Making Peace with Cochise: The 1872 Journal of Captain Joseph Alton Sladen [Hardcover]

Joseph Alton Sladen (Author), Edwin R. Sweeney (Editor), Frank J., Jr. Sladen (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

A tribute to the legendary chief and his people and a remembrance of two courageous officers

“Cochise” was a name that struck terror in hearts across the Southwest. Yet in the autumn of 1872, Brigadier General Oliver O. Howard and his aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Joseph Alton Sladen, entered Arizona’s rocky Dragoon Mountains in search of the elusive Chiricahua Apache chief. Accompanied only by a guide and two Apache scouts, they sought to convince Cochise that the bloody fighting between his people and the Americans must stop. Cochise had already reached that conclusion, but he had found no American official he could trust.

Slade, Howard’s devoted aide, maintained a journal during their two-month quest from Fort Tularosa, New Mexico, to Cochise’s stronghold. Joseph Sladen’s journal—enriched by Edwin R. Sweeney’s introduction, epilogue, and lively notes—is a unique source on Chiricahua lifeways and an engrossing tale of travel and adventure.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Sladen, a Civil War veteran and medical school graduate, had the good fortune to accompany Gen. Oliver Howard on his successful attempt to make peace with Cochise, the Apache leader who battled long against the U.S. government and white settlement in his territory. In addition to giving a narrative account of the trip, Sladen also uses the powers of observation honed in his medical training to describe life in the Apache camp. While several historians have used Sladen's journal in manuscript form, Sweeney (Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief, Univ. of Oklahoma, 1991) made the extra effort to see to its publication. He has carefully edited it and provided an introduction and copious notes that place the account in proper perspective. This journal will be useful not only to specialists but also to general readers and students interested in Cochise and the Apaches.?Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Retired as a professional accountant, Edwin R. Sweeney is an independent scholar and one of the preeminent historians of the Apaches. He is the author of Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief and Mangas Coloradas: Chief of the Chiricahua Apaches.

Frank J. Sladen, Jr., grandson of Joseph Alton Sladen, served in the 100th Infantry Division in the European theater during World War II.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; First Edition edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806129735
• ISBN-13: 978-0806129730
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and vivid journal, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Peace with Cochise: The 1872 Journal of Captain Joseph Alton Sladen (Hardcover)

I read this book in one setting. What a fascinating journey Sladen takes you on in this first hand account of a significant moment in history. I've been reading books on the west my entire life and I have to say this is the best single book one could read on the American Southwest. It chronicles the remarkable meeting between General O.O. Howard and the Great Apache leader Cochise. Sladen records Cochise's personality and style in great detail. He gives a vivid portrait of life in an Apache village. He presents Tom Jeffords and Howard as they really were. He describes the incredible county this drama played out in with the sensibility of a true lover of beauty and nature. Sladen's become one of my heros along with Cochise and Edward R. Sweeney who edited this book and wrote a brilliant biography of Cochise.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diary History at its Best, February 21, 2005

By 

Kay's Husband (Virginia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Making Peace with Cochise: The 1872 Journal of Captain Joseph Alton Sladen (Hardcover)

Another book on my shelf from U. of Oklahoma that gets better with rereading.

Though this one was released more than 5 years ago, it reads as though written yesterday. And that is something, since the diary that underpins it was written in 1872.

This is must reading for anyone enjoying information of the period of the Apache wars in Arizona/New Mexico area. Other than the author's previous biography on Cochise, nothing is available giving personal views of Cochise and his people. And Cochise's statement that no whiteman would look upon his face was well kept. These two military men, and Tom Jeffords were among the few that ever did.

Enough good words cannot be said about this one.

Semper Fi.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cochise Comes Alive, February 24, 2004

By 

Grant E. Smith "The Big Guy" (Scottsdale, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Peace with Cochise: The 1872 Journal of Captain Joseph Alton Sladen (Hardcover)

Cochise is an elusive character. There are no photographs of him, and only one eloquent speech, which was recorded by an Army interpreter. Otherwise, we are left with vague secondhand accounts that often make him a two-dimensional cardboard cutout. Sladen's journal breathes life into this dynamic individual. It is fascinating reading, and, as Sweeney the editor points out, Sladen is not judgmental. He simply describes life in the Apache camp. A wonderful book.