After years of resistance, the infamous Apache leader Geronimo finally laid down his arms and surrendered to American troops. Geronimo was considered one of the last major leaders still resisting the Americans in the wild west so his surrender marked an end to major resistance. General Nelson A. Miles, the commanding general overseeing the campaign against Geronimo, wrote a letter that detailed this surrender.
Letter Outlining the Surrender
As the US expanded its influence across the Great Plains and the West Coast, they encountered resistance from the native tribes already living there, in particular, he apaches were fearsome fighters who battled the US every step of the way. They had long wished to protect their way of life and saw American expansion as a threat to that.
Among the Apache leaders, one of the greatest was Geronimo who had escaped the newly established reservations multiple times and led his people across the Southwest, waging a guerrilla war against both the US and Mexico. For several years, he would continue to resist them, launching raids and hit-and-run attacks against them. and proved quite successful, Geronimo eventually realized that continued resistance was unsustainable and tried to resist.
On September 4, 1886, Geronimo approached General Nelson A. Miles in Arizona along with a small band of Apache warriors. There he negotiated the surrender of his people with his only condition being that he and his followers be allowed to live out their days in peace. Nelson accepted this term and this marked the end of the Apache Wars. Geronimo would eventually be sent to Alabama where he would spend the rest of his days.
This period was a time of great change in the Americas. Down south, the locals also clamored for Independence and eventually began their resistance that ended with the Declaration of Gran Colombia.
Below are some experts that supposedly came from General Nelson, reporting Geronimo’s surrender.
“I have the honor to report that on the 4th of September, 1886, Geronimo and his band of renegades, consisting of sixteen men, fourteen women, and six boys, surrendered to me in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. This ends the long and bloody struggle with these Indians, who for years have terrorized the frontier with their raids and depredations.”
Nelson A. Miles, Former American General.
“This will terminate all Indian hostilities in the southwest, and bring peace and security to the settlers of Arizona and New Mexico. The Apaches, after years of resistance, are now prisoners of war, and I have forwarded them under proper guard as ordered.
I trust that this decisive step will allow for the rapid development and settlement of the region, which has long suffered from Indian raids and violence.”
-Nelson A. Miles, Former American General.
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