"Written like fine historical fiction, but substantial, substantive, enlightening." - Kirkus Reviews Geronimo and General George Crook were born to destroy one another. Their bitter struggle during the Apache wars - the last and longest-running of the North American Indian wars - was one of the most dramatic confrontations in the history of the American West. Geronimo, an Apache shaman, rose to power by making a religion of revenge, and fought long past hope and reason to become the whites' most hated foe and a romanticized symbol of Native American resistance. Crook, the nation's most successful Indian fighter, with his paradoxical combination of deep sympathy for the plight of the Apache and a relentless hatred for them, became both the Apache's best friend and their worst nightmare. In this riveting dual biography of Geronimo and Crook, Peter Aleshire brilliantly illuminates their legendary battle of wills and provides a fresh angle on one of the most enduring chapters in the history of the American West. Peter Aleshire (Phoenix, AZ) is a senior lecturer in the Department of American Studies at Arizona State University, West Campus.
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE. Geronimo: The Price of Power. Crook: The Cost of Duty (1890). EARLY CONFLICTS (1828-1861). Geronimo: The Making of a Warrior (1827-1850). Crook: Early Years (1828-1861). TAKING COMMAND (1861-1871). Geronimo: The Unquenched Flame (1851-1861). Crook: The Politics of Death (1861-1871). Geronimo: The Americans Return (1861-1871). A FIGHT TO THE DEATH (1871-1883). Crook: The Coming of the Fox (1871-1875). Geronimo: Making Peace with the White Eyes (1871-1883). Crook: Fighting the Sioux (1875-1883). THE FOX FACES THE WHIRLWIND (1883-1909). Geronimo: The Last Days of a Free People (1883). Crook: A Bold Gamble (1883). Geronimo: Return to the Reservation (1884-1886). Crook: Confrontation with an Old Foe (1886). Geronimo: The Triumph of Fear (1886). Crook: Geronimo, Geronimo, Always Geronimo (1886). Geronimo: The Final Surrender (1886). Crook: To Redeem His Honor (1886-1890). Geronimo: A Long Time in a Cage (1886-1909). Notes. Bibliography. Index.
Author Biography
PETER ALESHIRE is senior lecturer in the Department of American Studies at Arizona State University, West Campus, and the author of Cochise: The Life and Times of the Great Apache Chief and Reaping the Whirlwind, a history of the Apache Wars. He is also a contributing editor to Phoenix Magazine and writes for Arizona Highways and other publications. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
