NORTHCOM Battle Knowledge Centers

In addition to a close-up picture of a pivotal figure in western history, Cochise offers accounts of a vanished world from people who lived in that world.

In addition to a close-up picture of a pivotal figure in western history, Cochise offers accounts of a vanished world from people who lived in that world.

Odie B. Faulk, a leading historian of the American Southwest, offers a lively and often chilling account of the war that raged over the deserts and mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico in the mid 1880's, and traces its legacy well past the ultimatum delivered to Geronimo on August 25, 1886.

A book-level thesis, this unindexed volume covers the history of Fort Bowie from the topographical survey done by LT John G. Parke to be used by the railroad that identified Apache Pass / Puerto del Dado that was then used by the Butterfield Stage / Overland Mail. The author discusses the Apache relationship with the coach station, the California Column, the Bascom Affair, and Rucker Canyon / Rocky Mesa. The resulting Chirichahua Agency / Reservation, provisions provided for the Apache, the use of alcohol, and the significance of Apache Spring and both Fort Bowie 1 and Fort Bowie 2 are also explained.

A first-person account into the end of the Indian Wars by an aide present at the final meetings with Cochise. A detailed foreward covers the Bascom Affair and the ensuing years of bloodshed but the descriptive passages of CPT Sladen share the culture of the military of the period and of the everyday Apache, illiciting nuances of a cultural understanding that, had it been present 12 years before, might have prevented the atrocities committed by both sides.

A giant of a man, Mangas combined strength with wisdom and became leader of the Chiricahuas by 1842. Leading war parties against the Mexicans of Sonora, Mangas returned to his homelands in southwestern New Mexico with livestock, booty, and captives. In 1846 he welcomed Americans who joined in his fight against the Mexicans. But as more white miners, ranchers, and farmers encroached on the Apaches? territory, tragic incidents caused retaliations that pressured Mangas, along with Cochise, to fight back in desperation. When Mangas finally tried to make peace in 1863, he was captured and killed by American soldiers. Ironically, the death of Mangas Coloradas, who had wished only to live in peace in his land, inflamed American-Apache relations and led to another twenty-three years of war. Also includes information on Apache Pass, Butterfield Station, and the Bascom Affair.

Reuben F. Bernard (1834-1903) had one of the most remarkable military careers of the nineteenth century, serving three years in the American Civil War between stints against Indian forces in the West.

A history of the Indians who have lived in the American Southwest from the Ice Age to the present day, told from their point of view.