Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexican–American War in 1846, the United States inherited conflicted territory from Mexico which was the home of both settlers and Apache tribes. Conflicts continued as white colonizers came into traditional Apache lands to raise livestock and crops and to mine minerals.
| Apache War | |||||||
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| Part of the American Indian Wars | |||||||
A Dash for the Timber, 1889, by Frederic Remington | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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United States Confederate States (1861–1865) |
Apache allies:
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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John Davidson Granville H. Oury Thomas J. Mastin † |
Flechas Rayada Chacon Black Knife † Mangas Coloradas † Iron Shirt † Cochise Francisco Juh Delshay Victorio † Nanni Chaddi † Na tio tish † Geronimo Chatto Apache Kid Massai Little Wolf (Mescalero) Te-He-Nan † Nana # Saguaro Coronado † Santos Red Dog | ||||||
The U.S. Army established forts to fight Apache tribal war parties and force Apaches to move to designated Indian reservations created by the U.S. in accordance with the Indian Removal Act. Some reservations were not on the traditional areas occupied by the Apache. In 1886, the U.S. Army put over 5,000 soldiers in the field to fight, which resulted in the surrender of Geronimo and 30 of his followers. This is generally considered the end of the Apache Wars, although conflicts continued between citizens and Apaches. The Confederate Army briefly participated in the wars during the early 1860s in Texas, before being diverted to action in the American Civil War in New Mexico and Arizona.