Customer Reviews

Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

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Thank you Edward R. Sweeney. You've rescued Cochise from obscurity and myth. The real Cochise is every bit as admirable and fierce as the mythical one. This book is brilliantly researched, wonderfully written and combined with this same author's edition of "Making Peace with Cochise" supplies a vivid, objective and sympathetic portrait of the man who may have been the greatest of all the Indian chiefs.

I was highly impressed by the exhaustive research conducted by Sweeney for this biography of Cochise, who was surely one of the most impressive Indian chiefs ever. Sweeney's extensive use of obscure documents and recollections, as well as general knowledge of nearby events and geography, give this biography an authority that you don't often see in the historical bio field. Therefore Cochise clearly emerges from the world of rumors and romanticism, and is shown as a true man with real concerns and actions. So instead of the ruthless, bloodthirsty savage of popular legend, we see that Cochise was a highly intelligent leader of men and was nearly a military genius. He managed to fight a nearly even war with White settlers for a much longer time than any other Native American leader. This would not have been possible if Cochise were not a clear-thinking man of great intelligence, and Sweeney gives exhaustive proof that this was the case.

Sweeney's historical and geographic backgrounds, as well as extensive testimonials from the characters around Cochise, truly make the story come alive. Of special interest are many of Sweeney's footnotes, in which he gives a brief life story of just about every single person mentioned in the story (wherever possible). Sweeney is also ready to admit when information is missing, which is very refreshing for a biography. And in an even-handed fashion, Sweeney is not afraid to criticize Cochise at points, such as when he flouted his agreement to stay on the Chiricahua reservation to allow his warriors to continue raiding in Mexico.

Anyone who reads this book will come to greatly respect Cochise as a man, even if some of his actions were brutal. Unfortunately, this story ends like all other works of Native American history, with the eventual destruction of the people's independence. But while he was in his prime, you can't help but root for Cochise.

Ed Sweeney has written a marvelous biography of an Apache war leader of much greater stature and importance than the more popular Geronimo. It is based on a detailed examination of American and, especially, obscure Mexican documents having to do with the Chiricahuas and Cochise. As a result, Sweeney rescues the chief from the romantic mythology of Elliott Arnold and Michael Ansara. He turns out to be a fierce and uncompromising leader of a barbaric and savage people. His was not an era of gentle, politically correct, and liberal humane attitudes. Some of the accounts are chilling of the brutalities committed by whites, Mexicans, and Apaches toward each other. Sweeney examines in great detail the incident at Apache Pass that spurred Cochise's war against the whites. He notes that such a conflict was likely inevitable between two such very different cultures. Sweeney also writes about the relationship between Cochise and Tom Jeffords, which turns out to be somewhat different than the common myth. But it is also clear that the relationship was indeed a strong one and important to the final peace effort by General O.O. Howard. After reading this biography, you may want to read Sweeney's recent publication of the journal of Captain Jos. Alton Sladen, "Making Peace with Cochise". My only regret with Sweeney's biography is that he did not include more detail on the lifestyles of the Chiricahua Apaches. But the book is an important resource to everyone interested in the 19th century history of south Arizona.

This author makes no bones about his feelings. He says Cochise was a true chief of his people, a noble warrior. He says of Geronomo that he was not a chief, just a vengeful leader of small band. Cochise was a political and military leader who cared for his entire people for many years, fighting to keep them independent and finally dying alone, free in the Dragoon maountains of Arizona. The Apache lived in a savage, inhospitable desert, a no mans land, no food, no water, but these amazing people lived up in these mountains and for more then a hundred years were a nemesis to indians and Anglos and Mexicans alike. Cochise led his men in battle against the americans only a few times. Mostly he negotiated with the soldiers at Fort Bowie(today you must walk a wonderful short trail to see this post). Sweeney has written this and a book on Mangas of the New Mexico Apache tribes.

This book os so thorough so well written and so unflawed in its great depth of study of the experiences of Apache in Arizona and Mexico and slowly theyw ere driven from thier way of life.

This is a must read, superior to any biography of similar Native American characters.

Last December, I had the pleasure of hiking to the ruins of Fort Bowie in Arizona which is under the protection of the National Park Service. Not many people visit here any more, but with my little family we hiked past the old Chiracahua Indian Agency station, the old Butterfield Coach Station at Apache Pass and of course Fort Bowie. It was here many years ago that Cochise roamed the countryside raiding and pillaging mail coaches and cattle herds before settling down on the reservation and passing away in 1874.

Edward Sweeney's authoritative volume on the life of Cochise consists of around 400 written pages, copious footnotes, a substantial bibliography and an index. Subjects that are covered include Cochise's early life under Mexican rule, constant deprivation of cattle and raids in the Mexican towns of Janos and Fronteras, the Bascom affair where the unfair killing of some of Cochise's relatives near Apache Pass caused Cochise to resent the American presence in Chiracahua territory for over a decade. The story concludes with the informal agreement between Cochise and Oliver Howard to settle his Cochonen bands on the Chiracahua Reservation and cease raids in American territory for the rest of the chief's life which ended a few years later.

The book pulls no punches in that it states that atrocities were committed on all sides during these turbulent years; Americans committing murders at Camp Grant and Apache Pass, the Chiracahua's constant raids and killings in Apacheria and the Mexican slaughter of Apache women and children and Cochise's father. It was a rough time in an era where resentment and revenge were the order of the day; an atmospehere that the author capture brilliantly. A great effort by Mr. Sweeney and a must read in order to understand those days.

While I have read quite a bit about the American Indians of the Northern Plains, this is only the second book I've read on Cochise and the Apaches and I found it a little disappointing. Edwin Sweeney has apparently done exhaustive research, but while I learned a lot about where the Chirichua Apaches camped and traveled, the battles Cochise might have taken part in and those he definitely did, and when he made peace and war with the Mexicans and when he made peace and war with the Americans, I learned very little about Cochise the man.

While he was obviously a very strong and able leader there are hints that he ruled partly out of fear, that he had a terrible temper, and that he was known to strike members of his band and his wives from time to time. If this is so, it would make him an unusual leader amongst American Indians. I can understand that Sweeney may not have wanted to engage in speculation, but more eye witness accounts from captives or Indians who knew Cochise would have made this more interesting. Even the years he spent on the reservation are covered rather sparsely, though I'm sure there must have been more information about what he did, the company he kept, etc.

While informative to a certain extent, this reads like a laundry list of engagements and treaties and would have been better titled as a history of the Chiricahua Apache than a biography of Cochise.