T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed Sterling Point Books: Geronimo: Wolf of the Warpath (Sterling Point Books) on + 323 more book reviews
This volume was definitely one of the most well-written of the series I have read so far, and, despite some "dated" terms, treated its subject with far greater respect than many of the other books in the series I've encountered. That's perhaps not surprising, considering its well-known author, who has penned 17 novels and autobiographies about the American West, despite being born in the east. He grew up in Colorado, actually, apparently hearing stories about the Old West in childhood and beyond. His most famous books include the "Little Britches" series, but he also wrote a book on Seabiscuit and the riders of the Pony Express.
The subject of this capable offering was the incomparable Goyaale, AKA "Geronimo," although that latter moniker was given to him later in life, reportedly derived from a petition for aid from St. Jerome by Mexican soldiers, although the truth of this account is somewhat disputed. Geronimo was one of the few famous renegade indigenous people to live to old age. He subsequently became one of the most renowned somewhat-folk heroes in US history - a symbol of freedom and the unconquerable American spirit to some, but a villain and a vicious murderer to others. He was thus arguably the most famous Native American to have ever lived, and his is still something of a household name, but, sadly, not nearly to the degree that it was in previous generations.
Much of the information known about him was apparently based on Geronimo's autobiography, and information he provided about himself after his final surrender. In 1905, Geronimo recounted his life story to a superintendent of education in Lawton, OK, but refused to answer any questions, and essentially dictated a prepared narrative given in Spanish. Many have thus called into question the veracity of his self-reported exploits, including of his formative years - as the book notes, it was common to embellish one's own deeds, which he apparently had a talent for, even in childhood.
This admittedly-astonishing man was apparently something of a prodigy from early childhood, as the book notes. Born in 1829, prior to the massive westward expansion which would come in subsequent decades, in southern Arizona, it seems that much of his early life was heavily shaped by his warrior father, the son of a great chief in his own right. Even his own people recognized Geronimo's fierceness, prodigious memory - and ruthless ambition. According to his own account, he was envied and hated by many of his boyhood peers, even though he often led them to greatness. The book notes the story of how he "purchased" his first wife, after a seemingly-impossible raid which resulted in the looting of 50 horses to pay her bride price, more than twice what her father had demanded. Alope was apparently the first of NINE wives, however. Two of his known children included Chappo and Dohn-say; a woman named Azul was his last wife.
The book does an admirable job of describing Geronimo's many exploits with more or less accuracy, noting in particular his indomitable spirit and his unmatched ability to persevere under unimaginable conditions. He also excelled at learning the ways of his enemies, and became adept at setting traps and ambushes for even experienced and formally-educated and trained soldiers, and then escaping without a trace into the rugged terrain he had known since boyhood. He was also a skilled politician, even among his own people, which earned him admiration from some, and occasionally fear and loathing by his adversaries and rivals, even among his own tribe. In fact, that may have ultimately proved his eventual undoing.
Unfortunately, however, Geronimo is also known for unprecedented cruelty and shocking savagery and butchery of men, women and children, which he wrought on civilians who were caught up in his campaigns. The Apache had been raiding Mexican settlements for decades before they turned to the American ones, but the raids often initially, at least, simply entailed the theft of horses and cattle. Geronimo's attack on Mexican settlements intensified in both frequency and atrocity with the slaying of his wife and three young children by a company of 400 Mexican soldiers in 1851.
The book doesn't note much about what Geronimo's life was like after he was shipped away from his homeland, along with many of his people. After multiple escapes, he finally realized, about age 50, that it was useless to continue to resist: almost all of his people had surrendered and were living on government reservations, and had no desire to do otherwise. They had no wish to continue to war against the US and Mexican governments, seeing the misery and death it had brought them, and wanted to live in peace while being supplied with provisions from the government. Sentiment had thus turned against Geronimo and his renegades for making life more difficult for them with his continued attacks on and pillaging of civilian settlements.
Finally, after many twists, turns and escapes, Geronimo surrendered and was shipped off, ironically, along with the very scouts who had helped to track him and his renegade band down, as prisoners to San Antonio, Texas, where they remained for about six weeks, and then on to Pensacola, Florida. His family was sent to St. Augustine. The mass deportation resulted in the deaths of many of the exiles. Hundreds of the reservation children were also shipped off to an "industrial school" in Pennsylvania, where more than a third died from tuberculosis. The remaining Chihuahua Apache were held at an army facility in Alabama, where about another quarter of the population died of tuberculosis. Those who remained were then relocated to Fort Sill, OK, in 1894.
Geronimo was given a land grant there where he became a farmer, but, ever the shrewd trader and "entrepreneur," realized that his renown could make him a far greater return than farming, so he went as a part of a delegation to an international exposition in Omaha, Nebraska. As a result of his somewhat-surprising popularity, he remained in demand as an attraction at many fairs, including the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, NY, in 1901, and the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, but he always appeared under guard. He also featured in a Wild West show for a time, and even in Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 Inaugural Parade, where he rode on horseback down Pennsylvania Avenue with five chiefs in full headgear and ceremonial regalia. Geronimo reportedly later met with President Roosevelt, requesting that his people at Fort Sill be pardoned and their status as prisoners of war revoked, so they could be allowed to return to Arizona, a request which Roosevelt refused.
As the book notes, Geronimo's later years did not enjoy the dignity and respect that he had so commanded in his early years. He was often seen as little more than a tourist attraction, although it did make him fairly wealthy. Unfortunately, he used much of it to indulge in his drinking habit. He died at age 79 after falling from his horse in February, 1909, after he lay until he was found by a friend. He died of pneumonia several days later, still retaining the status of a prisoner at Fort Sill. He reportedly stated to his nephew, with his last words, that he should never have surrendered, and should have fought until he was the last left alive. He is now buried at Fort Sill in the Apache Cemetery.
Geronimo's mighty legacy continues, however, in his descendants: his great-great-grandson Harlyn Geronimo reportedly lived and taught the Apache language at the Mescalero Reservation in southern New Mexico until his death in 2020. Geronimo has three towns named after him, in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as the SS Geronimo, a WWII ship. He is also featured on a postage stamp, issued in 1994. His likeness has featured in multiple films and serials, so his legacy is likely to continue, although hopefully in a more respectful manner in the modern day than he has been represented in the past. This book is written from a surprisingly respectful perspective, which is somewhat surprising considering the time period (1958), when indigenous people were often caricatured in both film and TV shows of the day, which saw something of a golden age of Westerns. This is perhaps because the author had a genuine affinity for his subject, and, despite the havoc and misery Geronimo brought to many, writes of him with genuine admiration.
The subject of this capable offering was the incomparable Goyaale, AKA "Geronimo," although that latter moniker was given to him later in life, reportedly derived from a petition for aid from St. Jerome by Mexican soldiers, although the truth of this account is somewhat disputed. Geronimo was one of the few famous renegade indigenous people to live to old age. He subsequently became one of the most renowned somewhat-folk heroes in US history - a symbol of freedom and the unconquerable American spirit to some, but a villain and a vicious murderer to others. He was thus arguably the most famous Native American to have ever lived, and his is still something of a household name, but, sadly, not nearly to the degree that it was in previous generations.
Much of the information known about him was apparently based on Geronimo's autobiography, and information he provided about himself after his final surrender. In 1905, Geronimo recounted his life story to a superintendent of education in Lawton, OK, but refused to answer any questions, and essentially dictated a prepared narrative given in Spanish. Many have thus called into question the veracity of his self-reported exploits, including of his formative years - as the book notes, it was common to embellish one's own deeds, which he apparently had a talent for, even in childhood.
This admittedly-astonishing man was apparently something of a prodigy from early childhood, as the book notes. Born in 1829, prior to the massive westward expansion which would come in subsequent decades, in southern Arizona, it seems that much of his early life was heavily shaped by his warrior father, the son of a great chief in his own right. Even his own people recognized Geronimo's fierceness, prodigious memory - and ruthless ambition. According to his own account, he was envied and hated by many of his boyhood peers, even though he often led them to greatness. The book notes the story of how he "purchased" his first wife, after a seemingly-impossible raid which resulted in the looting of 50 horses to pay her bride price, more than twice what her father had demanded. Alope was apparently the first of NINE wives, however. Two of his known children included Chappo and Dohn-say; a woman named Azul was his last wife.
The book does an admirable job of describing Geronimo's many exploits with more or less accuracy, noting in particular his indomitable spirit and his unmatched ability to persevere under unimaginable conditions. He also excelled at learning the ways of his enemies, and became adept at setting traps and ambushes for even experienced and formally-educated and trained soldiers, and then escaping without a trace into the rugged terrain he had known since boyhood. He was also a skilled politician, even among his own people, which earned him admiration from some, and occasionally fear and loathing by his adversaries and rivals, even among his own tribe. In fact, that may have ultimately proved his eventual undoing.
Unfortunately, however, Geronimo is also known for unprecedented cruelty and shocking savagery and butchery of men, women and children, which he wrought on civilians who were caught up in his campaigns. The Apache had been raiding Mexican settlements for decades before they turned to the American ones, but the raids often initially, at least, simply entailed the theft of horses and cattle. Geronimo's attack on Mexican settlements intensified in both frequency and atrocity with the slaying of his wife and three young children by a company of 400 Mexican soldiers in 1851.
The book doesn't note much about what Geronimo's life was like after he was shipped away from his homeland, along with many of his people. After multiple escapes, he finally realized, about age 50, that it was useless to continue to resist: almost all of his people had surrendered and were living on government reservations, and had no desire to do otherwise. They had no wish to continue to war against the US and Mexican governments, seeing the misery and death it had brought them, and wanted to live in peace while being supplied with provisions from the government. Sentiment had thus turned against Geronimo and his renegades for making life more difficult for them with his continued attacks on and pillaging of civilian settlements.
Finally, after many twists, turns and escapes, Geronimo surrendered and was shipped off, ironically, along with the very scouts who had helped to track him and his renegade band down, as prisoners to San Antonio, Texas, where they remained for about six weeks, and then on to Pensacola, Florida. His family was sent to St. Augustine. The mass deportation resulted in the deaths of many of the exiles. Hundreds of the reservation children were also shipped off to an "industrial school" in Pennsylvania, where more than a third died from tuberculosis. The remaining Chihuahua Apache were held at an army facility in Alabama, where about another quarter of the population died of tuberculosis. Those who remained were then relocated to Fort Sill, OK, in 1894.
Geronimo was given a land grant there where he became a farmer, but, ever the shrewd trader and "entrepreneur," realized that his renown could make him a far greater return than farming, so he went as a part of a delegation to an international exposition in Omaha, Nebraska. As a result of his somewhat-surprising popularity, he remained in demand as an attraction at many fairs, including the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, NY, in 1901, and the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, but he always appeared under guard. He also featured in a Wild West show for a time, and even in Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 Inaugural Parade, where he rode on horseback down Pennsylvania Avenue with five chiefs in full headgear and ceremonial regalia. Geronimo reportedly later met with President Roosevelt, requesting that his people at Fort Sill be pardoned and their status as prisoners of war revoked, so they could be allowed to return to Arizona, a request which Roosevelt refused.
As the book notes, Geronimo's later years did not enjoy the dignity and respect that he had so commanded in his early years. He was often seen as little more than a tourist attraction, although it did make him fairly wealthy. Unfortunately, he used much of it to indulge in his drinking habit. He died at age 79 after falling from his horse in February, 1909, after he lay until he was found by a friend. He died of pneumonia several days later, still retaining the status of a prisoner at Fort Sill. He reportedly stated to his nephew, with his last words, that he should never have surrendered, and should have fought until he was the last left alive. He is now buried at Fort Sill in the Apache Cemetery.
Geronimo's mighty legacy continues, however, in his descendants: his great-great-grandson Harlyn Geronimo reportedly lived and taught the Apache language at the Mescalero Reservation in southern New Mexico until his death in 2020. Geronimo has three towns named after him, in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as the SS Geronimo, a WWII ship. He is also featured on a postage stamp, issued in 1994. His likeness has featured in multiple films and serials, so his legacy is likely to continue, although hopefully in a more respectful manner in the modern day than he has been represented in the past. This book is written from a surprisingly respectful perspective, which is somewhat surprising considering the time period (1958), when indigenous people were often caricatured in both film and TV shows of the day, which saw something of a golden age of Westerns. This is perhaps because the author had a genuine affinity for his subject, and, despite the havoc and misery Geronimo brought to many, writes of him with genuine admiration.
