Editing Apache Wars (section)

===Geronimo campaign===
[[File:Geronimo 17apr1886.jpg|thumb|Geronimo, before meeting General Crook on March 27, 1886.]]
After two decades of guerrilla warfare, Cochise chose to make peace with the U.S.  He agreed to relocate his people to a reservation in the [[Chiricahua Mountains]]. Soon afterward in 1874, Cochise died. In a change of policy, the U.S. government decided to move the Chiricahua to the San Carlos reservation in 1876.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} Half complied and the other half, led by Geronimo, escaped to Mexico. In the spring of 1877, the U.S. captured Geronimo and brought him to the San Carlos reservation. He stayed there until September 1881. As soldiers gathered near the reservation, he feared being imprisoned for previous activities. He fled the reservation with 700 Apache and went to Mexico again.

On April 19, 1882, Chiricahua chief Juh attacked the San Carlos reservation and forced Chief Loco to break out. During the hostilities, Juh's warriors killed the chief of police Albert D. Sterling, along with Sagotal, an Apache policeman. Juh led Loco and up to 700 other Apaches back to Mexico.

In the spring of 1883, General [[George Crook]] was put in charge of the Arizona and New Mexico Indian reservations. With 200 [[Apache Scouts]], he journeyed to Mexico, found Geronimo's camp, and with [[Tom Horn]] as his interpreter, persuaded Geronimo and his people to return to the San Carlos reservation. Chiefs Bonito, Loco, and Nana came with Crook at the time. Juh remained in Mexico where he died accidentally in November. Geronimo did not come until February 1884. Crook instituted several reforms on the reservation, but local newspapers criticized him for being too lenient with the Apache; newspapers of the time demonized Geronimo. On May 17, 1885, Geronimo escaped again to Mexico. Geronimo and his party killed dozens of people during the [[Raid on Bear Valley|Bear Valley Raid]] and similar attacks.

In the spring of 1886, Crook went after Geronimo and caught up with him just over the Mexico border in March. Geronimo and his group fled, and Crook could not catch them. The [[United States Department of War|War Department]] reprimanded Crook for the failure, and he resigned. He was replaced by Brigadier General [[Nelson A. Miles|Nelson Miles]] in April 1886. Miles deployed over two dozen [[heliograph]] points to coordinate 5,000 soldiers, 500 Apache Scouts, 100 [[Navajo Scouts]], and thousands of civilian militia men against Geronimo and his 24 warriors. Lieutenant. [[Charles B. Gatewood]] and his Apache Scouts found Geronimo in [[Skeleton Canyon]] in September 1886 and persuaded them to surrender to Miles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Geronimo |url=https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/geronimo |website=History |publisher=A&E Television Networks |access-date=2 December 2019}}</ref>

An 1887 letter from Charles Winters from Troop D of the [[6th Cavalry Regiment]] describes a soldier's experiences during the Apache Wars in New Mexico:<blockquote>Dear Friend!

I will now take and write to you a few lines, to let you know that I am yet alive, and doing well. I joint [sic] the Army in January, 86 and had a good fight with Geronimo and his Indians. I also had two hard fights, where i came very near getting killed, but i got true [sic] alright. I was made Corporal when i first enlisted, but have now got high enough to be in Charge of Troop D. 6th U.S. Cavalry and it requires a good man for to get that office, and that is more than i expected. Charley White from Cranbury came out with me and got in the same Troop with me, and I sent him with twenty more men out on a Scout after Indians and Charley was lucky enough to be shot down by Indians the first day, and only three of my men returned. I was very sorry but it could not be helped.

The Territory of New Mexico is a very nice place never no Winter and lots of Gold and Silver Mines all around but for all that it is a disagreeable place on account of so many Indians. I like it first rate and I think as soon as my five years are up I will go bak [sic] to Old New Jersey but not today. My name isn't Charley Winters no more since i shot that man at Jefferson Barracks when he tried to get away from me. My Captain at time told me to take the name of his son who died and so my name since then is Charles H. Wood. I will now close and hope that you will soon write and let me know how you are getting along. Give my best regards to all and to yourself and oblige.</blockquote>The Army imprisoned Geronimo and many other Apache men, including some of the local Apache scouts, then they transported them to the East as prisoners of war. They held them at [[Fort Pickens]] and [[Castillo de San Marcos|Fort Marion]] in Florida. Northerners vacationing in [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]], where Fort Marion was located, included teachers and missionaries, who became interested in the Apache prisoners. Volunteers participated in teaching the Apache to speak and write English, about Christian religion and elements of American culture. Many citizens raised funds to send nearly 20 of the younger male prisoners to college after they were released from detainment. Most attended [[Hampton University|Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School]], a historically black college. Many Apache died in the prisons. Later, Apache children were taken to the [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] in Pennsylvania, where fifty of them died. Eventually, after 26 years, the Apache in Florida were released to return to the Southwest, but Geronimo was sent to [[Fort Sill]], Oklahoma, where he died.