Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief

Without solid knowledge of Southwestern geography and history, readers will find themselves overwhelmed by the wealth of detail in this well-documented, exhaustive biography. For more than 40 years, Apache bands fought Mexican and American troops in the borderlands between New Mexico and Arizona, Chihuahua and Sonora. In his first book, Sweeney gives a brief introduction to the Apaches and their culture, focusing on Cochise's band, the central Chiricahuas. Cochise was born about 1810, a time of relative peace in northern Mexico when the government supplied rations to the Indians. After the Mexican Revolution (1821), funds were not available, assistance was cut and Apaches started raiding ranches for cattle and horses. By the time Cochise reached maturity, hostilities were widespread. A resourceful and feared warrior, he became the undisputed leader of the Chiricahuas. Trailing Cochise through nearly every skirmish and battle of his career, the narrative is a veritable catalogue of persecution, treachery and cruelty on both sides. In the early 1870s, Cochise accepted peace; he died in 1874. Photos. (June)