Customer Reviews

Fort Bowie, Arizona: Combat Post of the Southwest, 1858-1894

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Anyone who has ever visited the Fort Bowie National Historic Site in southeast Arizona knows what a unique experience that is (first of all, you have to hike in to the fort ruins a mile-and-a-half from a small parking area off a dirt road). The feeling at the site of being transported back in time is profound. Douglas McChristian has given us a thorough history of the fort and its role in the affairs of Arizona during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Before Fort Bowie was constructed in 1862, there was a Butterfield Stage station located near the site (its ruins are still visible). Apache raids on local ranches in the area brought a military response in 1861, which was unsuccessful in dispelling hostilities. With the advent of the Civil War, the importance of Apache Pass as a viaduct to the California gold fields for the Confederates became a major concern. Union volunteer cavalry under Gen James H. Carleton rode to Apache Pass, where on July 15-16, 1862, they fought a battle with several hundred Apaches at the springs near the pass. After the Indians were finally driven off, Carleton realized the pass needed to be fortified, and Fort Bowie was soon under construction.

The first Fort Bowie was in existence from 1862 to 1868 and consisted mainly of tents inside a stone breastwork. After the Civil War, the US Army (as opposed to state units) took over and a new fort was begun about a quarter-mile to the east. Much more substantial, it contained adobe buildings and included barracks, officers' quarters, storehouses, and a hospital. By the time the fort was abandoned in 1894, 38 buildings had been constructed (the ruins of these buildings is the chief attraction for a visitor today).

A tentative peace was established with the Apaches in 1872 when Cochise agreed to occupy a reservation that included their traditional homeland. There was restlessness on the reservation, however, and some bands (most famously, one led by Geronimo) left the reservation and wandered between the US and Mexico, escaping capture for years. Finally, in 1886, Geronimo and his band were caught and sent to Florida. Fort Bowie hung on for another eight years, but with the Indian wars at an end, the fort served little purpose. On October 17, 1894, the last troops marched out of the fort for other posts.

McChristian's account of life at the fort is fully detailed. Fort Bowie was an isolated post, and life there could be pretty lonely (drinking was a big problem). Actual encounters with the Indians were rare, though scouting expeditions were never-ending. The author lists all the commanding officers at the fort (the list is long and many officers stayed for only a month or two) and all the units stationed there (the Sixth US Cavalry was there the longest: 1875-85). His approach is scholarly (footnotes are numerous and many annotated), but it's not written for just other scholars. There are also many photographs. Fort Bowie was an important military post in the West, and this book relates its story well. Highly recommended.

Fort Bowie, Arizona: Combat Post of the SW is an excellent read. Southern Arizona is oft over looked in terms of importance to the state as it has presently evolved. The contributions of the U.S. Army to the development of a stable Territory and now state has also been under rated in most contemporary accounts.

!Read the book and hike the fort!
KGA

I should have written something on this study of Fort Bowie back in December, 2005, when I received my copy from U of Ok. For years I have been interested in this fort that oversaw Apache Pass but the nearest thing I could find was Dan Thrapp's book entitled DATELINE FORT BOWIE which I also purchased back in May, 1979.

This latest book is long overdue and will be quite welcome to anyone wanting a better, more complete knowledge of the importance this strategic fort had from 1862 through 1894 (though an old article in TRUE WEST magazine said the fort was abandoned in 1896), when as the author states the last troops "prepared to march out.". Later to be sold at public auction for $1.77 an acre "thereafter used for grazing cattle.". But some remains of the 2nd post are still there, sans original lumber thanks to local scavenging (wood was scarce in Arizona Territory). After all these years, thanks to the Nat'l Park System, and for those of us who will never actually see the place in person a book such as this is a good substitute.

Back in 1995 this author also published another significant volume on the west entitled: THE U.S. ARMY IN THE WEST, 1870-1880, Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment. This oversized book has a multitude of facts and photos of the army of the plains and is a true keepsake for history buffs of both the west and the years 1870-1880. If the army used it or wore it, there is probably a photo of it in this earlier work.

As with all University of Oklahoma Press books, FORT BOWIE is one that will last through the years and many readings. Their watermark was earlier stated to be at least 300 years with most books having bound and sewn bindings. Buying my first book from them back in 1967, now having well in excess of 100 U of Ok volumes on my shelves, I can assuredly recommend this book as well as many others they have published in their 75+ years.

357 pages, illustrations and maps, listing of commanding officers-appendix A, units stationed there-appendix B, 53 pages of notes, bibliography, and index.

Semper Fi.

On a day trip to southeastern Arizona last December, me a my family were able to take a short one and half mile hike to a site where nothing was left but the remnants of adobe walls and brick foundations of long since torn down houses. There is a lone flagstaff and small National Park Service visitor center on the premises. Along the way there is a Apache reconstruction of a wikieup, a spring that trickles with water and a small cemetery that contains the body of one of the sons of Geronimo. Little does that unsuspecting person know that in these windy mountains around Apache Pass is a history that includes such famous names as General William T. Sherman, General Crook, Cochise and the famous Geronimo.

Douglas McChristian's work on the history of Fort Bowie brings the post back to life by covering the background to the creation of the post up to its decommission by the US Army in 1894. The post was created to provide protection to travelers along the old Butterfield Stage Road and to protect a vital water supply in the form of Apache Springs which still flows to this day albeit at a reduced rate. The book also details the circumstances surrounding Cochise's final surrender to General Oliver Howard and Geronimo staying at the fort until his removal to Florida. Along the way, the author describes the harsh life at the post will long spells of boredom, constant discipline problems with drinking and gambling, constant reports of real or imagined depredations by the Apaches; both real and fake stories were published by the local press to bolster military spending in the territory and the details of why the post finally closed.

The book has 270 pages of text along with an extensive bibliography, index and a batch of endnotes that could make up a book unto itself. A well done book on the site that is now the home of Fort Bowie National Historic State. Five stars.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Fort Bowie itself, and the Apache Wars.