The Apache Scouts

Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes accounts of Apache scouts written by other soldiers *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "Even if we should be able to dislodge them from the rough mountain ridges and impenetrable woods which cover the immense territories of these frontiers, they would seek better asylum in the vastness of the Sierra Madre. . . [They] know how to surprise and destroy our troops in the mountains and on the plains. They are not ignorant of the use and power of our arms; they manage their own with dexterity; and they are as good or better horsemen than the Spaniards, and having no towns, castles, or temples to defend they may only be attacked in their dispersed and movable rancherias." - Bernardo de Galvez, Instructions for Governing the Interior Provinces of New Spain, 1787 (The Quivera Society, Berkeley) The Apache of the American Southwest have achieved almost legendary status for their fierceness and their tenacity in fighting the U.S. Army. Names like Nana, Cochise, and Geronimo are synonymous with bravery and daring, and the tribe had that reputation long before the Americans arrived. Indeed, among all the Native American tribes, the Spanish, Mexicans, and Americans learned the hard way that the warriors of the Apache were perhaps the fiercest in North America. Based in the Southwest, the Apache fought all three in Mexico and the American Southwest, engaging in seasonal raids for so many centuries that the Apache struck fear into the hearts of all their neighbors. First migrating to the Southwest from western Canada sometime around 1000-1500, the Apache lived a hunting and gathering lifestyle in the rough mountains and vast stretches of desert left unused by the agricultural peoples who had preceded them, or fought for the scarce temperate highlands of the region's many mountain ranges. The Apache kept herds of animals and would trade and raid with the settled tribes. Successive waves of immigrations would change Apache lifestyle forever. First the Spanish and then the Mexicans moved into what is now northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. The newcomers were few at first, but even so, the Apache felt the pinch as they were pushed out of some of their traditional grazing and hunting lands. More serious trouble began in the mid-19th century with the conquest of the region by the United States and the influx of large numbers of ranchers, farmers, and miners. The Apache were soon cornered into the most remote areas and conflict became inevitable. The U.S. Cavalry bore the main burden of pacifying the region and found it incredibly difficult to track down the Apache, who had an intimate knowledge of the terrain and could disappear into the rough mountains without leaving more than a trace of their passing. The cavalry tried many different tactics, including hiring native scouts, but it wasn't until they hired Apaches to go after other Apaches that they were able to finally defeat the hostile bands. The story of the Apache scouts is one of the most unusual in the annals of military history, a tale of a supposedly superior army adapting the strategy and tactics of a much smaller and technologically inferior foe. Like the majority of Native American groups, the Apache were eventually vanquished and displaced by America's westward push, but the Apache's military prowess remain legendary. The Apache Scouts: The History and Legacy of the U.S. Army Indian Scouts Used in the Apache Wars analyzes the use of native scouts and the history of the Apache wars that stretched over decades. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Apache scouts like never before, in no time at all.