Apache Warrior 1860–86

Osprey Warrior #172

by Robert N. Watt

Focusing on the Chiricahua Apache, led by such famous warriors as Cochise Mangas Coloradas, Victorio, Nana and Geronimo, this book strips away the myths behind the history of some of the feared opponents of the US Army in the southwest United States. It explains how their upbringing, training and culture equipped them uniquely for survival in the harsh environment of New Mexico and Arizona and enabled them to fight off their Mexican and American enemies for so long.

For decades legendary Apaches like Victorio and Geronimo led resistance in the desert Southwest that defied the firepower of the post Civil War US Army. The Apache warrior evokes a number of images; endurance, elusive cunning, ferocity, and cruelty. These are images prevalent both during the Apache Wars of the 1860s to the 1880s and are, to some extent, still believed today. General George Crook described them as "Human Tigers."

Genres: History

64 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2014

About the author

Dr Robert Watt is a lecturer at the University of Birmingham where he teaches a course on the Indian Wars for the History Department. He has previously published a number of articles for American history journals on both the Apaches and their campaigns throughout the 19th century and has travelled widely throughout Arizona and Mexico researching the subject.