Once They Moved Like the Wind

June 28, 1993
During the westward settlement, for more than 20 years Apache tribes eluded both U.S. and Mexican armies, and by 1886 an estimated 9000 armed men were in pursuit. Roberts ( Deborah: A Wilderness Narrative ) presents a moving account of the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest. He portrays the great Apache leaders--Cochise, Nana, Juh, Geronimo, the woman warrior Lozen--and U.S. generals George Crock and Nelson Miles. Drawing on contemporary American and Mexican sources, he weaves a somber story of treachery and misunderstanding. After Geronimo's surrender in 1886, the Apaches were sent to Florida, then to Alabama where many succumbed to malaria, tuberculosis and malnutrition and finally in 1894 to Oklahoma, remaining prisoners of war until 1913. The book is history at its most engrossing. Photos not seen by PW .

July 1, 1993
Roberts, whose previous books have focused on mountaineering and travel, tells the story of the Chiricahua Apache resistance to the encroachments of the whites in post-Civil War frontier America. Using contemporary letters and reminiscences, he relates the story from the Apache point of view, focusing on the leadership of Cochise and Geronimo. Rather than emphasizing troop deployments and Apache raids, Roberts explains why the principals on both sides acted as they did and shows how misunderstandings led to tragedy and warfare. He has mined the available sources and woven them neatly into his well-written tapestry. Best suited for lay readers and undergraduates, this worthy reexamination of the topic is recommended for all libraries.-- Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette

Copyright 1993 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 1993
This comprehensive account of the Apache wars in the Southwest, from the Civil War to the death of Geronimo, constitutes a notable addition to the historical literature of the American West. In his well-written, judicious effort, Roberts has compared Apache oral history with American written accounts, synthesized battle narratives from the two, and brought forward the extensive and bloody Mexican fighting with the Apaches, which began earlier and ended later than the conflict in the U.S. Highly recommended, not least because Roberts limns not only Geronimo and Cochise but also such lesser-known figures as Victorio, the elderly but combative Nana, and the female warrior Lozen. ((Reviewed July 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)