What do you think?
Life Among the Apaches
Life Among The Apaches - By J. C. Cremony
472 pages, Leather Bound
First published November 1, 1981
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 26, 2017
Life Among the Apaches is a first person account of two expeditions made by John Cremony into the territory in and around what is now Arizona and New Mexico in the early 1850's with the U.S. Boundary Commission (U.S. - Mexican border), and in the early 1860's with the California Volunteers (Union Army). He did not live with Apaches but was the first white man to learn the Apache language and talked with them a great deal on matters both friendly and hostile. He claims to relate only what he saw and heard himself and occasionally from reliable witnesses. What he tells concerning the character and behavior of the Apaches and neighboring tribes appears truthful, although it is difficult to guess whether his part in some armed conflicts may be embellished.
For anyone who cannot understand why frontier settlers could not get along with Native Americans, at least ones similar to the Apaches, this account will stand in perfect explanation. Their ethos was uninformed by anything of our western tradition, and they were fully as resistant to change as are white men. Cremony did at last discover that the Apaches had a sense of right and wrong but were usually well satisfied (or forced by their extreme living circumstances and attendant habits and culture) to ignore the difference in favor of practical results. They never bragged about themselves but had to be enticed roundabout into describing their skills and exploits. They detected braggadocio immediately and forever disdained the white boaster. They shared freely any prize gained in company of their companions but were selfish with private acquisitions.
The Apaches, like many tribes in the region, were not a cohesive group as a whole but rather comprised several adjacent independent smaller bands with the same language and customs. The bands occasionally combined for large raids or defense. Adjacent tribes were as often at odds as at peace. The Apaches had no chiefs but were perfectly democratic.
This account affirms that these people were equally as smart as and often more resourceful than white men, attributes which Cremony greatly admired but to strangers made them cunning rascals. They were trained from infancy to regard other peoples as enemies and taught that the chief excellence, ahead even of bravery, is to outwit an enemy, and deceit was regarded with high admiration. They were indifferent to, or sometimes enjoyed, the suffering of others. Their women were treated little better than slaves, and as such likely contributed as much by their endless work in camp to the economic support of their group as did the hunting and raiding of the men. Except in preparation of weapons, the men were fiercely resistant to any work that could not contribute directly to their immediate purposes.
In the poor land they occupied, it was more sensible to steal and plunder than to produce value otherwise, so the men became expert thieves and robbers and were admired by their band in proportion to their success. They were amazingly expert in long-distance communication by sign and signal and at desert camouflage(!), hunting, and tracking. They always had an eye on visitors, who rarely were aware of their presence. They wore loincloths but appeared indifferent to freezing, even sub-zero (F), temperatures. It is quite remarkable that a relatively small number of Apaches was able to control such a huge area for such a long time.
Cremony criticized the actions of the government towards Native Americans as inept and wasteful but concluded that Native American depredations could be overcome only with sudden and overwhelming force in many parts of the country at the same time and occupying those places.
The writing is interesting, straightforward and clear but not expert.
For anyone who cannot understand why frontier settlers could not get along with Native Americans, at least ones similar to the Apaches, this account will stand in perfect explanation. Their ethos was uninformed by anything of our western tradition, and they were fully as resistant to change as are white men. Cremony did at last discover that the Apaches had a sense of right and wrong but were usually well satisfied (or forced by their extreme living circumstances and attendant habits and culture) to ignore the difference in favor of practical results. They never bragged about themselves but had to be enticed roundabout into describing their skills and exploits. They detected braggadocio immediately and forever disdained the white boaster. They shared freely any prize gained in company of their companions but were selfish with private acquisitions.
The Apaches, like many tribes in the region, were not a cohesive group as a whole but rather comprised several adjacent independent smaller bands with the same language and customs. The bands occasionally combined for large raids or defense. Adjacent tribes were as often at odds as at peace. The Apaches had no chiefs but were perfectly democratic.
This account affirms that these people were equally as smart as and often more resourceful than white men, attributes which Cremony greatly admired but to strangers made them cunning rascals. They were trained from infancy to regard other peoples as enemies and taught that the chief excellence, ahead even of bravery, is to outwit an enemy, and deceit was regarded with high admiration. They were indifferent to, or sometimes enjoyed, the suffering of others. Their women were treated little better than slaves, and as such likely contributed as much by their endless work in camp to the economic support of their group as did the hunting and raiding of the men. Except in preparation of weapons, the men were fiercely resistant to any work that could not contribute directly to their immediate purposes.
In the poor land they occupied, it was more sensible to steal and plunder than to produce value otherwise, so the men became expert thieves and robbers and were admired by their band in proportion to their success. They were amazingly expert in long-distance communication by sign and signal and at desert camouflage(!), hunting, and tracking. They always had an eye on visitors, who rarely were aware of their presence. They wore loincloths but appeared indifferent to freezing, even sub-zero (F), temperatures. It is quite remarkable that a relatively small number of Apaches was able to control such a huge area for such a long time.
Cremony criticized the actions of the government towards Native Americans as inept and wasteful but concluded that Native American depredations could be overcome only with sudden and overwhelming force in many parts of the country at the same time and occupying those places.
The writing is interesting, straightforward and clear but not expert.
June 25, 2016
This book combines the frontier adventures associated with living by your wits, your knife, and your six-shooter, with deep insights into the Indian character. I think it is an important book even today, because we look back with shame on the subjugation of the Indians, and we also frequently identify American Indians with the current back-to-nature/environmental movements.
I remember as a kid reading books about the Apaches and wanting them to "win." It's natural, I suppose, to want to freely roam the West, living off the land. But this book dispels that myth. Mr. Cremony shares that the Apaches did not even farm; they lived off of hunting and what they could steal from their neighbors (Comanches, Navajos, Americans, or poor peasant Mexicans - it didn't matter). In fact, that was the surest way to the top of Apache society: the bolder and more brazen a thief you were, the more respected you were and the more wives you could support. The point is that the Apache way of life was completely incompatible with modern society, and a "win" for the Apaches would mean the defeat of virtually everything we think is important today.
So the Apaches had to be subjugated, and the faster the better, for both them and civilization. We look back with horror today on the cruel violence practiced by both sides, but I think the thing to remember is that this was truly a fight to the death. From reading the book, I'm convinced that the Apaches, at least the adults, would never have been able to become productive members of society. From youth they were taught that they were superior to all other races. This belief was in some ways true: Mr. Cremony repeatedly stresses the importance of being constantly on guard when in Apache country, since they would appear out of nowhere to kill you and/or steal everything you owned.
Nevertheless, beliefs such as this meant that the Apaches were like zebras: untamable. There would be no surrender or assimilation into society like immigrants from Europe. They would have to be defeated by force.
Note that Mr. Cremony does not excuse the horrible cruelties committed against the Indians. He is even very critical of how they were managed on the reservations. We can certainly discuss what better methods could have been used, but, in the end, it had to be done.
I also appreciated the book because it illustrated how deep the chasm is between civilized man and the barbarian. I believe this chasm exists regardless of whether we are discussing American Indians or the Germanic tribesmen who fought Rome. It took generations, no, millennia, to civilize Europe. We should have some humility when we judge the actions of past generations, especially if they were moving along the line that has given us the wonders of our modern world.
I remember as a kid reading books about the Apaches and wanting them to "win." It's natural, I suppose, to want to freely roam the West, living off the land. But this book dispels that myth. Mr. Cremony shares that the Apaches did not even farm; they lived off of hunting and what they could steal from their neighbors (Comanches, Navajos, Americans, or poor peasant Mexicans - it didn't matter). In fact, that was the surest way to the top of Apache society: the bolder and more brazen a thief you were, the more respected you were and the more wives you could support. The point is that the Apache way of life was completely incompatible with modern society, and a "win" for the Apaches would mean the defeat of virtually everything we think is important today.
So the Apaches had to be subjugated, and the faster the better, for both them and civilization. We look back with horror today on the cruel violence practiced by both sides, but I think the thing to remember is that this was truly a fight to the death. From reading the book, I'm convinced that the Apaches, at least the adults, would never have been able to become productive members of society. From youth they were taught that they were superior to all other races. This belief was in some ways true: Mr. Cremony repeatedly stresses the importance of being constantly on guard when in Apache country, since they would appear out of nowhere to kill you and/or steal everything you owned.
Nevertheless, beliefs such as this meant that the Apaches were like zebras: untamable. There would be no surrender or assimilation into society like immigrants from Europe. They would have to be defeated by force.
Note that Mr. Cremony does not excuse the horrible cruelties committed against the Indians. He is even very critical of how they were managed on the reservations. We can certainly discuss what better methods could have been used, but, in the end, it had to be done.
I also appreciated the book because it illustrated how deep the chasm is between civilized man and the barbarian. I believe this chasm exists regardless of whether we are discussing American Indians or the Germanic tribesmen who fought Rome. It took generations, no, millennia, to civilize Europe. We should have some humility when we judge the actions of past generations, especially if they were moving along the line that has given us the wonders of our modern world.
July 1, 2022
Fascinating first-hand accounts by John Ceremony of his interactions with the Apaches. I picked it up for my step-dad for Christmas and have been reading it after him. Knife fights, ambushes, marches through the desert in search of water, near-death experiences, heroic accomplishments, all here. It was an absolute thrill to read.
May 6, 2020
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-A book written by or about a journalist.
This was a fairly interesting first person account of some Apache interaction. However, it was kind of written in a boring style with super long run on sentences. And while I don't want to judge a 19th century writer by my 21st Century PC lens, it was a little jarring to see them referred to as "savages" and "beasts."
This was a fairly interesting first person account of some Apache interaction. However, it was kind of written in a boring style with super long run on sentences. And while I don't want to judge a 19th century writer by my 21st Century PC lens, it was a little jarring to see them referred to as "savages" and "beasts."
September 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
The unreliable narrator may be an interesting aspect of a work, but it always quite dull to wade through the comments of readers who are easily fooled so long as the narrator confirms their own bigotries. The narrator is a character created by a man of the same name writing a book as a calling card for a government job and trying to stand out as a commercial author amidst an onslaught of similar contemporary books. What he is writing is not “real.”
We don’t know who the real John C. Cremony is. He probably was a bigot or he would have been the John Brown of New Mexico and not the man writing this book, not the man seeking to be put in charge of vast American wealth to lead a genocide.
In the book the character is presented as a man caught between the business and scientific requirement to see the Apache as a lesser species than himself and his own observation of their superior skills in everything he admires. Squaring that circle requires making many very stupid statements; I have no idea why one would want to identify with this character. Squaring that circle is also, as presented in the book, his secret sauce, something only he has and why he should get the leadership role in the final solution.
And yet at times other observations sneak through; he can’t seem to hold back his contempt for his reader. At one point he makes a long description of society, seemingly American society, until one finds he is actually writing about the savagery of the Apache. Dear reader, do you not see the mirror thrust in front of your own nose!
He later notes, after explaining equal justice to a group of Apache who would have preferred to come out ahead, “The justice and pertinence of these remarks were admitted with reluctance, for the untutored Apache mind, like that of what is called high civilization and refinement, is eminently selfish and obtuse to moral conviction. Extremes meet.” You cannot tell me this writer does not know what he is doing.
Early in the book, when Mexicans are still more present on land that has just become American, he recounts a horror all too common from the European genocidal type: At the Santa Rita Copper Mine, the old bigot’s story of the petty theft attributed to Apache individuals being assigned to the entire people plays out. It ends in a genocidal act where 800 civilian Apache are brought together in front of an explosive, 400 killed.
And yet the Apache are continuously characterized as vicious, as incomprehensibly angry about theft from themselves. No one can square this circle, only Cremony, only if you give him that huge sum of wealth from the treasury!
He describes the Apache has believing in a God of good and a God of evil (ah, folk Christianity!), and my favorite part is that for war they do not pray to the God of good to lift them up but rather the “Evil Spirit” to bring down the other side. At the end of the day, everyone in war is a Satanist.
But fashionably: He reports a hand to hand combat between himself and an Apache man. He describes the Apache man as naked except for loincloth and smeared with oil. Okay, quickly done. Then he describes his clothing in close detail. And finally the Apache man dramatically stabs his black silk cravat! I feel certain I have seen this recreated in a Western movie; Cremony gave them all the necessarily notes!
The book ends with Cremony detailing his plan for the final solution for the Apache, removing them from their natal lands entirely. His descriptions often sound the same as when people speak of homeless people today – “Scattered all over Arizona are mines of wondrous wealth utterly inapplicable to the uses of mankind so long as that tribe remains unsubdued and unconquered.” The Apache have been mining copper for all of their known time; that wealth is hardly unused by *mankind.* But defining some people as people and some people as not people is genocide 101.
Part of his justification for this expense is not just the comparison to the price of Alaska, but his description earlier in the book of his participation in the Civil War battles in New Mexico, but I had not been aware that part of the reason there was such a large US military presence here was they were rebuilding the state after massive flooding in 1861-62. Cremony states that there was $60 million in damages. All of this rebuilding shows the value of the land and also is sunk money that should be chased after.
His plan requires over 8,000 soldiers for several years and comes at high price, but he compares the wealth of land that they control to the cost Alaska to justify it, and of course he is to be put in charge of the project as he has just demonstrated in this work that he alone and uniquely has the skills of literacy, military, and understanding Apache culture to lead it. As we know from the continued presence of Apache on their ancestral land, as horrific as their decimation was, this particular final solution was not put into place.
HOW I GOT HERE & OTHER BOOKS
I had wanted to read The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History because I spent most of 2026 in the area where these events took place. I ended up with this book as an economization. It was a happy accident given the literary and historical value of the original source.
The Apache had never ceded to either Mexico or the United States and were not easily uprooted. There is a valley near here that no European descendant entered until after the turn of the century. Indigenous people are throughout society here, the notary who signed my papers while I was in town, the men who fixed my truck, the representative at the bank. It is very odd to see reviewers state that the Apache had to be destroyed or that they don’t fit into society when Cremony himself explained just how American they are, and they are still here very much a part of American (and Mexican) society. The genociders got far, but they did not win.
While in the area I have read several books about the mining industry that dominates the area, found on my mining shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Among those books, Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico discusses the entire history of the mine going back to indigenous copper gathering and the earliest days of European intrusion.
Of course, it would be better to have the Apache perspective (note that “Apache” is a name for several groups of people with different cultures and practices), and here are some book titles I have collected over the last few days, unfortunately they are all still from a settler writer:
Geronimo: My Life (Most people consider this a settler interpretation as it is an "as told to" book.)
Eve Ball was a settler who befriended Apache in her area and wrote several of their stories:
INDEH: AN APACHE ODYSSEY, WITH NEW MAPS
In the Days of Victorio; Recollections of a Warm Springs Apache
Apache Voices: Their Stories of Survival as Told to Eve Ball
Keith Basso is a settler perspective who wrote many books about the Apache in the second half of the 20th century including:
Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache
H. Henrietta Stockel is a settle perspective writing presently about religion, healing, and a particular interest in Apache history and culture:
Women Of The Apache Nation: Voices Of Truth
Obviously I have had some frustrations in my search for books and welcome any true own voices suggestions.
A NOTE ON HORSEMANSHIP
I grew up in a family that was involved in endurance rides, races of 25, 50, 100 miles or more. My parents have ridden the Pony Express trail twice, once each direction, and also done many of these other distances. In the book he describes riding 125 miles in 21 hours (the typical cut off for a 100 mile endurance ride is 24 hours) with Apache after him. He then describes the extensive care he gives to his most beloved and prized horse when he arrives at his destination after midnight. I recited it to my parents who were silent a moment before asking if the horse survived the “care.”
The unreliable narrator may be an interesting aspect of a work, but it always quite dull to wade through the comments of readers who are easily fooled so long as the narrator confirms their own bigotries. The narrator is a character created by a man of the same name writing a book as a calling card for a government job and trying to stand out as a commercial author amidst an onslaught of similar contemporary books. What he is writing is not “real.”
We don’t know who the real John C. Cremony is. He probably was a bigot or he would have been the John Brown of New Mexico and not the man writing this book, not the man seeking to be put in charge of vast American wealth to lead a genocide.
In the book the character is presented as a man caught between the business and scientific requirement to see the Apache as a lesser species than himself and his own observation of their superior skills in everything he admires. Squaring that circle requires making many very stupid statements; I have no idea why one would want to identify with this character. Squaring that circle is also, as presented in the book, his secret sauce, something only he has and why he should get the leadership role in the final solution.
And yet at times other observations sneak through; he can’t seem to hold back his contempt for his reader. At one point he makes a long description of society, seemingly American society, until one finds he is actually writing about the savagery of the Apache. Dear reader, do you not see the mirror thrust in front of your own nose!
He later notes, after explaining equal justice to a group of Apache who would have preferred to come out ahead, “The justice and pertinence of these remarks were admitted with reluctance, for the untutored Apache mind, like that of what is called high civilization and refinement, is eminently selfish and obtuse to moral conviction. Extremes meet.” You cannot tell me this writer does not know what he is doing.
Early in the book, when Mexicans are still more present on land that has just become American, he recounts a horror all too common from the European genocidal type: At the Santa Rita Copper Mine, the old bigot’s story of the petty theft attributed to Apache individuals being assigned to the entire people plays out. It ends in a genocidal act where 800 civilian Apache are brought together in front of an explosive, 400 killed.
And yet the Apache are continuously characterized as vicious, as incomprehensibly angry about theft from themselves. No one can square this circle, only Cremony, only if you give him that huge sum of wealth from the treasury!
He describes the Apache has believing in a God of good and a God of evil (ah, folk Christianity!), and my favorite part is that for war they do not pray to the God of good to lift them up but rather the “Evil Spirit” to bring down the other side. At the end of the day, everyone in war is a Satanist.
But fashionably: He reports a hand to hand combat between himself and an Apache man. He describes the Apache man as naked except for loincloth and smeared with oil. Okay, quickly done. Then he describes his clothing in close detail. And finally the Apache man dramatically stabs his black silk cravat! I feel certain I have seen this recreated in a Western movie; Cremony gave them all the necessarily notes!
The book ends with Cremony detailing his plan for the final solution for the Apache, removing them from their natal lands entirely. His descriptions often sound the same as when people speak of homeless people today – “Scattered all over Arizona are mines of wondrous wealth utterly inapplicable to the uses of mankind so long as that tribe remains unsubdued and unconquered.” The Apache have been mining copper for all of their known time; that wealth is hardly unused by *mankind.* But defining some people as people and some people as not people is genocide 101.
Part of his justification for this expense is not just the comparison to the price of Alaska, but his description earlier in the book of his participation in the Civil War battles in New Mexico, but I had not been aware that part of the reason there was such a large US military presence here was they were rebuilding the state after massive flooding in 1861-62. Cremony states that there was $60 million in damages. All of this rebuilding shows the value of the land and also is sunk money that should be chased after.
His plan requires over 8,000 soldiers for several years and comes at high price, but he compares the wealth of land that they control to the cost Alaska to justify it, and of course he is to be put in charge of the project as he has just demonstrated in this work that he alone and uniquely has the skills of literacy, military, and understanding Apache culture to lead it. As we know from the continued presence of Apache on their ancestral land, as horrific as their decimation was, this particular final solution was not put into place.
HOW I GOT HERE & OTHER BOOKS
I had wanted to read The Apache Wars: The Hunt for Geronimo, the Apache Kid, and the Captive Boy Who Started the Longest War in American History because I spent most of 2026 in the area where these events took place. I ended up with this book as an economization. It was a happy accident given the literary and historical value of the original source.
The Apache had never ceded to either Mexico or the United States and were not easily uprooted. There is a valley near here that no European descendant entered until after the turn of the century. Indigenous people are throughout society here, the notary who signed my papers while I was in town, the men who fixed my truck, the representative at the bank. It is very odd to see reviewers state that the Apache had to be destroyed or that they don’t fit into society when Cremony himself explained just how American they are, and they are still here very much a part of American (and Mexican) society. The genociders got far, but they did not win.
While in the area I have read several books about the mining industry that dominates the area, found on my mining shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Among those books, Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico discusses the entire history of the mine going back to indigenous copper gathering and the earliest days of European intrusion.
Of course, it would be better to have the Apache perspective (note that “Apache” is a name for several groups of people with different cultures and practices), and here are some book titles I have collected over the last few days, unfortunately they are all still from a settler writer:
Geronimo: My Life (Most people consider this a settler interpretation as it is an "as told to" book.)
Eve Ball was a settler who befriended Apache in her area and wrote several of their stories:
INDEH: AN APACHE ODYSSEY, WITH NEW MAPS
In the Days of Victorio; Recollections of a Warm Springs Apache
Apache Voices: Their Stories of Survival as Told to Eve Ball
Keith Basso is a settler perspective who wrote many books about the Apache in the second half of the 20th century including:
Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache
H. Henrietta Stockel is a settle perspective writing presently about religion, healing, and a particular interest in Apache history and culture:
Women Of The Apache Nation: Voices Of Truth
Obviously I have had some frustrations in my search for books and welcome any true own voices suggestions.
A NOTE ON HORSEMANSHIP
I grew up in a family that was involved in endurance rides, races of 25, 50, 100 miles or more. My parents have ridden the Pony Express trail twice, once each direction, and also done many of these other distances. In the book he describes riding 125 miles in 21 hours (the typical cut off for a 100 mile endurance ride is 24 hours) with Apache after him. He then describes the extensive care he gives to his most beloved and prized horse when he arrives at his destination after midnight. I recited it to my parents who were silent a moment before asking if the horse survived the “care.”
February 8, 2013
This book is surprisingly good, if you value the opinion of an indian fighter from before and during the Civil War period. The writer had a significant experience living with and sometimes fighting alongside or against the Apache in Arizona and New Mexico regions of the U.S. Southwest. He has great respect for some aspects of the Apache character and does not lump all "indians" together in his descriptions. He sees and explains the differences between the Apache and Navajo, the Pecos, Pima, Yuma and other tribes of the area. The Apache were a proud people who could never take advice from or learn from the white invaders. They would not be taught foolish Christian values like turning the other cheek. They always retaliated for any insult. Constant battles were normal between the Apache and other tribes as well as the Mexicans.
His complaint about the Apache was that they gave the highest honor and value to the tribe member who was the best thief. The one who could steal horses and humiliate the enemy was given accolades and had his choice of the women. The great and brave warrior was recognized when needed but not valued most of the time. (How different is our modern society that values honesty and bravery but gives the most money and recognition to rock stars, actors and athletes?) The Apache valued the ability to be stealthy and steal most effectively. That made them inherently not trustworthy and treacherous.
He always felt safer with 2 six shooters on his hips, a good repeating rifle and a big sharp knife on his person when among the indians, no matter what tribe. That was his recommendation to the Army when they asked his advice about equipping troops for a "clean up" operation in the area.
After Hanta Yo, this is the most believable description of American native life I have ever read. While the writer downplays his own experiences, this guy lived an amazing life. His survival gives legitimacy to his opinions. Those who did not understand the Apache character did not survive to come home and write a book about it.
His complaint about the Apache was that they gave the highest honor and value to the tribe member who was the best thief. The one who could steal horses and humiliate the enemy was given accolades and had his choice of the women. The great and brave warrior was recognized when needed but not valued most of the time. (How different is our modern society that values honesty and bravery but gives the most money and recognition to rock stars, actors and athletes?) The Apache valued the ability to be stealthy and steal most effectively. That made them inherently not trustworthy and treacherous.
He always felt safer with 2 six shooters on his hips, a good repeating rifle and a big sharp knife on his person when among the indians, no matter what tribe. That was his recommendation to the Army when they asked his advice about equipping troops for a "clean up" operation in the area.
After Hanta Yo, this is the most believable description of American native life I have ever read. While the writer downplays his own experiences, this guy lived an amazing life. His survival gives legitimacy to his opinions. Those who did not understand the Apache character did not survive to come home and write a book about it.
May 8, 2023
A must read for anyone interested in learning the real history of the Apache
Most people have been fed a diet of lies regarding the history of the original inhabitants of America.
First, we were subjected to the old Westerns from Hollywood. Great tales of the bad “Injun” and the good “Cowboy” or cavalryman. Must young lads were enthralled, as was I.
Then later on we were told NO, this is not what happened; the “Indians” were forcibly removed from America and unjustly so.
However, the real truth is not so clear cut it seems.
The Apaches were indeed a ruthless, lying and corrupt tribe. Just like the old western movies that we loved as kids.
A stab in the back was always imminent. There was no way that this tribe could possibly have allowed to have been given free rein and just left alone. It would have resulted in a massacre of epic proportions to innocent people. This people needed to be shown the way of civilisation it would seem, by fair means and foul.
Many tribes were willing immediately to get along with the early settlers of the US. They wholly welcomed them with open arms. They coexisted with them, married them even and traded freely.
The Apache were a rather different breed.
Read it and see if your mind gets changed, like mine.
Most people have been fed a diet of lies regarding the history of the original inhabitants of America.
First, we were subjected to the old Westerns from Hollywood. Great tales of the bad “Injun” and the good “Cowboy” or cavalryman. Must young lads were enthralled, as was I.
Then later on we were told NO, this is not what happened; the “Indians” were forcibly removed from America and unjustly so.
However, the real truth is not so clear cut it seems.
The Apaches were indeed a ruthless, lying and corrupt tribe. Just like the old western movies that we loved as kids.
A stab in the back was always imminent. There was no way that this tribe could possibly have allowed to have been given free rein and just left alone. It would have resulted in a massacre of epic proportions to innocent people. This people needed to be shown the way of civilisation it would seem, by fair means and foul.
Many tribes were willing immediately to get along with the early settlers of the US. They wholly welcomed them with open arms. They coexisted with them, married them even and traded freely.
The Apache were a rather different breed.
Read it and see if your mind gets changed, like mine.
May 23, 2015
When Cremony published this book in 1868, it must have been eye-opening for both the wonder and fear it produced in readers as they attempted to understand Native American cultures. Reading his views over 150 years later, it’s still eye-opening for the way it shows how the outside world of the white settlers perceived the native tribes. Moreover, Cremony provides extraordinary insight into the intelligence, resilience, and resourcefulness of the Apaches. He praises their brilliance, but then turns his logic to argue how their savagery forever prevents them from acting “civilized” like whites. This book serves as an important historical document. Its views allow us to assess how far we’ve come in efforts to eliminate bigotry, yet it also reminds us how far we still must go in order to achieve a higher degree of tolerance.
November 23, 2016
Since I was very young Indian culture has fascinated me. As I grew older I became more and more convinced that the United States and its' representatives had and has treated "Indians" in a manner which can only be described as deplorable. This book covers events that occurred around the 1850's and the author having experienced a wide variety of circumstances arrived at the same conclusion. It is a first person account. The circumstances as presented were quite unlike anything which I have personally read and I enjoyed it. If you enjoy fact based stories about life in the west and Indian culture I highly recommend it.
June 23, 2018
This is truly a remarkable book. An autobiographical account of the years the author spent running from, dealing with and getting to know the Apache people. It was written in 1868 (reprinted in 2015) and the writing reflects the style of that period. The book was intended to inform official and lay Americans about the perils of ongoing relations with the Apache Nation. The exploits of the author, the Apaches, other Indian tribes, American soldiers and the 'California brigade' are so incredible at times, you would think they're fictional, but they're not.
The book comes to a surprising and unexpected conclusion too.
The book comes to a surprising and unexpected conclusion too.
August 30, 2020
From 1989 to 1991 I worked at NAVAIR and our community had a det in Waco (home of the Texas Ranger Museum) and we were moving both squadrons to Oklahoma City. Started reading a lot about the west, mostly memoirs and non fiction. This is a remarkable work. A first hand account of a civilization that was about to come to an end. Personally, I think this should be required reading in our schools. Like parts of Marquis James The Raven, it's an attempt to give an accurate portrayal of native American life.
May 17, 2016
Great historical read
I thought this account very interesting. Cremony described his actions and intent very clearly at all times. He certainly knew how to deal with a very complicated people. From our vantage point in time, it is amazing that he lived to tell the story, and that the west was ever settled. I believe that I found out how Camp Roberts California got it's name from this account. Its
I thought this account very interesting. Cremony described his actions and intent very clearly at all times. He certainly knew how to deal with a very complicated people. From our vantage point in time, it is amazing that he lived to tell the story, and that the west was ever settled. I believe that I found out how Camp Roberts California got it's name from this account. Its
December 26, 2017
A must read for anyone wanting to know more about the Indian Wars and Arizona before statehood. He writes with the military saavy of special forces with the passion of a peace corps volunteer. He does not write of an "enemy" but of a highly adapted foe to the strategic reality of the geography and an interest in the local culture.
December 26, 2017
A must read for anyone wanting to know more about the Indian Wars and Arizona before statehood. He writes with the military saavy of special forces with the passion of a peace corps volunteer. He does not write of an "enemy" but of a highly adapted foe to the strategic reality of the geography and an interest in the local culture.
October 6, 2015
A true story written in 1868 that is a first hand account of a mythical part of American history. I'm really glad I found it. Straight forward, factual, and well written, it's also now among my favorite 'Westerns'. An incredible adventure.
August 19, 2025
This book didn’t come about from a Dances With Wolves sort of immersion within a tribe who loved and trusted the author. Rather, it came from his 9 years of fighting and subduing the Apache from 1861 to 1872. On the one hand he seemed to respect their expertise, patience, and bravery. On the other, he considered them cruel reprobates with few morals.
It seems unarguable that the Apache left a great deal of destruction and mayhem on those within, or just outside its borders, though this seems hardly unique to any group who feels they’ve been invaded.
Cremony seemed to think that relations between the Americans and Apaches was only resolvable through cataclysm. Part of that analysis was that both parties felt superior to the other, and thus intransigent. Moreover, Judeo-Christian sensibilities seemed absolutely crazy to the Apache. Turning the other cheek when smitten? That’s what a fool would do. Likewise, ”to instruct him that it is criminal to deprive other people of their property, is to inform him that it is his duty to starve in order that his enemy may prosper”.
The Apache particularly seemed to despise the Mexicans. If their described brutality was true however, their subjugation probably made life better for countless women, both non-Apache and Apache. The author’s observations made him believe that most women were treated terribly (despite doing all the work!)
Of course, it’s hard to discern what’s exaggerated, and to what extent, from an author’s clearly skewed perspective more than 150 years ago. For example, the author knew a troublesome chief known as Mangas Colorado, who was killed after riding under a flag of truce into a U.S. army camp and arrested. The author matter-of-fact restates the official report that the chief was killed after trying to “escape”. Many historians now consider that simple explanation to be blatantly implausible.
”You are and must ever remain, to him, an object of suspicion and distrust. You are understood to be his natural enemy, and all his faculties are awakened against your advances. Treasuring up his own vengeful purposes for months and years, he imputes to you the same, or kindred intention of doing him ultimate harm. No effort, no kindness on your part, can induce him to disabuse his mind of this idea, because he is not capable of such magnanimity, and regards it as the finest stroke of duplicity. Trained to treachery, he is ever on his guard against it in others”.
It seems unarguable that the Apache left a great deal of destruction and mayhem on those within, or just outside its borders, though this seems hardly unique to any group who feels they’ve been invaded.
Cremony seemed to think that relations between the Americans and Apaches was only resolvable through cataclysm. Part of that analysis was that both parties felt superior to the other, and thus intransigent. Moreover, Judeo-Christian sensibilities seemed absolutely crazy to the Apache. Turning the other cheek when smitten? That’s what a fool would do. Likewise, ”to instruct him that it is criminal to deprive other people of their property, is to inform him that it is his duty to starve in order that his enemy may prosper”.
The Apache particularly seemed to despise the Mexicans. If their described brutality was true however, their subjugation probably made life better for countless women, both non-Apache and Apache. The author’s observations made him believe that most women were treated terribly (despite doing all the work!)
”One day an Apache woman died in camp, and I asked Gian-nah-tah if there would be much lamentation. He simply smiled at the idea, and replied: "It was a woman; her death is of no account."
Of course, it’s hard to discern what’s exaggerated, and to what extent, from an author’s clearly skewed perspective more than 150 years ago. For example, the author knew a troublesome chief known as Mangas Colorado, who was killed after riding under a flag of truce into a U.S. army camp and arrested. The author matter-of-fact restates the official report that the chief was killed after trying to “escape”. Many historians now consider that simple explanation to be blatantly implausible.
October 26, 2025
Interesting viewpoint on Apache and American relations in the 1800s.
The narrative is very unorganized. As an example, at the end of the book he’s pitching his idea for how America should treat the Apaches, and randomly inserts an anecdote about how his men were really good shots with their rifles. It has nothing whatsoever to do with anything else in the chapter, but he just can’t go very long without bragging about himself.
The author clearly exaggerates many of his stories. And he laughably contradicts himself, shaming people for taking advantage of the Apaches and treating them like they’re unintelligent, but then he turns around and plays tricks on them, like pretending to destroy and then restore the moon during a lunar eclipse.
The book is self-serving, in that he wished to get a lifetime appointment to a Bureau of Indian Affairs position, and he wanted his Apache dictionary to be published in the Smithsonian.
Only recommended for readers really interested in the Apaches and willing to overlook a bragging and self-serving author.
The narrative is very unorganized. As an example, at the end of the book he’s pitching his idea for how America should treat the Apaches, and randomly inserts an anecdote about how his men were really good shots with their rifles. It has nothing whatsoever to do with anything else in the chapter, but he just can’t go very long without bragging about himself.
The author clearly exaggerates many of his stories. And he laughably contradicts himself, shaming people for taking advantage of the Apaches and treating them like they’re unintelligent, but then he turns around and plays tricks on them, like pretending to destroy and then restore the moon during a lunar eclipse.
The book is self-serving, in that he wished to get a lifetime appointment to a Bureau of Indian Affairs position, and he wanted his Apache dictionary to be published in the Smithsonian.
Only recommended for readers really interested in the Apaches and willing to overlook a bragging and self-serving author.
November 27, 2016
Being an Apache who is always interested in learning the history of my people and the land while also living in modern day Arizona, this account breathes life into my existing knowledge of the earth surrounding me and its peoples from long ago. When I look to the east mountains, I can envision the battles and marches that took place in the Dragoons. When I look to the northeast, I feel the pains of those Apaches pushed into the region by the powerful Comanche. Each direction I turn I can feel the past come to life.
I truly appreciate the effort the author has put into this account of the Apaches. I appreciate his effort to perceive them as intelligent and clever humans and not merely savages. And with the latter good hearted tone of the author throughout the book, I am both surprised and confused as to his final assertion that the Apache should be eradicated...?
I truly appreciate the effort the author has put into this account of the Apaches. I appreciate his effort to perceive them as intelligent and clever humans and not merely savages. And with the latter good hearted tone of the author throughout the book, I am both surprised and confused as to his final assertion that the Apache should be eradicated...?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2020
This book is as revealing about late 19th century Frontier European-Americans as about the Apache. The author transitions from undisguised disgust of the Apache, to obsequious admiration, and back to advocating for their total destruction as unrepentant scoundrels. If you can get beyond the author's interpretations of what motivates the Apaches' way of life (e.g. Cremony's assertion that every seemingly altruistic act by an Apache is performed with the cycnical expectation of future gain from that act - which is probably true of most every people and culture), to focus on his actual descriptions of that way of life, a lot can be learned about the Apache in that time period.
July 25, 2024
Not quite what I expected. Given the title, I expected John Cremony to be living among the Apaches and learning from them and adopting their ways. However, John wrote it from his military perspective while being assigned to the Arizona and New Mexico territories and encountering the Apaches on a regular basis.
John provides a great amount of detail about the life of the Apaches that should have been taken to heart by more of the American government. Alas, that didn't happen. Still, it's a great look into the life of the Apache.
The Kindle version is not formatted with on screen page numbers/minutes left in chapter.
John provides a great amount of detail about the life of the Apaches that should have been taken to heart by more of the American government. Alas, that didn't happen. Still, it's a great look into the life of the Apache.
The Kindle version is not formatted with on screen page numbers/minutes left in chapter.
November 2, 2025
An important history of the Indian Wars. Cremony definitely looks at the world through western eyes, that is, through a culture that has been affected by the Gospel. He is willing to treat people and particular tribes individually and not to unilaterally side everyone up as whites and Indians. He recognizes the evil that some white people have done that he was involved in and the good of some Indians. He also recognizes that some tribes, taken as a whole, were better or worse based upon their violence and honesty. Anyone who wants to understand the American Frontier better should look into this primary account.
September 24, 2017
This is an excellent book if you have more than a passing interest in the Apaches as a nation and individual characteristics. The way this country treated them was and is deplorable. The similarities between our actions as a country then and more recently in Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq (to name just a few) is stunning. The observations of the U.S. Calvary officer, author of the book, were true to life and to this reader, spot on. I believe in fairness and it is about time that the United States applies that concept.
December 9, 2016
A very enlightening read about the western US during the time of the Apaches.
This book was written in the late 1800's and tells of the war with the various tribes of the Apache. The author was an officer in the CA army and was very active in his duties. I found the book a much more authentic description of the government's ineffective handling of the countries native people. the author ended his book with his take on how it needed change and why we were so long.
This book was written in the late 1800's and tells of the war with the various tribes of the Apache. The author was an officer in the CA army and was very active in his duties. I found the book a much more authentic description of the government's ineffective handling of the countries native people. the author ended his book with his take on how it needed change and why we were so long.
January 14, 2026
Published in 1868, so expect the era's racism*, parochialism, and pseudoscience. That's not to say that his anecdotes and observations can't be gleaned for useful information, but it's probably better as literature than history, much less anthropology.
*Get used to the word "savage."
*Get used to the word "savage."
December 17, 2016
Excellent
Will give you insights you will not get in school! First hand experience , until you have it you will never learn.
Will give you insights you will not get in school! First hand experience , until you have it you will never learn.
April 2, 2024
Picked this book up after Louis recommended it in his book, Education of a Wandering Man. John Cremony lived an exciting life!
May 29, 2024
Dated, of course, but still relevant as to US treatment with the tribes. I represented the White Mountain Apache Tribe for a number of years. Great people.
August 12, 2026
A good mix of education/historical vs dime novel action adventure.
November 2, 2016
Absolutely fascinating to read after lifetime of predjudice
As a 79 yr old born and raised close by, I learned so much from this document that resides in the Smithsonian. As a child my sister was not allowed to go alone down the streets of Stafford, arizona for fear 'the apache would get her.' Have come appreciate many aspects of their character like never before.
As a 79 yr old born and raised close by, I learned so much from this document that resides in the Smithsonian. As a child my sister was not allowed to go alone down the streets of Stafford, arizona for fear 'the apache would get her.' Have come appreciate many aspects of their character like never before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews