Apache Campaigns - Fort Huachuca - U.S. Army

problem of garrisoning the vastness of the American West and pacifying highly mobile parties of
crack guerilla fighters.
Camp Huachuca was just one product of the tactic of dispersal adopted by desperate
departmental commanders who were forced to fragment regiments at scattered positions on a fastgrowing
frontier.
But the adobe and canvas camp in Huachuca Canyon did have many advantages that were
to foster its survival as the center of U.S. Army operations in Arizona for the next century. The
shaded pine glades and cooler altitudes afforded a milder climate than those garrisons located in
the relentless 100 degree sun of Arizona’s lower deserts. With the exception of the late summer
rainy season decried by Captain Whitside, the weather throughout the year was healthful and
invigorating. This environment, together with an ample supply of fresh spring water, produced
the lowest incidence of sickness among the soldiers in Arizona, a factor of no little significance as
burgeoning sick rolls seriously incapacitated the effectiveness of small frontier outposts. It was a
lamentable fact that disease caused more casualties in Arizona than Apaches.
While erecting the permanent structures at Camp Huachuca, the critical job of the cavalry
there continued to be the protection of the citizens from Apache depredations. To this end it was
necessary to mount constant patrols at every rumor of an Apache presence in an often futile
attempt to come to grips with the ubiquitous foe.
A MAGAZINE OF THE FORT HUACHUCA MUSEUM
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