Apache Wars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Apache War |
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| Part of the American Indian Wars | |||||||
 "A Dash for the Timber, 1889" by Frederic Remington |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States(1849–1924)  Confederate States(1861–1865) |
Apache allies: |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 John Davidson James Henry Carleton Kit Carson Philip St. George Cooke John G. Walker Granville Henderson Oury Thomas J. Mastin † George Crook George Jordan Eugene Asa Carr Philip Sheridan Andrew Evans Nelson A. Miles Henry Lawton James W. Watson |
Flechas Rayada Chacon Black Knife † Mangas Coloradas † Iron Shirt † Cochise Francisco Juh Delshay Victorio † Nanni Chaddi † Na tio tish † Geronimo Chatto Apache Kid Massai Little Wolf (Mescalero) Te-He-Nan † Nana † Saguaro Coronado † Santos Red Dog |
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The Apache Wars were a long series of fights between the United States Army and different groups of Apache people. These conflicts happened in the Southwestern United States from 1849 to 1886. Some smaller fights continued until 1924.
The United States took over land from Mexico after the Mexican–American War in 1846. This meant the U.S. also took on the conflicts between settlers and Apache tribes. As new American citizens moved onto Apache lands, they started farms, ranches, and mines. This led to more fighting.
The U.S. Army built forts to try and control the Apache warriors. They also created several reservations. Some of these were on traditional Apache lands, and some were not. In 1886, the U.S. Army used over 5,000 soldiers to make Geronimo and his 30 followers surrender. This event is often seen as the end of the main Apache Wars. However, smaller conflicts between settlers and Apaches still happened. The Confederate Army also fought briefly in the wars during the early 1860s in Texas. They then moved to fight in the American Civil War in New Mexico and Arizona.
Contents
Why the Apache Wars Started
- Further information: Apache–Mexico Wars
For a long time, the Apache people (who call themselves T`Inde, Inde, N`dee, N`ne, meaning "the people") would raid other tribes. They did this to get livestock, food, or captives. These raids were usually done by small groups for a specific reason. It was rare for hundreds of Apache warriors to unite for a large army.
The first conflicts between the Apache and other groups in the Southwest began when the Spanish settled there. But the specific Apache Wars started during the Mexican–American War. A big event that sparked the wars was when American troops wrongly accused Cochise and his tribe of kidnapping a young boy. Cochise said his tribe didn't take the boy and offered to help find him. But the American commander didn't believe him. Instead, he took Cochise and his group hostage.
Cochise escaped, and his tribe surrounded the American soldiers, demanding their people be freed. During this tense time, the Apache captured some American soldiers and postmen. When the Apache retreated, they killed the captured Americans. In return, the Americans killed the six Apache men they had captured. Three of these men were Cochise's brother and nephews. This event, known as the Bascom affair, made Cochise very angry. He gathered Apache tribes to fight the U.S. for revenge. This started a long period of conflict. The first U.S. Army campaigns against the Apache began in 1849.
Key Conflicts and Battles
The Jicarilla War Begins
When the Mexican–American War started in 1846, many Apache leaders promised American soldiers safe travel through their lands. However, other tribes fought against Mexico and the new settlers in New Mexico. After the U.S. took over Mexican territories in 1848, Mangas Coloradas signed a peace treaty. He respected the Americans as the new rulers.
However, a treaty signed with the Jicarilla Apache in 1851 was never approved by the U.S. Congress. This led to an uneasy peace. When many gold miners came to the Santa Rita Mountains in Arizona, conflicts began.
The Jicarilla War started in 1849 when Jicarilla and Ute warriors attacked and killed a group of settlers in New Mexico. More attacks happened in 1850. The U.S. Army got involved in 1853. They fought in the Battle of Cieneguilla, which was a big Apache victory. Later, the Americans won the Battle of Ojo Caliente Canyon.
Chiricahua Apache Fights
In 1851, near the Piños Altos mining camp, miners attacked Mangas Coloradas. They tied him to a tree and beat him badly. Similar events kept happening, breaking the peace treaty. This led to the Apache fighting back against European Americans. In 1860, miners attacked an Apache camp, killing four people and capturing women and children. The Apache quickly responded with raids.
In 1861, some Coyotero Apaches stole cattle and kidnapped a boy near Sonoita, Arizona. A U.S. Army lieutenant, George N. Bascom, was sent to get the boy and cattle back. Bascom met with Cochise near Apache Pass. Bascom started by lying to Cochise, which the Apache disliked. Cochise didn't know about the kidnapping but offered to help find those responsible. Bascom didn't believe him and arrested Cochise and his family members who were there for talks.
Cochise escaped and tried to negotiate. When this failed, Cochise and his group killed some captured Mexicans and Americans. Bascom then executed the Apache hostages he had. This event, called the Bascom affair, started eleven more years of open warfare. This involved the Apache, U.S. settlers, the U.S. Army, and the Confederate Army.
After the American Civil War began in 1861, Mangas Coloradas and Cochise, who was his son-in-law, became allies. They wanted to remove all Americans and Mexicans from Apache lands. They fought battles against the Confederates at Tubac, Cookes Canyon, Florida Mountains, Pinos Altos, and Dragoon Springs. Other Apache groups also fought the Confederates. Mescalero Apache attacked Fort Davis in 1861, killing two guards.
Juh and the famous warrior Geronimo joined Mangas Coloradas and Cochise. They thought they were winning when the Americans closed the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach and soldiers left. But these actions were actually because the Civil War had started.
In 1862, U.S. troops from California, known as the California Column, met Mangas Coloradas and Cochise's followers at Apache Pass. In the Battle of Apache Pass, soldiers shot and wounded Mangas Coloradas. While he was getting better, he tried to make peace with the U.S.
In January 1863, Mangas Coloradas agreed to meet with U.S. military leaders at Fort McLane. He came under a white flag of truce, which means he expected to be safe. But American soldiers arrested him. A general reportedly ordered his guards to kill the Apache chief. That night, Mangas was shot while supposedly "trying to escape." His death made the Apache people even more hostile towards the United States.
After this, General Carleton decided to force the Navajo and Apache onto reservations. He wanted to make the Rio Grande valley safer. He sent Kit Carson to gather the Mescalero and Navajo tribes. Carson destroyed their crops and livestock, forcing them on the Long Walk to Fort Sumner.
Texas Indian Wars
On November 25, 1864, the Plains Apache fought in a large battle of the American Indian Wars at the First Battle of Adobe Walls. Kit Carson led 400 soldiers and Ute scouts to Texas. They found an empty camp. More than 1,000 Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache warriors then attacked. Carson and his men took shelter in an old adobe building on a hill. They fought off several attacks. After a day of fighting, Carson retreated, and the Native Americans let him leave. Iron Shirt, a Plains Apache chief, was killed. Six soldiers died, and the army estimated that 60 Native Americans were killed or wounded.
Yavapai and Tonto Conflicts
The Yavapai Wars, also called the Tonto Wars, were fights between the Yavapai and Tonto tribes and the U.S. in Arizona. These conflicts began around 1861 when American settlers arrived on Yavapai and Tonto land. At that time, the Yavapai were often seen as part of the Western Apache people because they were closely related to tribes like the Tonto. The war ended when the Yavapai were forced to move from the Camp Verde Reservation to San Carlos on February 27, 1875. This day is now known as Exodus Day.
In 1871, a group of Americans, Mexicans, and Papago warriors attacked Camp Grant. They killed about 150 Apache men, women, and children. Fighting against the Apache continued in the mid-1870s. Battles like Salt River Canyon and Turret Peak show how violent this time was. Soldiers and civilians, especially from Tucson, often chased Apache war parties to stop their raids.
Victorio's War
In 1879, the experienced Chiricahua war chief Victorio and his followers faced being forced to leave their homeland and reservation at Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. They were to be moved to San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. On August 21, 1879, Victorio, 80 warriors, and their families fled the reservation. Other Apache, especially Mescalero, joined Victorio. His group grew to about 200 warriors, which was a very large Apache force.
For 14 months, Victorio led a guerrilla war. He fought the U.S. Army and white settlers in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. He fought many battles and attacked several settlements. Thousands of American and Mexican soldiers and Indian scouts chased him. Victorio and many of his followers were killed on October 14, 1880. This happened when Mexican soldiers surrounded them at the Battle of Tres Castillos in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Victorio's lieutenant, Nana, continued the war. With fewer than 40 warriors, Nana raided widely in New Mexico from June to August 1881. Nana survived these raids and lived to old age, dying in 1896.
Battles Near Fort Apache
In August 1881, soldiers from Fort Apache Indian Reservation were sent to investigate Apache unrest. They were also sent to arrest the medicine man Nock-ay-det-klinne. Three Native scouts arrested Nock-ay-det-klinne peacefully. But when they returned to camp, Nock-ay-det-klinne's followers had surrounded it. The Battle of Cibecue Creek began, and Nock-ay-det-klinne was killed. The next day, Apache warriors attacked Fort Apache to get revenge for his death.
In the spring of 1882, the warrior Na-tio-tisha led about 60 White Mountain Apache warriors. In early July, they ambushed and killed four San Carlos policemen, including their chief. After the ambush, Na-tio-tisha led his group northwest through the Tonto Basin. Settlers in Arizona were very worried and asked the U.S. Army for help. The Army sent 14 companies of U.S. Cavalry from forts across the region.
In mid-July, Na-tio-tisha led his group up Cherry Creek to the Mogollon Rim. They planned to reach General Springs, a known water hole. Noticing they were being followed by one cavalry troop, the Apache set an ambush. This was seven miles north of General Springs, where a fork of East Clear Creek cuts a gorge. The Apaches hid and waited. The cavalry company was led by Captain Adna Chaffee. The chief scout, Al Sieber, found the Apache trap and warned the troops. During the night, Chaffee's company was joined by four more from Fort Apache. These were led by Major A.W. Evans. Then they were ready to begin the Battle of Big Dry Wash.
Geronimo's Campaign
After 20 years of fighting, Cochise decided to make peace with the U.S. He agreed to move his people to a reservation in the Chiricahua Mountains. Cochise died soon after, in 1874. In 1876, the U.S. government decided to move the Chiricahua to the San Carlos reservation. Half of them went, but the other half, led by Geronimo, escaped to Mexico. In 1877, the U.S. captured Geronimo and brought him to the San Carlos reservation. He stayed there until September 1881. When soldiers gathered near the reservation, he feared being jailed. He fled with 700 Apache and went to Mexico again.
On April 19, 1882, Chiricahua chief Juh attacked the San Carlos reservation. He forced Chief Loco to leave. During the fighting, Juh's warriors killed the police chief and an Apache policeman. Juh led Loco and up to 700 other Apaches back to Mexico.
In the spring of 1883, General George Crook was put in charge of the Arizona and New Mexico Indian reservations. With 200 Apache Scouts, he went to Mexico. He found Geronimo's camp and convinced Geronimo and his people to return to the San Carlos reservation. Chiefs Bonito, Loco, and Nana came with Crook. Juh stayed in Mexico and died accidentally in November. Geronimo did not return until February 1884.
Crook made some changes on the reservation. But local newspapers criticized him for being too easy on the Apache. Newspapers at the time often spoke badly about Geronimo. On May 17, 1885, Geronimo escaped to Mexico again. Geronimo and his group killed many people during the Bear Valley Raid and other attacks.
In the spring of 1886, Crook went after Geronimo and found him just over the Mexico border in March. Geronimo and his group fled, and Crook could not catch them. The War Department blamed Crook for failing, and he resigned. Brigadier General Nelson Miles replaced him in April 1886. Miles used over two dozen heliograph points (a way to signal with mirrors) to coordinate his forces. He had 5,000 soldiers, 500 Apache Scouts, 100 Navajo Scouts, and thousands of civilian militia men. They were all against Geronimo and his 24 warriors. Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood and his Apache Scouts found Geronimo in Skeleton Canyon in September 1886. They convinced him to surrender to Miles.
An 1887 letter from a soldier named Charles Winters describes his experiences during the Apache Wars. He wrote about fighting Geronimo and his warriors. He mentioned that New Mexico was a nice place with gold and silver, but it was difficult because of the many Native Americans. He also mentioned that his name changed after an incident.
The Army imprisoned Geronimo and many other Apache men, including some Apache scouts. They were sent to the East as prisoners of war. They were held at Fort Pickens and Fort Marion in Florida. People visiting St. Augustine, where Fort Marion was, became interested in the Apache prisoners. Volunteers taught the Apache English, about Christianity, and American culture. Many people raised money to send nearly 20 younger male prisoners to college. Most went to Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School. Many Apache died in these prisons. Later, Apache children were sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where 50 of them died. After 26 years, the Apache in Florida were allowed to return to the Southwest. However, Geronimo was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he died.
After 1887
Even after Geronimo surrendered in 1886, Apache warriors continued to fight Americans and Mexicans. U.S. forces went on missions to find and defeat these small groups. They used tactics like solar signaling, telegraphs, shared information with Mexico, and local quick-response groups.
The U.S. Cavalry had several expeditions against the Apache after 1886. In one such expedition, forces from the 10th Cavalry and 4th Cavalry chased Apache warriors north of Globe, Arizona. This happened along the Salt River. During the Cherry Creek campaign, Sergeant James T. Daniels, Sergeant William McBryar, and Sergeant Y.B Rowdy were the last to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during the Apache Wars.
What Happened Next
The last Apache raid into the United States happened as late as 1924. A group of Native Americans, who were later caught, stole some horses from settlers in Arizona. This event is seen as the end of the American Indian Wars. However, the Apache–Mexico Wars continued for nine more years. The last holdouts were defeated in 1933.
See also
In Spanish: Guerras apaches para niños
