“When God made the world he gave one part to the white man and another to the Apache.  Why was it?  Why did they come together? …  The white people have looked for me long.  I am here!  What do they want?  They have looked for me long; why am I worth so much?”         -Cochise, statement made during peace talk in 1866.
Cochise was born about 1812 in the area of southeastern New Mexico.   He grew up when his people and the Mexicans got along, but when he got older the peace started to fade away from them and the Mexicans.
Cochise was a tall man, fully six feet tall, as straight as an arrow, and well proportioned.  He had the typical Indian face, rather long, high cheekbones, clear keen eyes, and a Roman nose.  His hair was straight black with just a touch of silver.  He carried himself at all times with great dignity, and was always treated with the utmost respect by those around him.
Cochise became the chief of the Chiricahua Apaches after his uncle, Mangas Coloradas, died.  Being chief, Cochise was in charge of his people's safety, food, clothing, weapons, and transportation.  Cochise and his uncle both hated the Americans because both were betrayed by them.  Cochise also hated the Mexicans very much and he fought against them everyday like it was a way of life.
Cochise and the Bascom Affairs
The Bascom Affairs started when a group of Coyotero Apache Indians raided John Ward’s ranch. They ran off twenty of his cattle and kidnapped his mistress’12-year old, red haired and one-eyed son, Mickey Free.  John Ward blamed the raid on the Chiricahua Apache, specifically Cochise’s band of Chokonens, not knowing who it really was. 
The next morning, Morrison sent Bascom eastward toward the Apache Pass.  He gave Bascom a force of 54 inexperienced mounted troops, plus an interpreter.  John Ward Rode with this party.
Cochise was unaware of the raid at Ward’s ranch and of the approach of Bascom’s forces.  Cochise had taken winter camp with his Chokonen band in the north end of the Chiricahua Mountains, close to Apache Pass.
Bascom sent word to Cochise’s rancheria, wanting to have a parley with him.  Bascom then moved his troops about a mile back from the town he was at.  He then waited for cochise to come setting up camp for the day.  Cochise finally came bringing three warriors (all closely related), his wife, and two of his children.  He didn’t think anything of this meeting; he just thought that Bascom was passing by on a normal patrol to the east.
While they were in the tent, John Ward gave a signal to Bascoms troops and they all surrounded the tent.  Once Bascom noticed that they were in place, he started to interrogate Cochise about Mickey Free and the cattle.  Cochise realized that Bascom wasn’t just passing by but came to demand the return of the boy and cattle.  Bascom said that he would hold Cochise and everybody else there until they were returned. 
As quick as lightning, Cochise grabbed a knife from its case, cut through the side of the tent, and ran for it.  Bascom’s inexperienced troops were not prepared for this and were startled.  As Cochise ran, the troops gathered their wits and started to shoot at him.  Only on bullet managed to actually hit him inflicting a minor wound.  Bascom still held Cochise’s family members, now hostages. 
That event was later known to the Apache Indians as, “Cut Through the Tent”.
Bascom and Cochise met again the next two mornings to negotiate.  Both times they asked Bascom asked for the child and the cattle, and Cochise asked for his family back.  After each of the meetings they were ended by gunfire throughout the day.
Cochise’s people captured a stagecoach drive named Wallace.  Bascom sent for more reinforcements.
The next day after that, Cochise struck a wagon train.  He took all of the animals and burned the wagons. He tortured and killed nine hated Mexicans and captured three Americans.  Before he had attacked the train he had sent the women and children deeper into the Chiricahua Mountains, and received more warriors from other Chiricahua bands.
The night after that, the Apaches danced around fires, getting ready for a battle the next day.
On February 8 1861, Cochise struck at Apache Springs, driving off all of Bascoms animals and both giving and getting casualties.
Cochise withdrew back into the mountains, not seeing anymore hope for a negotiation.  He gave up the thought of ever seeing his wife and children again.  Then he tortured and killed his four American captives, leaving their bodies by a tree to decay.
Realizing that Cochise had given up the fight and dispersed into the mountains, Bascom assigned a small group to guard the stagecoach station, then him and the rest of his men went back west towards their home forts.  Bascom released Coshise's wife and children, but hung the six captive warriors.  The bodies swung on their ropes for months, decaying.  They hung them on the tree that they had found the four Americans Cochise had killed.  The Apaches never went to get the bodies because they were very afraid of the dead and didn't want to go near them
Afterwards
After the Bascom Affair, Cochise hadn't met with any Americans until 1869, when they came to him in the Dragoon Mountains.  He wanted peace, but he wasn't going to go near any military posts.
That fall his people fought in two major battles in the Chiricahua Mountains. These battles were against troops from Fort Bowie.  These battles cost the lives of many Chokonens.  Soon after that, Cochise sent word to the Apache Indian agent in New Mexico wanting to discuss a truce once he was convinced that the Americans had good faith.
Cochise reiterated his desire for a truce with the Americans saying, "If the government talks straight, I want a good peace."
After staying in a reservation for about a month, Cochise left to round up more members of his band.  After awhile he went back to Canada Alomosa and stayed until late March 1872,when the government relocated the agency to Tularosa.  When that happened, he returned to the Dragoon Mountains in Arizona, where General Howard met him and consummated a treaty. Cochise kept that treaty until his death.
Cochise died on June 8, 1874 in the Dragoon Mountains.  For his death ceremony, his closest relatives dressed and painted his body for war.  His people carried his body in procession to a crevice in the Dragoon Mountains, and buried him in secrecy with his horse, dog, and weapons.
Cochise was known as a great warrior.  One American frontiersman consisted that Cochise, "never met his equal with a lance"; another said that no Apache, "can draw an arrow to the head and send it farther with more ease than him."
Mickey Free never saw his mom or dad again, growing up with the Coyotero Apache Indians.  He was one of the few that could fluently speak Spanish, English, and Apache.  He later became one of the valued scouts of the army.  He died in 1915 on the Apache reservation in southeastern Arizona.
Luke Froelich
Rossville Jr. High
2002 Plains Project
Bibliography