(By LIEUTENANT CHARLES B. GATEWOOD, 6th U. S. Cavalry.)
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| Kayitah and Martine |
Our party was organized at Fort Bowie, Arizona: the two Indians ; George Wratten, interpreter ; Frank Huston, packer, and myself. Later, "Old Tex" Whaley, a rancher, was hired as courier. We were furnished with the necessary riding and pack mules ; but upon mention of our twenty-five soldiers, the commanding officer showed so little desire to part with so large a portion of his command that we forbore to insist. Whereupon he seemed much relieved and promised cordially that my escort should be supplied from the command of Captain Stretch, south of us at Cloverdale near the Mexican line.
We set out, and in three days arrived at Cloverdale. There we found that a company of infantry at very reduced strength, ten broken-down horses and a six-mule team comprised the whole outfit. Captain Stretch having been my instructor at West Point, it did not seem right that I should rob him of his whole command. Instead, we merely accepted his invitation to dinner, and then journeyed on into Mexico.
Soon after crossing the line, we fell in with a troop of the Fourth Cavalry under Lieutenant James Parker, with Infantry detachments under Lieutenants Richardson and Bullard, a total of some thirty to forty men—again too few to furnish my escort without disrupting the command. We went on together to Carretas, Mexico, and, as Parker had no news of the hostiles, I waited there five days with him, for news and to recuperate from old injuries revived by the ride from Bowie.
I decided to get in touch with the command of Captain Lawton, who had excellent facilities for gathering information, in the hope that he knew where the hostiles were. We started out, accompanied by Parker's command, and on August 3rd arrived in Lawton 's camp on the Arros River, high up in the Sierra Madre Mountains, some two hundred and fifty miles by trail below the border. Lawton had no information of the hostiles' whereabouts, nor any news of them within two weeks. Having no escort—which I should of course have taken from Bowie —I put myself under Lawton 's orders, with the distinct understanding, however, that when circumstances permitted I should be allowed to execute my mission. Parker with his command returned north.
While on the Arros River, news came that the hostiles were far to the northwest. We moved in that direction, and about the middle of August learned that Geronimo 's party was near Fronteras, Mexico, making some overtures to the Mexicans on the subject of surrender. My little party, with an escort of six men that Lawton gave me, left the command about two o'clock that morning and at night camped near Fronteras, having marched about eighty miles.
The next morning at Fronteras, we learned that two squaws from the hostile camp had been there with offers of peace to the Mexicans, and had departed, going east, with three extra ponies well laden with food and mescal, the strong drink of Mexico. Lieutenant Wilder, of our army, had talked with them in regard to their surrendering.
II
In the meantime, the Prefect of the district had secretly brought about two hundred Mexican soldiers into Fronteras and was planning to entice the Apaches there, get them drunk, and then kill all the men and enslave all the women and children.
Geronimo told me later that never for a moment had he intended surrendering to the Mexicans, but wished merely to deceive them for a while so that his band could rest, buy supplies and have a good drunk. The Prefect did not suspect that; and he was much annoyed at the presence of the American troops and tried to get them to leave; but, since the treaty between the two republics gave them the right to be there, his request availed him nothing. But he demanded that the Americans should not follow the squaws, with implied threats if we did.
Taking an escort of six or eight men that Wilder gave me from his troop, and Tom Horn and Jose Maria as additional interpreters, I started as though for Lawton 's camp, twenty miles or more to the south ; but after going about six miles we quickly darted up a convenient arroyo and circled around toward the north, so as to strike the trail of the squaws. We picked it up about six miles east of Fronteras. Then, from time to time, members of the escort were sent back to tell Lawton where the trail was leading.
Slowly and cautiously, with a piece, of flour sacking on a stick to the fore as a white flag, we followed the squaws for the next three days, over rough country full of likely places for ambush. By the third day the trail was very fresh ; and we found where it joined that of the main body. It entered the head of a narrow canyon, leading down to the Bavispe River about four miles away—a canyon so forbidding that our two Indians, who were ahead, stopped to consider the situation. Hung up in a bush just before us was a pair of faded canvas trousers, which might be a signal for us to go forward without fear, and again might not. Everybody gave a different opinion of what should be done, and we finally went on all together—an unwise formation—but that canyon proved to be harmless, and then I was sorry I had not been brave and gone ahead.
A few miles farther, we reached and crossed the Bavispe River, near its most northerly sweep where, after flowing north, it makes a wide bend and flows south. Here we made our camp for the night in a cane-brake just under a small, round hill that commanded the surrounding country for half a mile. With a sentinel on the hill, with the two Indians scouting the trail several miles beyond and with the hiding places the cane-brake afforded, we felt fairly safe ; though this peace commission business did not at all appeal to us. The white flag was high upon the stalk of a nearby century plant, but we all felt that it took more than any flag to make us bullet proof. As it turned out, Geronimo saw us all the time but never noticed the flag, though he had good field glasses; and he wondered greatly what fool small party it was dogging his footsteps.
About sundown that day Martine returned and reported that the hostiles occupied an exceedingly rocky position high up in the Torres Mountains in the bend of the Bavispe, some four miles from our camp. Both Indians had been there and had delivered General Miles' message; and Geronimo, keeping Kayitah with him, had sent back Martine to say that he would talk with me only, and that he was rather offended because I had not come straight into his camp myself. Knowing Geronimo, I had my opinion of that ; but Natchez, the real chief if there was any, sent word that we would be safe as long as we started no trouble, and he invited me to come up right away. His influence among the band being greater than any other, I felt much easier; especially since Lawton 's Scouts, thirty in number, under Lieutenant R. A. Brown, had arrived in camp, and Lawton, with the rest of his command, was supposed to be near. It was too late to visit the hostiles' camp that night, so we remained in the canebrake.
III
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| Geronimo |
It took but a minute to say,
"Surrender, and you will be sent with your families to Florida, there to await the decision of the President as to your final disposition. Accept these terms or fight it out to the bitter end."
A silence of weeks seemed to fall on the party. They sat there with never a movement, regarding me intently. I felt the strain. Finally, Geronimo passed a hand across his eyes, then held both hands before him making them tremble and asked me for a drink.
"We have been on a three days' drunk with the liquor the Mexicans sent us from Fronteras," he said. "But our spree passed off without a single fight, as you can see by looking at the men in this circle, all of whom you know. There is much wine and mescal in Fronteras and the Mexicans and Americans are having a good time. We thought perhaps you had brought some with you."
I explained that we had left too hurriedly to bring any liquor, and he seemed satisfied. Then he proceeded to talk business. They would leave the war-path only on condition that they be allowed to return to their reservation, reoccupy their farms, be furnished with the usual rations, clothing and farming implements, and be guaranteed exemption from punishment. If I were empowered to grant these modest demands the war could end right there !
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| Nelson A. Miles |
When their caucus had adjourned it was noon, so we all had a bite to eat. After lunch we reassembled. Geronimo announced that they were willing to cede all of the southwest except their reservation, but that to expect them to give up everything, and to a nation of intruders, was too much ; they would move back on the little land they needed, or they would fight until the last one of them was dead.
"Take us to the reservation—or FIGHT!"
was his ultimatum as he looked me in the eye.I couldn't take him to the reservation; I couldn't fight; neither could I run, nor yet feel comfortable.
IV
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| Natchez & Wife |
Next morning there was still no pack-train, and we learned it had wandered off many miles on a wrong trail. But our Indian charges again saw to it that we did not go hungry. We reached Guadalupe Canyon on the boundary line. Some months previously the hostiles had killed three or four troopers of a detachment stationed here. Both parties started to go into camp near the springs which are the only water within several miles when, suddenly, our Indians, who had manifested uneasiness since their arrival, began to mount their ponies and leave camp, women and children going first. Then I learned that some of the command had become inflamed with angry desires for vengeance for the killing of their comrades and were proposing to attack the Indians. Lawton was temporarily absent. Seeing Geronimo going up the trail, I immediately rode after him; but out of the canyon they all took up a lively trot, and I had to gallop my mule to overtake the old man.
The troops having followed slowly without any hostile move, we came down to a walk. After some conversation, Geronimo asked me what I would do if the troops fired upon his people. I replied that I would try to stop it, but, failing that, would run away with him. Natchez, who had joined us, said,
"Better stay right with us lest some of our men believe you treacherous and kill you."
I cautioned them to keep the best possible look-out for any of the numerous bodies of troops in that region. We went a few miles farther, and, Lawton having returned, camped, but spent an uneasy night.
Through all this, as well as previously on several occasions, the Indians had been urging me to run away with them into the mountains near Fort Bowie, to get into communication with General Miles direct. But I knew the General was not at Bowie, and I feared that if I left them to locate him they might easily be attacked by one of our many columns or by the Mexicans and run out of the country; so I argued strongly against their plan.
Our troubles were not over, for the next day there was again some hot headed talk of killing Geronimo. Present conditions were difficult for me, if not impossible ; so I told Lawton I wished to join another command, that I had been ordered simply to deliver a message, and had done that and, more was not required. He stressed the necessity of my remaining, spoke of the "trouble" we would both be in if the Indians left, and wound up by saying that he would if necessary use force to keep me. I stayed.
VII
About the last of August, we arrived at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, and General Miles came September 3rd. Geronimo lost no time in being presented ; and the General confirmed the terms of surrender. Geronimo turned to me, smiled, and said in Apache,
"Good, you told the truth!"
Then he shook hands with General Miles and said that no matter what the others did he was going with him. But in the meantime, Natchez with most of the band was several miles out in the mountains, mourning for his brother who had gone back to Mexico a few days before for a favorite horse and who, he feared, had been killed. Since Natchez was the real chief, and Geronimo only his Secretary of State, his presence was necessary to complete the surrender. At Geronimo's suggestion, I took the interpreters and the two Scouts and accompanied him to Natchez' camp. There I explained to Natchez that the big chief, General Miles, had arrived and that, among the Whites, a family affair like a brother's absence was never allowed to interfere with official matters. He said that, although it was hard for him to come before he knew his brother's fate, he wished to avoid any seeming disrespect to the big chief and therefore would come at once. He gathered his people together, came in and was as much pleased with General Miles as was Geronimo
General Miles wanted to take the two leaders on ahead with him to Bowie, thus separating them from their band. But they were still very suspicious, or had been up to that time, and it required no little diplomacy to get them to consent, which they finally did. They made the trip in one day—the rest of us taking three.
The surrender of Geronimo and his band was complete !
From Bowie the Indians were sent to Florida, after a delay in Texas; and finally were removed to Alabama—for them a grimly suggestive name, for it means,
"Here We Rest."
(*Copy slightly condensed from the original manuscripts and notes.)
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