war on the U.S. for vengeance, sparking the century-long conflict.
The first U.S. Army campaigns specifically against the Apache began in 1849.
Conflicts
Jicarilla War
At the start of the Mexican–American War in 1846, many Apache tribal chieftains promised American soldiers safe passage through their land, though other tribes fought in defense of Mexico and against the influx of new settlers to New Mexico. When the United States claimed the
frontier territories of Mexico in 1848,
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas or Mangus-Colorado (La-choy Ko-kun-noste, alias "Red Sleeve"), or Dasoda-hae ("He Just Sits There") (c. 1793 – January 18, 1863) was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Mimbreño (Tchihende) division of the Central ...
signed a peace treaty, respecting the Americans as the conquerors of the Mexicans' land.
However, as Tiller relates regarding the treaty signed at Santa Fe on April 2, 1851, "The Jicarillas were expected to comply with the terms of the treaty immediately, yet as far as the new Mexicans were concerned, their part of the bargain would go into effect only after Congress had ratified it." The
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
never did ratify the treaty. An uneasy peace between the Apache and the Americans persisted until an influx of gold miners into the
Santa Rita Mountains of present-day Arizona led to conflict.
The Jicarilla War began in 1849 when a group of settlers were
attacked and killed by a force of Jicarillas and
Utes in northeastern New Mexico. A second massacre occurred in 1850, in which several mail carriers were killed. The U.S. Army became involved in 1853. The Army went on to fight at the
Battle of Cieneguilla
The Battle of Cieneguilla (pronounced sienna-GEE-ya; English: small swamp) was an engagement of the Jicarilla War involving a group of Jicarilla Apaches, possibly their Ute allies, and the American 1st Cavalry Regiment on March 30, 1854 near ...
, a significant Apache victory, and later the
Battle of Ojo Caliente Canyon, an American victory.
Chiricahua wars
In 1851, near the
Piños Altos mining camp, Mangas Coloradas was attacked by a group of miners; they tied him to a tree and severely beat him. Similar incidents continued in violation of the treaty, leading to Apache reprisals against European Americans. In December 1860, thirty miners
launched a surprise attack on an encampment of ''Bedonkohe'' on the west bank of the
Mimbres River in retaliation for the theft of numerous livestock. According to the historian Edwin R. Sweeney, the miners "...killed four Indians, wounded others, and captured thirteen women and children." The Apache quickly retaliated with raids against U.S. citizens and property.
In early February 1861, a group of Coyotero Apaches stole cattle and kidnapped the stepson of the rancher John Ward near
Sonoita, Arizona. Ward sought redress from the nearby American Army. Lieutenant
George N. Bascom was dispatched, and Ward accompanied the detail. Bascom set out to meet with Cochise near
Apache Pass and the
Butterfield Overland Stagecoach station to secure the cattle and Ward's son. Bascom started on the wrong foot by lying to Cochise about his purposes and intents, something that was detested by Apaches, who did not tolerate liars. Cochise was unaware of the incident, but he offered to seek those responsible. Dissatisfied, Bascom accused Cochise of having been involved. He took Cochise and his group of family members, including his wife and children, under arrest while under a
white flag in the negotiating tent. Angered, Cochise slashed his way from the tent and escaped. After further failed negotiations, Cochise took a member of the stage coach station hostage after an exchange of gunfire.
With Bascom unwilling to exchange prisoners, Cochise and his party killed the members of a passing Mexican wagon train. The Apache killed and ritually mutilated nine Mexicans and took three whites captive but killed them later. They were unsuccessful in attempting an ambush of a Butterfield Overland stagecoach. With negotiations between Cochise and Bascom at an impasse, Bascom sent for reinforcements. Cochise killed the remaining four captives from the Butterfield Station and abandoned negotiations. Upon the advice of military surgeon Dr. Bernard Irwin, Bascom hanged the Apache hostages in his custody. The retaliatory executions became known as the
Bascom affair; they initiated another eleven years of open warfare between the varying groups of Apache and the United States settlers, the U.S. Army and the
Confederate Army.
After the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
began in April 1861, Mangas Coloradas and Cochise, his son-in-law, struck an alliance, agreeing to drive all Americans and Mexicans out of Apache territory. Their campaigns against the Confederates were the battles of
Tubac,
Cookes Canyon,
Florida Mountains,
Pinos Altos and
Dragoon Springs. Other Apache war parties fought the Rebels as well;
Mescalero Apache attacked and captured a herd of livestock at
Fort Davis on August 9, 1861, with the Apache killing two guards in the process. The Army sent out a patrol to try to retrieve the livestock, and the Apache killed them all. Mangas Coloradas and Cochise were joined in their campaign by the chief
Juh
Juh (also known as Ju, Ho, Whoa, and sometimes Who;Kraft, Louis (2000). - ''Gatewood and Geronimo''. - Albuquerque: University of New Mexico. - p.4. - c. 1825 – Sept/Oct 1883) was a warrior and leader of the Janeros local group of the Ndé ...
and the notable warrior
Geronimo. They thought that they had achieved some success when the Americans closed the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach and Army troops departed, but those actions were related to the beginning of the Civil War.
The United States military leadership decided to move against the
Arizona Confederates in what the Union considered part of the
New Mexico Territory by dispatching a column of Californian volunteers under Colonel
James Henry Carleton
James Henry Carleton (December 27, 1814 – January 7, 1873) was an officer in the US Army and a Union general during the American Civil War. Carleton is best known as an Indian fighter in the Southwestern United States.
Biography
Carleton ...
. The
California Column, as it was known, followed the old Butterfield Overland Trail east. In 1862 the troops encountered Mangas Coloradas and Cochise's followers near the site of the spring in Apache Pass. In the
Battle of Apache Pass
The Battle of Apache Pass was fought in 1862 at Apache Pass, Arizona, in the United States, between Apache warriors and the Union volunteers of the California Column as it marched from California to capture Confederate Arizona and to reinfor ...
, soldiers shot and wounded Mangas Coloradas in the chest. While recuperating, he met with an intermediary to call for peace with the United States.
In January 1863, Coloradas agreed to meet with U.S. military leaders at
Fort McLane, near present-day
Hurley in southwestern
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
. Coloradas arrived under a white flag of truce to meet with Brigadier General
Joseph Rodman West, an officer of the
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
militia. Again the Americans violated the neutrality of a white flag. The armed soldiers took him into custody, and West is reported to have ordered his sentries to execute the Apache tribal chief. That night Mangas was tortured and shot, as he was "trying to escape." The following day, soldiers cut off his head, boiled it and sent the skull to the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
. The mutilation of Coloradas' body increased the hostility of the Apache people against the United States.
Carleton then decided to forcefully move the Navajo and Apache to reservations. Initially, he intended to make the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
valley safer for settlement and end the raids on travelers. He began by forcing various tribes of Mescalero and Navajo onto the reservation at
Fort Sumner. He enlisted
Kit Carson, one-time friend of the
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...
, to round them up by destroying their crops and livestock, and forcing them on the
Long Walk to Fort Sumner.
Texas Indian Wars
On November 25, 1864, the
Plains Apache fought in one of the largest battles of the
American Indian Wars at the
First Battle of Adobe Walls. Carson led an army of 400 soldiers and
Ute scouts to the Texas panhandle and captured an encampment from which the inhabitants had fled. More than 1,000
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...
,
Kiowa
Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and e ...
and Plains Apache attacked. Carson took a position in an abandoned
adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for '' mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of ...
building on top of a hill and repulsed several attacks. After a day of fighting, Carson retreated and the Indians permitted him to leave without opposition. Iron Shirt, a Plains Apache chief, was killed in the battle. Six soldiers were killed; the army estimated that the Indians suffered 60 killed and wounded.
Yavapai War
The
Yavapai Wars, or the
Tonto Wars, were a series of armed conflicts between the
Yavapai and
Tonto tribes against the U.S. in Arizona. The period began no later than 1861, with the arrival of American settlers on Yavapai and Tonto land. At the time, the Yavapai were considered a tribe of the
Western Apache people because of their close relationship with tribes such as the Tonto and Pinal. The war culminated with the Yavapai's removal from the
Camp Verde Reservation to
San Carlos on February 27, 1875, an event now known as Exodus Day.
In 1871, a group of 6 white Americans, 48 Mexicans, and almost 100
Papago warriors
attacked Camp Grant and massacred about 150 Apache men, women, and children. Campaigning against the Apache continued in the mid-1870s. The battles of
Salt River Canyon and
Turret Peak are prime examples of the violence in the Arizona region. Soldiers and civilians, especially from
Tucson, frequently pursued various Apache tribal war parties, trying to end their raids.
Victorio's War
In 1879, the veteran Chiricahua war chief
Victorio and his followers were facing forced removal from their homeland and reservation at
Ojo Caliente, New Mexico and transfer to San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. On August 21, 1879, Victorio, 80 warriors, and their women and children fled the reservation. Victorio was joined by other Apache, especially Mescalero, and his force may have reached a maximum of 200 warriors, an unusually large force of Apache.
For 14 months, Victorio led a
guerrilla war
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...
against the U.S. Army and white settlers in southern New Mexico, western Texas, and northern Mexico. He fought more than a dozen battles and skirmishes with the U.S. Army and raided several civilian settlements. Several thousand American and Mexican soldiers and Indian scouts pursued him, as he fled from one stronghold to another. Victorio and many of his followers met their end on October 14, 1880, when they were surrounded and killed by Mexican soldiers at the
Battle of Tres Castillos in
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
* Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mu ...
, Mexico. A lieutenant of Victorio's,
Nana, continued the war. With fewer than 40 warriors Nana raided extensively in New Mexico from June to August 1881. Nana survived the raid and died of old age in 1896.
Battles near Fort Apache
In August 1881, a force of soldiers from
Fort Apache Indian Reservation was sent to investigate recent reports of Apache unrest and to detain the
medicine man Nock-ay-det-klinne. The arrest of Nock-ay-det-klinne by three native scouts was peaceful until they made their way back to camp. Upon arrival the camp on August 31, had already been surrounded by Nock-ay-det-klinne's followers. The
Battle of Cibecue Creek began, and Nock-ay-det-klinne was killed. The following day, the Apache warriors
attacked Fort Apache in reprisal for the death of Nock-ay-det-klinne.
In the spring of 1882, the warrior Na-tio-tisha lead a party of about 60 White Mountain Apache warriors. In early July they ambushed and killed four
San Carlos policemen, including the police chief. After the ambush, Na-tio-tisha led his war-party northwest through the
Tonto Basin. Local Arizona settlers were greatly alarmed and demanded protection from the U.S. Army. It sent out fourteen
companies of
U.S. Cavalry
The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one r ...
from forts across the region. In the middle of July, Na-tio-tisha led his war-party up Cherry Creek to the
Mogollon Rim, intending to reach General Springs, a well-known water hole on the Crook Trail. Noticing they were being trailed by a single troop of cavalry, the Apache lay an ambush seven miles north of General Springs, where a fork of East Clear Creek cuts a gorge into the Mogollon Rim. The Apaches hid on the far side and waited. The cavalry company was led by Captain
Adna Chaffee
Adna Romanza Chaffee (April 14, 1842 – November 1, 1914) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. Chaffee took part in the American Civil War and Indian Wars, played a key role in the Spanish–American War, and fought in the Boxe ...
. The chief scout,
Al Sieber, discovered the Apache trap and warned the troops. During the night, Chaffee's lone company was reinforced by four more from Fort Apache under the command of Major A.W. Evans. Then they were ready to begin the
Battle of Big Dry Wash.
Geronimo campaign
After two decades of guerrilla warfare, Cochise chose to make peace with the U.S. He agreed to relocate his people to a reservation in the
Chiricahua Mountains. Soon afterward in 1874, Cochise died. In a change of policy, the U.S. government decided to move the Chiricahua to the San Carlos reservation in 1876. Half complied and the other half, led by Geronimo, escaped to Mexico. In the spring of 1877, the U.S. captured Geronimo and brought him to the San Carlos reservation. He stayed there until September 1881. As soldiers gathered near the reservation, he feared being imprisoned for previous activities. He fled the reservation with 700 Apache and went to Mexico again.
On April 19, 1882, Chiricahua chief Juh attacked the San Carlos reservation and forced Chief Loco to break out. During the hostilities, Juh's warriors killed the chief of police Albert D. Sterling, along with Sagotal, an Apache policeman. Juh led Loco and up to 700 other Apaches back to Mexico.
In the spring of 1883, General
George Crook
George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...
was put in charge of the Arizona and New Mexico Indian reservations. With 200
Apache Scouts, he journeyed to Mexico, found Geronimo's camp, and with
Tom Horn as his interpreter, persuaded Geronimo and his people to return to the San Carlos reservation. Chiefs Bonito, Loco, and Nana came with Crook at the time. Juh remained in Mexico where he died accidentally in November. Geronimo did not come until February 1884. Crook instituted several reforms on the reservation, but local newspapers criticized him for being too lenient with the Apache; newspapers of the time demonized Geronimo. . On May 17, 1885, Geronimo escaped again to Mexico. Geronimo and his party killed dozens of people during the
Bear Valley Raid
The raid on Bear Valley was an armed conflict that occurred in 1886 during Geronimo's War. In late April, a band of Chiricahua Apaches attacked settlements in Santa Cruz County, Arizona over the course of two days. The Apaches raided four cat ...
and similar attacks.
In the spring of 1886, Crook went after Geronimo and caught up with him just over the Mexico border in March. Geronimo and his group fled, and Crook could not catch them. The
War Department reprimanded Crook for the failure, and he resigned. He was replaced by Brigadier General
Nelson Miles in April 1886. Miles deployed over two dozen
heliograph points to coordinate 5,000 soldiers, 500 Apache Scouts, 100
Navajo Scouts, and thousands of civilian militia men against Geronimo and his 24 warriors. Lieutenant.
Charles B. Gatewood and his Apache Scouts found Geronimo in
Skeleton Canyon in September 1886 and persuaded them to surrender to Miles.
An 1887 letter from Charles Winters from Troop D of the
6th Cavalry Regiment describes a soldier's experiences during the Apache Wars in New Mexico:
Dear Friend!
I will now take and write to you a few lines, to let you know that I am yet alive, and doing well. I joint icthe Army in January, 86 and had a good fight with Geronimo and his Indians. I also had two hard fights, where i came very near getting killed, but i got true icalright. I was made Corporal when i first enlisted, but have now got high enough to be in Charge of Troop D. 6th U.S. Cavalry and it requires a good man for to get that office, and that is more than i expected. Charley White from Cranbury came out with me and got in the same Troop with me, and I sent him with twenty more men out on a Scout after Indians and Charley was lucky enough to be shot down by Indians the first day, and only three of my men returned. I was very sorry but it could not be helped.
The Territory of New Mexico is a very nice place never no Winter and lots of Gold and Silver Mines all around but for all that it is a disagreeable place on account of so many Indians. I like it first rate and I think as soon as my five years are up I will go bak icto Old New Jersey but not today. My name isn't Charley Winters no more since i shot that man at Jefferson Barracks when he tried to get away from me. My Captain at time told me to take the name of his son who died and so my name since then is Charles H. Wood. I will now close and hope that you will soon write and let me know how you are getting along. Give my best regards to all and to yourself and oblige.
The Army imprisoned Geronimo and many other Apache men, including some of the local Apache scouts, then they transported them to the East as prisoners of war. They held them at
Fort Pickens and
Fort Marion in Florida. Northerners vacationing in
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
, where Fort Marion was located, included teachers and missionaries, who became interested in the Apache prisoners. Volunteers participated in teaching the Apache to speak and write English, about Christian religion and elements of American culture. Many citizens raised funds to send nearly 20 of the younger male prisoners to college after they were released from detainment. Most attended
Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, a historically black college. Many Apache died in the prisons. Later, Apache children were taken to the
Carlisle Indian Industrial School
The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918. It took over the historic Carlisle ...
in Pennsylvania, where fifty of them died. Eventually, after 26 years, the Apache in Florida were released to return to the Southwest, but Geronimo was sent to
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
, Oklahoma, where he died.
Post-1887 period
Despite the surrender of Geronimo and his followers in 1886, Apache warriors continued warfare against Americans and Mexicans. U.S. forces went on
search and destroy missions against the small war parties, using tactics including
solar signaling, wire
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
, joint American and Mexican intelligence sharing, allied
Indian Scouts, and local quick reaction posse groups. Though several resistance groups holding out in the Searria Madre mountains with sightings ranging from the 1952 all the way to 2017 with some possible sightings from local ranchers, hikers, or explorers.
The U.S. Cavalry had several expeditions against the Apache after 1886. During one of them,
10th Cavalry and
4th Cavalry forces under First Lieutenant
James W. Watson pursued mounted Apache warriors north of
Globe, Arizona, along the
Salt River. During the
Cherry Creek campaign, Sergeant James T. Daniels of the 4th Cavalry, and Sergeant
William McBryar of the 10th Cavalry, and Sergeant
Y. B. Rowdy of the Apache Scouts are the last recipients of the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...
for actions during the Apache Wars.
[Melzer, p. 285]
Aftermath
The last Apache raid into the United States occurred as late as 1924 when a war party of natives, who were later caught and arrested, stole some horses from Arizonan settlers. This is considered to be the end of the American Indian Wars, but the Apache–Mexico Wars continued for another nine years, until the final holdouts were defeated at the
Caste War of Yucatán
The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Native Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. The latter had long held political and economic control of the region. A lengthy w ...
in 1933. Though several resistance groups holding out in the Sierra Madre mountains with sightings ranging from the 1952 all the way to 2017 with some possible sightings from local ranchers, hikers, or explorers.
See also
*
Arizona War
*
Indian Campaign Medal
*
Navajo Wars
*
Buffalo Soldiers
*
Emmet Crawford
*
King Woolsey
King S. Woolsey (ca. 1832 – June 30, 1879) was an American pioneer rancher, prospector and politician in 19th century Arizona. Woolsey Peak and other features of Arizona geography have been named after him, but he has also been criticized by ...
Notes
References
*
*
*Pettis, George H. "Kit Carson's Fight with the Comanche and Kiowa Indians". ''Historical Society of New Mexico. Personal Narrative No. 12, Battles of the War of the Rebellion'', Santa Fe, 1908.
*Rajtar, Steve, ''Indian War Sites: A Guidebook to Battlefield, Monuments and Memorials, State by State with Canada and Mexico'', McFarland & Company, Jefferson North Carolina, 1999.
*
*
*Tiller, Veronica E. Velarde, ''The Jicarilla Apache Tribe: A History, 1846–1970'', University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1983.
*
Further reading
*Bigelow, John Lt "On the Bloody Trail of Geronimo" NY: Tower Books 1958
*
*Clarke, Dwight L., "Stephen Watts Kearny: Soldier of the West"
*Cochise, Ciyé "The First Hundred Years of Nino Cochise" NY: Pyramid Books 1972
*Curtis, Charles A. Army Life in the West (1862-1865). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, April 20, 2017. .
*Davis, Britton "The Truth about Geronimo" New Haven: Yale Press 1929
*Geronimo (edited by Barrett) "Geronimo, His Own Story" NY: Ballantine Books 1971
* Kaywaykla, James (edited Eve Ball) "In the Days of Victorio: Recollections of a Warm Springs Apache" Tucson: University of Arizona Press 1970
*Lavender, David. The Rockies. Revised Edition. NY: Harper & Row, 1975.
*Limerick, Patricia Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. NY: W.W. Norton, 1987.
*
*Smith, Duane A. Rocky Mountain West: Colorado, Wyoming, & Montana, 1859-1915. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992.
*Terrell, John Upton,
''Apache Chronicle"
*Williams, Albert N. Rocky Mountain Country. NY: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1950.
External links
Map of Battles and Skirmishes Between the Apaches and U.S. Army
{{Buffalo Soldiers
19th-century conflicts
Indian wars of the American Old West
Wars involving the indigenous peoples of North America
Wars between the United States and Native Americans
Guerrilla wars
Arizona Territory
New Mexico Territory
Wars fought in Arizona
Military history of New Mexico
Wars fought in Texas
Apache Wars
1850s conflicts
1860s conflicts
1870s conflicts
1880s conflicts
1890s conflicts
1900s conflicts
1910s conflicts