From the 1840s onward, United States military forces clashed with the
Apache, a group of Native Americans associated with North America's
southwestern region. U.S. territorial expansion and conflict--first with
Mexico and then during the Civil War--led to an escalation of
hostilities that culminated in the defeat of the Apache leader Geronimo
in 1886, although fighting continued into the twentieth century. In this
study, the clashes at Cieneguilla (1854), First Adobe Walls (1864), and
Cibecue Creek (1881) are assessed in detail.
Fully illustrated and featuring contemporary accounts and specially
commissioned artwork, this history examines exactly how the Apache were
able to pose such a grave threat to U.S. forces and how their initial
advantages were gradually negated by the cavalry. Examining the tactics,
equipment, and training available to each side over four decades of
evolving conflict, this is an eye-opening combatant's-eye view of one of
history's most intriguing campaigns.