Cochise: Chiricahua Apache ChiefWhen it acquired New Mexico and Arizona, the United States inherited the territory of a people who had been a thorn in side of Mexico since 1821 and Spain before that. Known collectively as Apaches, these Indians lived in diverse, widely scattered groups with many names—Mescaleros, Chiricahuas, and Jicarillas, to name but three. Much has been written about them and their leaders, such as Geronimo, Juh, Nana, Victorio, and Mangas Coloradas, but no one wrote extensively about the greatest leader of them all: Cochise. Now, however, Edwin R. Sweeney has remedied this deficiency with his definitive biography. Cochise, a Chiricahua, was said to be the most resourceful, most brutal, most feared Apache. He and his warriors raided in both Mexico and the United States, crossing the border both ways to obtain sanctuary after raids for cattle, horses, and other livestock. Once only he was captured and imprisoned; on the day he was freed he vowed never to be taken again. From that day he gave no quarter and asked none. Always at the head of his warriors in battle, he led a charmed life, being wounded several times but always surviving. In 1861, when his brother was executed by Americans at Apache Pass, Cochise declared war. He fought relentlessly for a decade, and then only in the face of overwhelming military superiority did he agree to a peace and accept the reservation. Nevertheless, even though he was blamed for virtually every subsequent Apache depredation in Arizona and New Mexico, he faithfully kept that peace until his death in 1874. Sweeney has traced Cochise’s activities in exhaustive detail in both United States and Mexican Archives. We are not likely to learn more about Cochise than he has given us. His biography will stand as the major source for all that is yet to be written on Cochise. |
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COCHISE: Chiricahua Apache Chief
User Review - KirkusThe surprisingly dreary product of 15 years of painstaking research, Sweeney's first book is a flat biography of the legendary Apache chief. Cochise was undoubtedly one of the greatest warrior chiefs ... Read full review
Cochise: Chiricahua Apache chief
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictThe very name of Cochise, an extremely capable military leader of the Chiricahua Apache, evoked fear in the hearts of southwesterners and Mexicans during the 19th century. In this meticulously ... Read full review
Contents
Chapter 1 The Early Years
| 3 |
Chapter 2 Little Wars
| 15 |
Chapter 3 Turbulent Times
| 37 |
Chapter 4 Galeana Avenged
| 59 |
Chapter 5 Chokonen Activities 184956
| 78 |
Chapter 6 Double Treachery in Mexico
| 99 |
Chapter 7 Apache Pass
| 118 |
The Bascom Affair at Apache Pass
| 142 |
Chapter 13 Too Many Mexicans
| 246 |
We Must Live in Bad Places to Shun Them
| 262 |
Cochise Visits Two Reservations
| 283 |
Chapter 16 No Rest No Peace
| 304 |
Chapter 17 Canada Alamosa
| 321 |
The CochiseHoward Treaty
| 340 |
Chapter 19 The Chiricahua Reservation
| 367 |
Chapter 20 Good Friends will Meet Again
| 391 |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief Volume 204 of Civilization of the American Indian Series |
| Author | Edwin R. Sweeney |
| Edition | reprint, revised |
| Publisher | University of Oklahoma Press, 2012 |
| ISBN | 0806171561, 9780806171562 |
| Length | 526 pages |
| Subjects | › › Biography & Autobiography / Native Americans History / Native American History / United States / General Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |