The Chiricahua Apache prisoners of war

by John Anthony Turcheneske

A significant but often forgotten chapter in U.S. government and Native American relations is the twenty-seven-year period of captivity endured by the Chiricahua Apaches following Geronimo's final surrender. Nearly four hundred Chiricahuas were uprooted and exiled from their San Carlos, Arizona home, where they ended up being held hostage by conflicting interests of the War Department, Interior Department, as well as southwestern economic and political expediency. The Chiricahua Apache Prisoners of War is the first book of its kind to explore in depth this segment of the Chiricahuas history following Geronimo's surrender, including the campaign for their release from military custody, their efforts to retain Fort Sill as their permanent home and the conflicting interests who competed to resolve the Indians status. It will be of great interest to scholars in the fields of Native American studies, military studies, and western history.