Avenging Victorio [Hardcover]

Dave Dewitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2007

A rag-tag group of Apache warriors, led by an elderly man in his late seventies, took on the U.S. Army's Ninth Cavalry in revenge for the death of the great Apache war chief Victorio. Using guerilla warfare, they led raids through New Mexico, slaughtering men, women, and children and evading the Cavalry and the Buffalo Soldiers. In the end, they won! Interesting historical characters abound. Billy the Kid was killing people in the southern part of the territory. The New Mexico Territory was governed by Lew Wallace (author of Ben-Hur and territorial governor). Colonel Edward T. Hatch (the chile town of Hatch is named for him) was in charge of the U.S. Army's Ninth Cavalry. And the great Apache war chief Victorio had been killed by the Mexican Army. After Victorio (a supposed treasure trove is named after him) was killed, the elder war chief Nana led the Apache to victory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Avenging Victorio is an exciting novel that includes historical figures, Apache customs, and New Mexico events, all put together with a flair for action and adventure, and interesting characters. Dave DeWitt enthralls us with a tale that is at once fast paced, exciting, and full of interesting historical lore. A thoroughly engrossing tale, that winds around New Mexico like the Apaches who used to roam these lands, and embodies the true spirit of New Mexico culture. It is hard to describe all the myriad details that have been intricately woven into this well researched book, there are so many included. For historical value alone, this book is a winner, yet it will intrigue you with its tales, its characters, and its sense of location, pulling you deeper and deeper into its depths, until you find yourself fully absorbed and engrossed in the territorial history of the late 1800s, never wanting it to end. I have never enjoyed a historical novel as much as I did this one. It is not at all what you would expect history to be, and is written unlike other history tales, not by the victors, but by all who made the history, no matter which side they were on, are given a voice in this book. This is a true historical account of the Apache Insurgency in New Mexico in 1881. --DawnEagle Summers, BellaOnline.com

Rich in authentic detail of Apache life ways and war practices, this book vividly recreates one of the last major episodes of Indian raiding in the desert Southwest. Once started, I found DeWitt's engrossing book hard to put down. Powerful and absorbing! --Marc Simmons, author and historian

2007 New Mexico Book Award Finalist, Historical Fiction This book was named a Finalist for Historical Fiction. --New Mexico Book Awards, nmbookaward.com

About the Author

Dave DeWitt is one of the foremost authorities in the world on chile peppers and spicy foods. Dave researched and wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles on chile peppers in the late 1970s. In 1984, St. Martin's Press published his first cookbook, The Fiery Cuisines, co-authored with Nancy Gerlach. In 1987, Dave and Nancy approached a local publisher, and the three launched Chile Pepper magazine with a mere 212 subscribers. By 1995, with Dave as the editor-in-chief, the magazine had surpassed 50,000 subscribers with a total circulation exceeding 80,000. The magazine was sold in1996 and Dave launched Fiery Foods Magazine, a trade publication. The magazine project led to numerous books, including The Whole Chile Pepper Book (Little, Brown, 1990), which now has nearly 100,000 copies in print through ten printings. Dave has 31 published books to his credit. He is also producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, the trade show for the multi-billion dollar Fiery Foods and Barbecue industries, now in its 20th year. His book The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia (William Morrow, 1999) won the award Best Spice Book in English at the 1999 World Cookbook Awards at Versailles. His latest books include DaVinci s Kitchen: A Secret History of Italian Cuisine (BenBella Books, 2006) and Barbecue Inferno: Cooking with Chile Peppers on the Grill, again with Nancy Gerlach (Ten Speed Press, 2001). In 1995, his book, A World of Curries, was nominated for a James Beard Award. National TV appearances include American Journal, Cable News Network, The Today Show, Home with Gary Collins, Scientific American Frontiers, Smart Solutions, and CBS Sunday Morning. He has also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, American Way, Smithsonian, and approximately 200 newspapers across the country.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Rio Grande Books (September 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890689262
• ISBN-13: 978-1890689261
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,163,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Fictionalization of the Apache "Insurgency", October 12, 2007

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avenging Victorio (Hardcover)

The Apache "insurgency" of the 1880s in the Southwestern states and Mexico was not a part of American history I am familiar with. As a fan of historical fiction, I was looking forward to getting its flavor via this novel. The story details the events following the death of Apache leader Victorio, as his few surviving followers raided across the Southwest, evading the best efforts of the U.S. Army's Ninth Cavalry to track them down. This story alternates between the perspective of the Apache and Mescaleros led by the 74-year-old patriarch Nana, and that of various Army officers, especially Col. Edward T. Hatch who led the campaign from Santa Fe. This provides a fairly balanced framework, explaining the well-documented grievances of the Indians, as well as the aims of the expanding United States, all mixed in with the power of the popular press at the time.

It's a bit slow to get started, but about a third of the way in, the background information has all been conveyed and things pick up as the Apaches raid civilian settlement and alternately evade and ambush the cavalry troops on their tail. Dewitt does a nice job conjuring atmosphere, from a fancy Santa Fe Christmas party, to Apache camp life, and the rigors of the soldiers' life on the trail. An especially nice job is done in relation to the Apache customs -- from religion, to warfare, to marriage, to politics. The various battle scenes are all quite vivid, and the tactics of both sides come alive.

All that said, the novel ultimately disappoints in a crucial area. Most historical fiction -- especially when grounded so much in real events -- provides some kind of author's afterword, in which it is explained which elements of the story are real and which are invented. Alas, the reader is left to guess which characters are real and which aren't, as well as which portions of the story are invented and which aren't. For example, there's a rather substantial subplot involving secret caches of Apache gold, which as far as I can tell, are an unsubstantiated Old West legend. It's not at all clear which of the Indian-Army skirmishes were real vs. invented. More egregiously, the book ends with the Indians engineering the rather spectacular death of a major character -- a death which is wholly fictional, as in real life, the victim died peacefully years later in a different state! With a good afterword and a bibliography, this would get higher mark, but a it stands, one is left highly uncertain as to what really happened and to whom. Nonetheless, it's a decent readable story which will likely whet the reader's appetite to learn more about this episode in history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apache Retaliation, September 19, 2007

By 

Richard R. Blake (Bridgman, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avenging Victorio (Hardcover)

"Avenging Victorio" is a dramatic moving story of an enslaved people whose way of life was completely destroyed and changed forever.

A rabble band of Apache warriors led by an elderly man rose up against the U. S. Army Ninth Cavalry to revenge the death of the highly esteemed war chief Victorio. Using guerilla warfare, armed with revolvers or rifles, as well as poisoned arrows which became missiles of death, the Apaches attacked in surprise raids against the Blue Coats of the white man's army. They were also guilty of massacring innocent men, women, and children.

The Apache's took advantage of the US and Mexico border escaping to Mexico to evade the American army stationed in the territory of New Mexico. After Victorio's return to Mexico, and subsequent death, Colonel Edward Hatch, commander of the Military District of New Mexico was faced with a new dilemma. "...his problems were equally divided between the Apache renegades, the politicians, his superior officers, and the press." It became obvious his only solution was to capture or kill the Apache leader.

The elderly Apache leader, Nana, expressed his philosophy this way: "Every struggle whether it is won or lost strengthens us for the next one to come. Sometimes, as we have seen from Victorio's death, we need to be defeated so that we may gain the strength and courage necessary to be victorious again. Our war of vengeance has proven this to be true."

Colonel Hatch describes the Apache presence this way, "Fighting the Apaches is not like fighting the Mexicans or the Confederates...It's more like fighting ghosts. They are an enemy you cannot see, cannot find, and cannot kill. Yet they can strike at you when you least expect it and then disappear into the landscape."

This is historical fiction at its best. I especially appreciated DeWitt's detail in describing the traditions, customs, and celebrations of the Apache Indians. I was also intrigued with De Witt's insight into the prayers, songs, and ceremonial dances. His depiction of their communication with the supernatural was powerful. The careful attention to details, comprehensive research and expressive reporting added greatly to the enjoyment of this action packed historical novel of the early 1880s.

This is a book for every American citizen to read and pass along to their offspring. The story is a reminder of the high price paid by the frontiersman and settlers of the West. It is also a reminder of the high price paid by the American Indian in their attempt to maintain their land, culture and way of life. Brilliantly written. this is a story that will haunt the reader long after the cover is closed on the last chapter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very eye-opening read, September 25, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Avenging Victorio (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (8/07)


Dave DeWitt's "Avenging Victorio" is a simply splendid account of Apache insurgency in New Mexico in 1881. Although written as a novel, and therefore falling into the category of fiction, it gives the impression of standing firmly on its foundation of extensive research and extraordinary sensibility of the author for a quite sensitive situation.

After the death of one of the great Apache chiefs, Victorio, the U.S. Army believes the Apaches to be completely defeated. The event is even celebrated under the thin guise of a Governor's Christmas party, where the official hostess is no other than Evelyn Hatch, wife of Colonel Edward T. Hatch, former General in the great Civil War. The settlers in the New Mexico Territory expected the danger to be over, convinced that there is nobody strong enough to organize the Apaches again. Little did they know....

Nana, the 74-year-old war chief, takes on the task of avenging Victorio and, with his rag-tag group of warriors, sweeps through New Mexico in a series of guerilla warfare raids, killing civilians and evading the Cavalry as well as the legendary Buffalo Soldiers. The insurgency is a success, the battle is won - but we all know that the war was lost as far as the Indians were concerned.

Dave DeWitt created engaging and believable characters on both sides of the conflict, showing their motivation and their beliefs. The parts of the book that truly surprised me and that turned out to be my favorites are those that deal with the customs and traditional ways of the Apaches. There are tales and legends and vivid descriptions of bathing and fighting and dancing...and courting and dreams... and even a hidden treasure. So the book that I expected to be just a historical novel about the early days of New Mexico turned into a well-rounded volume about fighters on both sides of the encounter as well as a very eye-opening read about the Apache culture and customs. I also greatly enjoyed the 16 photographs which wonderfully illustrated both the setting and the participants in this epic confrontation.

Dave DeWitt's "Avenging Victorio" is an enthralling book, which grabs you quickly and does not let go. If you are like me, your only disappointment will be that it ends too quickly.

Received book free of charge