Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts [Paperback]

Dan L. Thrapp (Author), Donald E. Worcester (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2012

General George Crook planned and organized the principal Apache campaign in Arizona, and General Nelson Miles took credit for its successful conclusion on the 1800s, but the men who really won it were rugged frontiersmen such as Al Sieber, the renowned Chief of Scouts. Crook relied on Sieber to lead Apache scouts against renegade Apaches, who were adept at hiding and raiding from within their native terrain. In this carefully researched biography, Dan L. Thrapp gives extensive evidence for Sieber’s expertise, noting that the expeditions he accompanied were highly successful whereas those from which he was absent met with few triumphs. Perhaps the greatest tribute to his abilities was paid by a San Carlos Apache who, no matter how miserable life might become, because, he said, Sieber would find him even if he left no tracks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[An] exhaustively researched and well-told biography of Sieber….This is a notable book, recommended for the serious student as well as the casual reader.”—Robert M. Utley, New Mexico Historical Review

“[The book] presents an excellent close-up picture of the action taken in the post-Civil War decades to rid Arizona of hostile Indians.”—Francis Paul Prucha, Colorado Magazine

About the Author

Dan Thrapp, who was a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, was a foreign correspondent for the United Press in Argentina, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom and, for a number of years, an editor for the Los Angeles Times. He wrote extensively on the West. He books include Victorio and the Mimbres Apaches, also published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

Donald E. Worcester, (1915-2003) was a native of Tempe, Arizona and Professor of History in Texas Christian University. He received the Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a student of Herbert E. Bolton. He wrote extensively on the Spaniards of the New World, as well as Latin American and North American civilization.

Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (February 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806127708
• ISBN-13: 978-0806127705
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A histoical gem, May 4, 2001

By 

kregg Jorgenson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts (Paperback)

Dan L. Thrapp provides an excellent view into the life of one of greatest indian fighters in history. While some may love or hate Al Sieber for his role in ending the Apache wars Thrapp provides a well written and detailed look at a Cival War hero turned cowboy turned scout. To better understand the history and people of the time read this book and add it to your library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great BOOK, October 3, 2000

By 

"fergie_nra" (california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts (Paperback)

Information of Al Sieber is hard to come by, but this book provides an excellent source for his life. I interested mainly in his work on the Geronimo Campaign and was very sastified with this book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Story of old Arizona, January 25, 2001

By 

Charles Hall (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts (Paperback)

This book is not only an exhaustive biography of Army Scout Al Sieber, but a snapshot of life in Globe Arizona when the Apaches outnumbered the white men by a long shot. Sieber is memorialized on Crook's monument in Arlington and also inspired the Charlton Heston character in the movie ARROWHEAD. Basically Sieber's job was to help the Army put Apaches back on the Reservation when they strayed off it. He did this by using Apache scouts, whom he dominated by out-thinking, out-fighting, out-riding and out-shooting them, all the while treating them with respect and scrupulous honesty. The book covers his life from his immigration to the US from Germany on through his retirement working at the Indian Agency, insuring that the Apaches weren't cheated by the white men sent out by the Indian Bureau. The only flaw in the book is that Siber never strayed far from Globe, and the story doesn't either. You're left wanting to find biographies of Crook, Geronimo and the other characters that pass through Sieber's life.