"IN RE: THE GERONIMO CAMPAIGN:"

Mr. Geo. W. Webb, Editor,
"Winners of the West,"
St. Joseph, Mo.

My Dear Mr. Webb:

In the December issue, Mr. Dolan (I cannot call him "Comrade," for the reason that I have no Indian service to my credit) seems quite emphatic that his letter about the expeditions of General Crook into Mexico in 1883 is quite without flaw or mistake; nevertheless, there are a few mistakes in that letter which, in justice to the men whom the mistakes concern, should be pointed out.

There was no Lieut. Ferrenberg on that expedition; but Lieut. Gustave Fiebeger (now Colonel, Retired) was along in the double capacity of aide to General Crook and engineer officer of the command. Mr. Doland mentions Captain Crawford - he commanded the battalion of Indian scouts - but does not mention Lieut. J. O. Mackey, 3^rd Cav., or Lieut. C. B. Gatewood, 6^th Cav., both of whom were not only along, but directly commanded the two Indian scout companies which made up Crawford's "battalion." Another man not mentioned was Acting Asst. Surg. Geo. Andrews. Alchisay, mentioned as an interpreter, a White Mountain Apache chief (recently still living near White River, Arizona), was an excellent and loyal Sergeant of scouts, but not one of the regular interpreters. Severiano, not mentioned in Mr. Dolan's letter, was the most experienced interpreter, the one on whom General Crook relied the most. It is my impression, though I am not sure, that Archie McIntosh was also along, as well as he two Cooks and several others worthy of note.

This expedition penetrated to the most remote strongholds of the Apaches in the then unknown Sierra Madres; their coming was a surprise to the Indians, who had always before felt absolutely secure in their retreats; no other expedition, Spanish, Mexican or American, had ever penetrated farther into that country than the foothill ranges of the Sierra Madres - they had turned back in the face of that terribly rough country with its unequaled chances of ambush by the Apaches. In fact, several times, strong forces of Spaniards and Mexicans had been caught absolutely helpless in the deep, narrow canyons and entirely exterminated by the Indians rolling down rocks upon them from the heights above. This method of fighting, so easy for the Apaches in that country, gave rise to Geronimo's boast that he did not trouble to use his valuable cartridges on the Mexicans, but killed them with rocks. But we can be quite sure that any troops, no matter how good, caught in such positions by the Apaches, would have been just as helpless, would at the least have suffered terribly or even been absolutely wiped out. Crooks's scouts, under Gatewood and Mackey, thrown out as point and flankers, were the only protection the command had against disastrous ambush. Those scouts performed their duties so well that they not only safeguarded the command against all such danger, but brought it into the actual stronghold of the Indians without any of the enemy discovering them, except a small party under Geronimo, who had been raiding in the settlements and happened on their return to run across the trail, several days old, of the expedition.

The other Indians, in their camps, were caught quite unprepared. Lieut. Gatewood and his scouts initiated the attack on the hostile camp of Bonito and Chatto, beat them in a two or three hours fight, captured several of the young women and boys who had been in the camp and set free several Mexican captives.

After that, the Indians readily opened negotiations with General Crook. In these, Geronimo was the spokeman for the chiefs, and got into the limelight for that reason alone - a position he took every means to improve thereafter to his own advantage. Chatto, Bonito, Chihuahua, Loco, Natchez and Ka-e-te-nay, who were the chiefs (Geronimo only their mouthpiece) agreed with General Crook to go to the reservation and live there in peace. Only a portion of the bands accompanied the troops on their return march; the others took many months to straggle gradually in from Mexico, Geronimo among the last. None were disarmed, not even those who went with the troops. They kept their arms to protect themselves against possible encounters with Mexican troops or white desperadoes - a very necessary precaution in their behalf.

The proper term for these arrangements is hardly the word, "surrender." Indians bands have often been brought onto reservations by persuasion alone, under agreement to keep the peace; and it is true that many of them thereafter kept faith, even when conditions made it hard for them to do so. Witness the case of Chatto: whatever Chatto did in his younger days - his word to General Crook was never broken, even during the Geronimo campaign, when Geronimo and his outfit tried every means, including threats of death, to get Chatto and his people to break their word and go on the warpath. Geronimo and a lot of other incorrigibles ran away several times, and several times were brought back. If any of these were "surrenders," they were rather mild forms of surrender.

But Geronimo's surrender in September, 1886, was the real thing; this time he was disarmed and shipped off to Florida; and he never got back to Arizona, or out from under military control.

I thoroughly agree with Mr. Dolan that most of what has been written about the so-called "Geronimo campaign" is mot atrocious and no doubt some of it should justly be labeled falsehood as well; but I cannot agree that Captain John Bourke is the only author who wrote the truth. There are a few others who wrote the truth as well. Captain Bourke left Arizona with General Crook when the latter was relieved by General Miles, and consequently is not a first-hand authority on events that happened after that. General Crook's own reports are most painstakingly accurate and truthful; they check in every respect with other sources of information; but they cover events only up to April, 1886. Among the written records of other events of the campaign, up to the final surrender, that may be depended upon for accurate statements, are the narratives of such men as Captain Hatfield and Lieutenants Gatewood and Davis. These men remain the best authorities on the final phase of the Geronimo campaign. Between them, they took leading parts in several of the main decisive happenings of the campaign and surrender, and they have the best right of all writers to be heard as authorities on the Apache campaign of 1885-1886.

Sincerely yours,

C. B. Gatewood, Jr.
Maj. U. S. A., Ret.