Dan L. Thrapp (1913–1994)

Amazing and Painful

The writing is done well enough, and the story is very interesting. It can be hard to read because of the horrors that the Native American peoples faced, Apache specifically in this book. It remains a fascinating window into a history that is largely glossed over by mainstream America.

Apacheria ran from the Colorado to the Rio Grande and beyond, from the great canyons of the North for a thousand miles into Mexico. Here, where the elusive, phantomlike Apache bands roamed, life was as harsh, cruel, and pitiless as the country itself. The conquest of Apacheria is an epic of heroism, mixed with chicanery, misunderstanding, and tragedy, on both sides.

The author’s account of this important segment of Western American history includes the Walapais War, an eyewitness report on show more the death of the gallant lieutenant Howard B. Cushing, the famous Camp Grant Massacre, General Crook’s offensive in Apacheria and his difficulties with General Miles, and the formidable Apache leaders, including Cochise, Delshay, Big Rump, Chunz, Chan-deisi, Victorio, and Geronimo. show less

I needed a book to explain the various US Army campaigns and reservation break-outs. This is it. The maps aren't all that good, but a road map of Arizona and New Mexico helped a great deal. This book also has a clear chronology.

The author interweaves the story of Victorio, an American Indian warrior, into the history of the Mimbrenos and their relationship with other Apache bands.