« SCOTUS review of 18 USC 924(c)(1) | Main | A genealogy-related find »
Pack vs. herd, 1886
An account of Germonimo's surrender, in 1886, by two men who were there:
"With the Army were Indian scouts under command of Lieut. Charles B. Gatewood. One of these old scouts, known as Sgt. Smiley, who later lived on the Yavapai-Apache Indian Reservation in the Verde Valley, told this story to William Loy (now deceased), a white man whose ranch adjoined the reservation.
Fred Coxen: "William Loy, very reliable man, told me this story as the old Indian scout had given it to him:
William Loy: "The Indian scouts were near Geronimo's band, in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Lieut. Gatewood gave permission to Sgt. Smiley and another Indian scout, both of whom knew Geronimo personally, to make contact with the renegades, which they did. They went into Geronimo's camp and talked all night with him and his band.
"Sgt. Smiley said that they advised the band to surrender to General Miles or they would all be killed by the American civilians, and those would include rancheros, miners, freighters, mail contractors, along with others.
"Sgt. Smiley stated he had advised Geronimo that while he and his band might out-travel or elude the Army, whose slow travel and loud bugle calls handicapped them, it would be different with the civilians who were determined to get him and his band, and would surely do it because their methods were very different.
"Geronimo and his band talked it over, and because of the all-night meeting with the two courageous scouts and a long powwow with Lieutenant Gatewood, decided to surrender at a place designated as Skeleton Canyon in the Peloncilla [sic] Mountains..."
Comments
David, have you ever read "On the Border with Crook"? Very interesting read, particularly for you inasmuch as Crook spent quite a bit of time in AZ, much of it chasing the Apache. Crook also spent time campaigning against the tribes of the Northern Plains, and even stopped for supplies in pre-statehood Deadwood. From reading it one comes away completely awed by the widely diverse education that a military officer received in those days.
Posted by: Letalis at May 13, 2007 04:45 PM