Cochise is believed to have been born in the early 1820 and relatively little is known about his early life. His wife was the daughter of Mangas Coloradas, with whom he was an ally of until Mangas passed away in 1863.
Like all Apache, Cochise raided Mexican citizens living on both sides of the Mexico – U.S. border, but it was not until 1861 that he became an enemy of the United States.
Cochise at War
Cochise was wrongfully accused of raiding an adobe ranch house along Sonoita Creek in southern Arizona and kidnapping a boy named Felix Tellez. Irishman John Ward accused Cochise of hostile act and asked the Army to rescue his adopted son.
Lieutenant George Bascom was dispatched to deal with Cochise. Cochise usually camped peaceable next to the Overland Stage station in Apache pass because up to the point, he had no quarrel with the United States.
Bascom surrounded his camp and while pretending to be friendly, had Cochise and several other Apache gather in a tent under the premise “entertainment.” Cochise reported truthfully that he had not captured the boy, but Bascom did not believe him and ordered Cochise to be held to ensure the boy’s return.
Using his knife, Cochise cut his way out of the tent and escaped, but some of his warriors were not so fortunate. During the next several days, several people were killed on both sides. Cochise and Mangas Coloradas began a systematic warfare against the white man, attacking settlers, miners and small parties of soldiers. Several settlements had to be abandoned and hundreds of lives were lost to Apache destruction.
Eventually, Felix Tellez reappeared in the 1880s as an Apache speaking scout for the U.S. Army. He had been captured by a band of Western Apache, not Cochise.
Cochise and the Army
In 1872, officials in Washington D.C., realized that in order for President Ulysses S. Grant’s Peace Policy in the Southwest to succeed, a settlement with Cochise needed to be reached. General Oliver Otis Howard was sent to Arizona for the job.
With the help of Thomas J. Jeffords, a close friend of Cochise, Howard reached an agreement with Cochise. The huge Chiricahua reservation that included most of the southeast corner of Arizona was established in October of 1872 by executive order.
Cochise passed away two years later and was buried in secret in the Dragoon Mountains. In 1876, the Chiricahua on the reservation were transferred to San Carlos and the 1872 executive order was rescinded.
Source:
Lamar, Howard R, ed. The New Encyclopedia of the American West. New Haven and London, Yale University Press.
Matthew Pizzolato - Matthew Pizzolato is a writer of both short stories and articles and has completed two novels, neither of which have been published, but ...
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