The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-10
THE STORY OF A CAMPAIGN
An Interesting Talk with Gen. Crook
About the Apaches.
The Cause of the War-Indian Methods of
Fighting-The Generals Method of
Governing the Red Man.
Interview in New York Herald.

Interview in New York Herald.
What was the direct cause of your late
campaign against the Apaches into Mexico?'
'In the month of March those Apaches
whom we now hold as prisoners, made raids
through Arizona, killing citizens depredat-
ing and committing all kinds of outrages to
such an extent that the entire country was
aroused and the people were SO incensed
that it was absolutely necessary that some
thing should be done. After they had spread
terror through the country, and had moved
further south | had information that they
were coming back to renew their raids, and,
of course there was only one way to stop
that, and that was to go down and meet
| them in their strongholds, because it is
/ impossible to catch a raiding party OF
page. 1 was satisfied they could not
| be brought into the reservation unless we
punished them, and 1 felt that if we could
not locate them from this side it would be
necessary to extend the expedition into Mex
leo, When l found they had gone so far
into Mexico, went to Sonora for the pur-
pose of having an understanding with the
Mexican authorities and did it upon my own
responsibility. We found the people kindly
disposed, and they assured us that they
would do everything in their power to assist
u.s. To fit out my expedition 1 got all the
pack mules 1 could raise in that country
about $50 l obtained two months rations
| to guard against any possible contingency,
| for did not want to stop at a critical mo-
ment for want of food. | knew about what
ffrra fla host hoA nd I lyaNt INV Nxx,tN
| force to the minimum, because l did not
wish to take along a larger number than L
! could transport rations for during the time
that | expected to be out All our supplies
| were transported on these pack mules. My
| force, including fifty packers whose duty it
was to look after the mules, was about 300.
This force hardly equaled the Apaches, be-
| cause fifty OF my men, the packers, were nom
| combatants, and not available. The hostiles
had 120 warriors, and lot of boys who could
| fight in tight place"
How was your force divided with respect
| to Indian scouts and soldiers?
II had AZ soldiers, 1913 Indians and so
| packers. but the latter do not include in
my fighting force"
What is the distance from the border to
! the rendezvous of the Apaches in the Sierre
| Madre mountains"
about two hundred miles, and one hun
bred miles from the railroad to the border"
"And it required how much time to march
| to the place where you discovered the
| Apaches?"
1--WE started from the border on the 1st of
May and arrived on the 10th of that month"
'What method of strategy did you adopt
in pursuing the savages?'
"Of course my plan OF fighting Indians is
first to locate them When located we make
forced marches and attack them. You can
not surprise them with a large command,
particularly in a mountainous region where
| = Ali,
miles of territory. When we got within
twenty or thirty miles of where they were
| located, | sent Captain Crawford in advance
with the Indian scouts, who carried with
them three days rations and blankets, which
were strapped to their backs, in order that
they might more readily climb precipices and
canyons, the mules and soldiers remaining
in the rear 1t was case of playing Indian
| on Mr.. Indian.
/ There is a great difference between fight
ing Indians and fighting white men. The
savages always get i'll position where they
will be shielded, and only fight when they
want to- and our soldiers are forced to fight
whether they want 10 or not, and these scouts
| know better how to surprise them than our
soldiers, for they are intelligent warriors and
take advantage of every little circumstance.
| Every Indian is general, and knows eX-
| actly what to do under any circumstances.
He knows which is the best position for him,
and how to take the enemy at disadvan-
| tage He is always, under all conditions,
| perfectly self-possessed, and there is an indi-
viduality about him at all times. The
soldier is mechanical, and part of great
machine, and thereby loses his individu-
atty. If there is a weak spot in our
line and a lot of Indian boys are in front of
us they will drop on that point and make as
| much out of it as a Caesar, Napoleon or Han
nibal could do, for they will do exactly
right, and that is all the best general in the
/ IL 10 Oh
shrewdest and best fighters in the world.
They will strip themselves and ascend a
| precipice like a cat, and they will do all this
! after making days march. During this eX
petition they danced through one night, to
| the discomfort of our soldiers, who were
| trying to sleep, marched all next day, and
! climbed places where a coyote would have
| trouble in getting. | have known them to
run suddenly on quail and kill it with a
stone and run down wounded ante
| lope. They are just as much
smarter than any other Indian as any
body could be. They have wonderfully
| good eyesight being able to follow trail on
a starlight night as well as | could in day
| light, Evidences of their proves are visible
all through that country and they and the
Mexicans have been fighting for hundreds of
years, and upon every hand are to be seen
| the remains of Pueblo settlements which
have evidently been wiped out by these In
dians and it is a tradition among the people
of that section that the Apache Is unconquer-
able. Yet they have wiped out every band
of Pueblo Indians, except the Moquis and
! Zunis, whom am satisfied are the same class
of people. | have seen these fellows ambus-
cade in place rs level as a floor.
There was a wagon train in 1871 going out
of Arizona into California, with an escort in
advance. The Indians saw them coming and
ambuscaded in the road which was perfectly
level, with here aud there clump of grass.
L Il al a.
dust over themselves and tied grass IN
their hair and were passed by the escort
unnoticed. After the escort was some dis
lance of, the Indians jumped up and cap