Cochise – Strong Apache Leader
The saga of the American West is interwoven with tales of resilience, conflict, and cultural clashes. Among the figures who stand out in this tumultuous period, Cochise, a prominent leader of the Chiricahua Apache, remains an emblem of unwavering resistance against the tide of Westward Expansion. His life, marked by periods of both peace and intense warfare, reflects the complex relationship between the Apache people and the encroaching European and American settlers. Cochise‘s story is not just one of military prowess, but also of a leader striving to protect his people’s ancestral lands and way of life.
The Chiricahua Apache, a fierce and independent group, traditionally inhabited a vast territory encompassing what is now northern Sonora in Mexico, as well as parts of New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. For generations, these lands had been the Apache’s domain, a landscape they knew intimately and depended upon for their survival. The arrival of Europeans, however, heralded a new era of challenges and ultimately, dispossession.
The initial encounters with the Spanish were marked by growing tensions as the newcomers began to intrude upon Apache territory. Later, following Mexican independence, the Mexican government initially attempted a policy of appeasement, providing food rations to the Apache. This strategy, however, proved unsustainable. In 1831, the rations were abruptly discontinued, leaving the Apache dependent and vulnerable. In response, the Chiricahua bands, driven by necessity, began raiding Mexican settlements for sustenance.
The Mexican government retaliated with military campaigns aimed at suppressing the Chiricahua. These operations, however, faced determined resistance from Cochise and his warriors. The conflict escalated as Mexican troops resorted to violence against Apache civilians, including the killing of Cochise‘s father. This act fueled Cochise‘s resolve to resist Mexican authority and defend his people. In 1848, Cochise himself was captured by Mexican forces but was later exchanged for a significant number of Mexican hostages, demonstrating his value and influence within the Apache community.
Physically, Cochise was described as an imposing figure, a large and muscular man with striking features often compared to those of classical Roman statues. His long, dark hair further accentuated his commanding presence. In the 1830s, he married Dos-Teh-Seh, the daughter of Mangas Coloradas, another prominent Apache leader. Their union produced two sons, Taza, born in 1842, and Naiche, born in 1856, both of whom would later play significant roles in the Apache resistance.
The annexation of New Mexico and Arizona by the United States in 1850 initially ushered in a period of relative peace. For more than a decade, Cochise engaged in a cooperative relationship with the new settlers, sharing his knowledge of the land and helping them adapt to the arid environment. In 1856, following the death of Miguel Narbona, Cochise became the principal war leader of the Chokonen band. He even worked as a woodcutter for the Butterfield Overland stagecoach line, contributing to the infrastructure of the region and providing protection for the stagecoaches against attacks.
However, this period of harmony was fragile and ultimately unsustainable. As increasing numbers of white settlers poured into Apache territory, the pressure on resources and the cultural clashes intensified. The tenuous peace finally shattered in 1861 following an incident involving a raid on a local ranch. An Apache raiding party drove away cattle and kidnapped the eleven-year-old stepson of rancher John Ward. Ward, convinced that Cochise was responsible, demanded military intervention to recover the boy and the stolen livestock.
On February 3, 1861, Second Lieutenant George Bascom, a recent West Point graduate, led a detachment of 54 men to Apache Pass to confront Cochise. Bascom demanded the return of the captive and the stolen cattle, but Cochise denied involvement, attributing the raid to Coyotero Apache. He even offered to negotiate for the boy’s return. Skeptical of Cochise‘s claims, Bascom ordered the arrest of Cochise, his brother, two nephews, a woman, and two children, holding them hostage until the boy and livestock were returned.
Cochise, however, managed to escape. Concerned for the safety of his captured family members, he captured three Americans, sending Bascom a message stating, "Treat my people well, and I will do the same for yours, of whom I have three." Despite this offer of exchange, the inexperienced Bascom chose a path of aggression. He hanged the Apache hostages, effectively declaring war against Cochise and his people. In retaliation, Cochise killed the three Americans he had taken hostage and forged an alliance with Mangas Coloradas, his father-in-law and the leader of another Chiricahua band. Together, they launched a series of retaliatory attacks on white settlements.
The conflict escalated further in July 1862, when General James H. Carleton, leading a Federal army eastward to counter the Confederate invasion of New Mexico, encountered Cochise and Mangas Coloradas at Apache Pass. The Apache warriors, numbering around 500, fought fiercely to maintain control of the crucial Apache Springs, a vital water source. Despite their bravery and determination, the Apache were ultimately outmatched by the U.S. Army’s superior firepower, particularly the use of howitzers, a type of artillery they had never encountered before. After several hours of intense fighting, the Apache were forced to retreat.
General James Carleton subsequently assumed command of the territory. In January 1863, General Joseph Rodman West, acting under Carleton’s orders, captured Mangas Coloradas under a flag of truce. Despite assurances of a peaceful conference, the U.S. Army imprisoned Mangas Coloradas and later executed him. This act of treachery ignited further outrage among the Apache, intensifying their resistance against the white settlers. Cochise vowed revenge and launched a full-scale war, which continued for the next nine years. During this period, he often joined forces with Geronimo, another legendary Apache leader, in their fight against white encroachment.
In 1871, the U.S. Army captured Cochise and planned to relocate the Chiricahua to a reservation hundreds of miles away in New Mexico. However, Cochise escaped and resumed his resistance campaign. The relentless conflict prompted President Ulysses S. Grant to send General Oliver O. Howard, a renowned peace emissary, to negotiate with Cochise. Howard enlisted the help of Thomas Jeffords, an army scout and Indian Agent who had earned Cochise‘s trust.
In 1872, Howard, Jeffords, and Cochise met to discuss a peaceful resolution. Cochise agreed to a peace treaty, but only on the condition that his band be allowed to remain on their current reservation with Jeffords as their agent. General Howard accepted these terms, recognizing the importance of preserving the Apache’s connection to their ancestral lands. Cochise sealed the bond with Jeffords by making him his blood brother and a full member of the tribe. Following the agreement, Cochise retired to the reservation, where he lived peacefully until his death on June 8, 1874.
Before his death, Cochise requested that he be buried in an unmarked grave to prevent the white man from desecrating his remains. One account suggests that he was buried in a deep rock crevice in Stronghold Canyon, along with his favorite horse and dog. Another version claims that he was buried several miles east of the Stronghold, and his warriors then galloped their horses over the grave to conceal its location. Regardless of the exact location, the final resting place of Cochise remains a mystery to this day, a testament to his desire to protect his legacy from intrusion.
Following Cochise‘s death, his son, Naiche, also known as Natchez, succeeded him as chief. However, some of Cochise‘s younger warriors, dissatisfied with the peace treaty, broke away to join Geronimo’s continued fight against the U.S. Army and white encroachment. The conflict persisted until Geronimo’s surrender in 1886, marking the end of the major Apache resistance. The remaining Chiricahua were subsequently deported to reservations in the east, where many perished due to disease and displacement. Today, only a few descendants of the Chiricahua Apache remain, living in Oklahoma and New Mexico, far from their ancestral lands. The story of Cochise serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience, courage, and tragic fate of the Apache people in the face of Westward Expansion.