Apache Campaigns - Fort Huachuca - U.S. Army

The Chiricahuas had been pursued across a fearfully broken country, gashed with countless
ravines, and shrouded with a heavy growth of pine and scrub-oak. How many had been
killed and wounded could never be definitely known, the meagre official report, submitted by
Captain Crawford, being of necessity confined to figures known to be exact. Although the
impetuosity of the younger scouts had precipitated the engagement and somewhat impaired its
effect, yet this little skirmish demonstrated two things to the hostile Chiricahuas; their old
friends and relatives from the San Carlos had invaded their strongholds as the allies of the
white men, and could be depended upon to fight, whether backed up by white soldiers or not.
The scouts next destroyed the village, consisting of thirty wickyups, disposed in two clusters,
and carried off all the animals, loading down forty-seven of them with plunder. This included
the traditional riffraff of an Indian village: saddles, bridles, meat, mescal, blankets, and
clothing, with occasional prizes of much greater value, originally stolen by the Chiricahuas in
raids upon Mexicans or Americans. 102
Crook used a captured Indian girl as a messenger to convince the Indians to come into
Crook’s camp for talks. And they came in—Geronimo, Chihuahua, Chato, Benito, Nachez,
Loco, Nana, and Kaytennae. Crook parlayed for a week, concentrating on Geronimo. Crook
made a return to the reservation seem a desired solution for the Apaches by pretending that this
option didn’t exist, that the white population would demand a more drastic punishment for the
blood-thirsty Apaches. Historian Dan Thrapp gives an account of the conference, relying upon
Capt. Bourke’s diary:
Crook spoke plainly to Geronimo. “I am not taking your arms from you,” he said,
“because I am not afraid of you. You have been allowed to go about camp freely, merely to let
you see that we have strength enough to exterminate you if we want to.” He told the Indian that
in asking to surrender and be protected at some reservation he was asking much, though if he and
his people would pledge their word to keep good faith and remain on one, he would do what he
could for them. “You must remember,” he said, “that I have been fighting you for our people,
and if I take you back and attempt to put you on the reservation the Americans and Mexicans will
make a hard fight of it, for you have been murdering their people, stealing their stock and burning
their houses. You have been acting in a most cruel manner, and the people will demand that you
be punished. You see, you are asking me to fight my own people in order to defend your
wrongs.” But he agreed to accept the surrender which, by this time, appeared as a great relief to
the warrior. 103
Some 325 Warm Springs Apaches, 52 of them warriors, under Loco, Nana and Kaytennae
followed Crook out of the Sierra Madres, crossing the border on 10 June. The Chiricahuas
stayed behind, to round up stragglers, Geronimo said.
The Chiricahuas would take their time surrendering, causing Crook some embarrassment
at the hands of the press, and some explaining to his superiors. Eventually they did ride in—first,
Nachez with 93 people in December 1883, then, Chato and Mangas with 60 in February 1884,
and finally, in March, Geronimo and 80 people reached the border driving a herd of rustled
Mexican cattle. The Chiricahua leader Juh had died of a drunken accident in the mountains,
either by falling from a cliff or drowning.
A MAGAZINE OF THE FORT HUACHUCA MUSEUM
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