Annette Ranald's Blog: Annette's History Reads - Posts Tagged "apache"
Book Review: Victorio: Apache Warrior and Chief, by Kathleen Chamberlain
When I took a recent trip to Bisbee, I stopped in their Mining and History Museum, which is a Smithsonian affiliate. I went in the bookstore, looking for books about Lozen, Victorio's sister. Instead, I found Victorio, Apache Warrior and Chief, by Kathleen P. Chamberlain. Chamberlain's book isn't the only biography of the Warm Springs Apache leader, but it is rated one of the best and with good reason.
Chamberlain traces Victorio's life from his birth c. 1825 in New Mexico, till his death in the battle/siege of Tres Castillos, Mexico, in 1880. Along the way, she sets Victorio in the context of his Apache culture and belief system, showing a human being trying to comprehend the unthinkable. Why would anyone else covet his native land with its sacred warm springs? Why would they not want to leave him and his people alone in exchange for stopping the fighting? Chamberlain also traces the contradictions of the United States' Indian Policy, and of the various military and civilian leaders charged with carrying it out. Men like Colonel Edward Hatch, who saw the wisdom of allowing Victorio's people to live at Ojo Caliente, versus leaders like Gen. Nelson Miles, who intended to force all the Apache bands to live at San Carlos in over-crowding and misery.
Although the book would be suitable for reading in any undergraduate college course, it is accessible to the lay reader. Chamberlain maintains control of the various threads of the story, setting it forth concisely and without repetition or confusion. This would be a 5-star rating on Amazon.
Victorio: Apache Warrior and Chief
Chamberlain traces Victorio's life from his birth c. 1825 in New Mexico, till his death in the battle/siege of Tres Castillos, Mexico, in 1880. Along the way, she sets Victorio in the context of his Apache culture and belief system, showing a human being trying to comprehend the unthinkable. Why would anyone else covet his native land with its sacred warm springs? Why would they not want to leave him and his people alone in exchange for stopping the fighting? Chamberlain also traces the contradictions of the United States' Indian Policy, and of the various military and civilian leaders charged with carrying it out. Men like Colonel Edward Hatch, who saw the wisdom of allowing Victorio's people to live at Ojo Caliente, versus leaders like Gen. Nelson Miles, who intended to force all the Apache bands to live at San Carlos in over-crowding and misery.
Although the book would be suitable for reading in any undergraduate college course, it is accessible to the lay reader. Chamberlain maintains control of the various threads of the story, setting it forth concisely and without repetition or confusion. This would be a 5-star rating on Amazon.
Victorio: Apache Warrior and Chief
Annette's History Reads
I enjoy reading and writing about history. I've loved history all my life and read a ton of books. Now, I'll share a few of them with you. I also want to take you along with me in this new and strange
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