The Life of Geronimo (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

[Music] this is the notorious Apache warrior Geronimo for decades his name struck fear in the hearts of settlers and soldiers on both sides of the US and Mexican border and with good reason now the name Geronimo came about no one is quite sure but we do know that he was born go Yakka lay on the 16th of June 1829 near no Doane Canyon Mexico near present-day Clifton Arizona he was the fourth child and a family of four boys and four girls Geronimo was a part of the medaka habe and a part of the larger Chiricahua tribe to all accounts he had a normal Apache childhood life for years the Apaches in New Mexicans were at war raids and killings were commonplace at the time Arizona and New Mexico was a part of Mexico but in 1835 the Mexican government placed a bounty on Apache scalps the idea was to stop Apache raids by exterminating them in 1846 when Geronimo reached the age of 17 he was admitted to the Council of warriors now it's believed that Geronimo had already been on several raids into Mexico stealing horses kettles and supplies being accepted into the council meant that Geronimo could now take a wife on July the 1st 1847 he married elope II a longtime lover they had grew up together after percent and her father that is with several ponies that he had captured on rates they had three children the Apaches were nomadic people moving together for food and to hide from their enemies in 1848 after the mexican-american war New Mexico and Arizona became a part of the United States now the Apaches had two enemies approaching on their homeland the Mexicans and the Americans a war to fill a teen 58 when Geronimo was 29 years old he went with his wife and sons and traveled from their main camp to Chihuahua with other tribesmen to trade for needed supplies now that was done usually once a year certain merchants in small town of Anna's was willing to trade with the Apaches now the Apaches as usual made camp outside the town and the men went in to do the treatment leaving only a few men to guard the camp a company of 400 Mexican soldiers from Sonora led by Colonel jose carrasco attacked the camp killing a low p and their three kids and Geronimo's mother Geronimo years later told the story like this late one afternoon when returning from town where we'd went to trade we were met by a few women and children who told us that the Mexican soldiers from some other town had attacked our camp killing all warriors of the guard capturing all of our ponies secured our arms destroyed our supplies and killed many of our women and children quickly we separated concealing ourselves as best we could until nightfall when we assembled at our appointed place a thicket by the river silently we came in one by one when all was counted I found that my aged mother my young wife and my three children were among the slain they had been sceptile soldiers for three days Geronimo was so stricken he couldn't speak eat or sleep he said he didn't contemplate revenge I had no purpose in life I was lost he followed his tribesmen back home where his memories of alofi and kids were strong in the Apache way he burned his Wicker and everything that reminded him of the pace also including his mother's Geronimo will marry eight more times through his life but he'll never recover from the loss of his first wife elope II Geronimo being a fierce warrior was offered the hand of many women they needed someone to see that they had food ponies shelter and spoils a war in order to survive a warrior could only have as many wives as he could provide for the fear that warriors would often die in battle meant that they were encouraged to marry often and have children to keep the tribe thriving his second wife she has kiss was captured by mixing it sold into slavery and never heard from again his third wife Nina Texas was killed by Mexicans in 1861 while Geronimo was recuperating from battle wounds and by the time that he and other warriors could run the attackers off his wife was dead he once married a woman that had been partly scalped during battle and looked so bad that other warriors wouldn't accept her all his wives died in war or as prisoners of war elope he was his only wife for his first ten years of mage until her death Geronimo was chief mangas Coloradas joined his son-in-law chief Cochise to fight the Mexicans Geronimo became one of their fierce warriors referring to the deadly raid on Sonora during the million fifties he said I could not call back my loved ones but I could rejoice in revenge the Apaches and Mexicans have been at war ever since the Spanish invaded the page he lands on several occasions early American trappers killed and scalped Apaches for the bounty placed on by Mexicans however Cochise blamed the individuals camping parties he still did not blame the US government even Geronimo did not have the hatred for whites as he did for Mexicans however this will all change on the 5th of February 1861 when US lieutenant George Bascom as Cochise to meet him so that they could talk about the kidnapping of a Rangers 12 year old stepson Cochise explained that it was not his men that did the kidnapping but if lieutenant Baskin would give him about ten days he would try to find out who the guilty party was now the dot in this picture is the location where Cochise and Bascom met Bascom decided to hold Cochise hostage until the cattle and the boy was returned course it was later proven that Cochise didn't have a thing to do with the cattle or the boy it was discovered that the boy was raised by another band of Indians and actually became an Indian scout using another name later on at night Cochise escaped from Baskins camp but some of his family was still held Cochise then took hostages himself from settlers for trade something went wrong in the negotiations and Bascom hung the captive Braves some of the part of cochise's family and then Cochise burnt his camp teas this started a levan year old war with the US government Geronimo was now fighting both Mexicans and whites under chief Cochise and mangas Coloradas now this shows an Apache camp on July the 15th 1862 2,500 men of the California column all Union volunteers led by Captain Thomas L Roberts on his way to fight the Confederacy when the column reached Apache pass Arizona they met a different kind of enemy other than the Confederacy 500 Apache warriors was waiting during the battle the Apaches was winning by holding higher ground and water at Apache Springs at a law in the battle army private John teal fired a shot that hit mangas Coloradas and the chest and seriously wounded Cochise never forgot what he called a vicious act the Union volunteers broke the standoff by bringing up two holitzer cannons for the 10 years the Apaches waved for against Mexicans and US settlements including military positions it's believed that Geronimo served as Cochise his Spanish interpreter during this period at one point Cochise is father-in-law chief mangas Coloradas had met with a military under a flag of truce but was killed during negotiations Cochise was so furious over this that his attacks became more vicious on October 12 1872 with the persistence of Tom Jeffers Cochise is only white friend he agreed to meet with general Oliver old Howard in order to discuss peace howard agreed to let Cochise stay on his own land the cherry cobbler reservation general Howard had been sent to make peaceful Cochise at any cost even making Cochise his friend Tom Jeffords Indian agent for two years there was peace between the Chiricahua and the government until June 8th 1874 when Cochise died of natural causes Geronimo had married one of cochise's daughter making Cochise his father-in-law out of respect for Cochise Geronimo kept the peace until 1876 two years after Cochise is death an agent Tom Jeffers had retired Indian agent John Kong decided that all Apaches should be moved to the San Carlos reservation where they could better be managed and allow prospectors to invade Apache land this act infuriated Geronimo and a small band of Chiricahua setting off a new round of fighting my white man's standards Geronimo's band was roof killing settlers including men and women he proved to be elusive and in 1877 Geronimo was captured along with his family and warriors he was returned to the San Carlos in Chains and placed for a while in the stockade after being released finally for the next four years Geronimo tried farming and reservation life but in 1881 he again broke out of San Carlos with family and warriors he headed south into the sahara Madre Mountains where he could come out and raid both sides of the border after two years of raids the US government was placing pressure on the military to do something about the renegade Geronimo in 1883 the Apache band agreed to negotiate a peace with the Americans Geronimo agreed to come back to the reservation he said he was tired and sick of killing and running however it was the new tactics of General George crook that located the Apache stronghold he began using Apache scouts to trace down Apaches he did away with army wagons and used pack mules instead Geronimo was back on the reservation until May of 1885 his final break he said he'd learned from soldiers that they was planning on killing him he left with a hundred and forty-four warriors and their family Geronimo was 55 years old at the time now this is Geronimo's band of Chiricahua Apache and the Sierra Madre Mountains in 1886 as they left the reservation they killed a settler his wife and children over the years Geronimo's ban is said to have killed hundreds of people including Mexicans settlers and soldiers now this is Geronimo and general crook in March of 1886 ten months after their escape from San Carlos general crooks Apache scouts located Geronimo's band and crook forced Geronimo to Surrender however Geronimo and 40 Warriors a managed to escape under cover of darkness the rest was taken prisoner Geronimo said he was afraid he might be murdered on his way across the border general crook was so disgusted he resigned when asked why it was so hard to capture the tiny band he said that when he pursued Geronimo in Mexico Apaches would run their horses to death after 70 miles and then eat them they would then steal more horses from Mexican ranchers he said that there's no way that his men would do that general Nelson miles was assigned to replace general crook Gerald miles tried a different approach he did away with apache scouts and instead put 5,000 troops in the field to catch Tirana mo and his men 1/4 of the entire military even with that he was unable to capture the elusive warriors miles had to reinstate crooks of patchy Scouts he then sent lieutenant Charles B Gatewood and four others including two apache scouts to locate Geronimo Gatewood had graduated from West Point but was continually overlooked for promotion but he had become familiar with Apaches and this is a picture of gate woods Apache scouts that he is placed in charge of Geronimo knew Gatewood and they respected each other on August 26 1886 Gatewood Scouts some of them that work in two Geronimo's warriors located Dharana Mo's camp after some doing lieutenant Gatewood persuaded Geronimo to meet with general miles on September 4 to 1886 Geronimo met a small party of general Nelson miles as aides and soldiers Geronimo was the one that set the destination where they would meet he chose skeleton Canyon some 30 miles northeast of present-day Douglas Arizona no general miles stated that it would have been impossible to bring a large enough force to capture the Warriors from that location Geronimo demanded to be taken back to the reservation where his family was taken when General Crook captured them this is a picture of the captive women and children Apache prisoners he said his warriors were tired and wanted to see their families miles told Geronimo that he couldn't take him back to the reservation their families were no longer there they'd all been transferred to Fort Marin in st. Augustine Florida you can give up and go to Florida where your family is for two years and then return back to Arizona or I'll chase you for 50 years if I have to and kee said General Laws they stacked up stones and promised there would be peace until these stones turned to dust Geronimo said years later that he kept his word to miles but miles did not keep his around 500 Apaches including men women and children and even the men that stayed on the reservations and did everything that the government had told him to do even the Apache scouts that had worked for the military helping to track down the Renegades such as Geronimo was all shipped as prisoners to Fort Marin and st. Augustine now this is the front entrance to the fort when they arrived at the fort they was not used to the Florida humidity and diseases carried by mosquitoes the Apaches did not fare well in Florida and to make things more difficult over a hundred children was taken from their families and sent off to the Carlisle school in Pennsylvania to learn the white man's language and weighs 18 Apaches died in the first eight months at Marion the Apache scouts were angry at Geronimo and the other renegade leaders they blamed them for the government taking them off to reservation and sending him as prisoners to Florida the people at st. Augustine felt sorry for the Apaches and tried to make life easier by baking them bread and furnishing them clothes they said the Apaches was good people and they liked them now this is Burano mo and his band being sent to florida by train Geronimo is the fourth from the left on the front row at this time Geronimo was still thinking that he was going to Fort Marion to see his family however it'll be almost a year before he will get to see them on October the 25th 1886 Geronimo and 15 Apache warriors arrived not at Fort Merriam as promised by general miles at skeleton Canyon but at a maximum-security prison in Pensacola named Fort Pickens now this is Geronimo Nachi and chief mangas at Fort Pickens they were locked behind bars and ass and hard labor disease was rampant throughout the Indian population and because of that in May of 1887 the entire apache prison population in fort marion and Fort Pickens will all be transferred to Mount Vernon Arsenal in northern Mobile County Alabama this will unite the Warriors with their families for the first time Geronimo's son Chapel is the second from the left he passed away from illness believed to have been tuberculosis at Mount Vernon he along with several other warriors is buried at the Mobile National Cemetery even at this life was better at Mount Vernon thanks to post surgeon walter reed he allowed the prisoners to go hunting as long as they returned at dark a quarter of the patchy population died of tuberculosis at Mount Vernon prompting the government to transfer all prisoners to Fort Sill Oklahoma in 1894 after seven years in Alabama out of 517 men women in chilled cineast as prisoners by the time they were sent to Fort Sill only 300 was left at Fort Sill Geronimo was eventually allowed to live with his family in a communal tribal band at one point it said that Geronimo attempted to escape even from Fort Sill by jumping off a high cliff the story prompted paratroopers during world war ii to yell out his name as they jumped out of airplanes over the years Geronimo was allowed to ride his horse into Lawton the nearest town where he would sell everything from buttons and bows and arrows that he had made he would even sell items made by others everyone wanted a souvenir from the savage Apache warrior he quickly learned the white man's ways his bank account when he died showed 10,000 dollars the same year arrived at Fort Sill he appeared at the st. Louis World's Fair and here he is on June of 6 1904 sitting behind a steering wheel of an automobile at the 101 ranch in Oklahoma in 1905 on September the 4th he was in the inaugural parade for President Teddy Roosevelt he tried to convince the President to allow him to return to his homeland in Arizona he said I'm 74 years old and was through with war and wanted to go home and die the president refused saying that he had killed too many people and he was still saying I've made peace with the white man but I will kill Mexicans wherever I can the government simply could not take the change of turning him loose in 1909 Geronimo made one of his many trips into Lawton on his way back to Fort Sill that night after drinking heavy he fell off his horse and laid all night in the rain water he was found and taken to the Indian hospital at Fort Sill with a cold which quickly became pneumonia on the 17th of February 1909 one of the nation's most notorious Apache warriors Geronimo passed away at the age of 79 now this is the grave of Geronimo at the Apache war Cemetery in Fort Sill Oklahoma right before Geronimo's death it's reported that he told his nephew I should have never surrendered I should have fought until I was the last man alive on the left is the grave of evil one of Geronimo's daughters she passed away at the age of 22 in 1911 I don't know what she died of but I know the disease was very rampant at that time on the right is Eva's mother and wife of Geronimo is a yay she had passed five years before her husband from tuberculosis at the age of 35 the Apache cemetery has graves of warriors that fought words are low and their families every one buried here was considered a renegade against the US government five years in 1914 after the death of Geronimo the government will free the Apaches and allow them to return home in 1943 there is a legend that a newspaper reporter visitin Geronimo's grave found an old Apache man who claimed that Chiricahua patriots removed the warriors body and took him back to Apache homeland and the desert Southwest and buried him in an unmarked grave I don't know if this legend is true or not but I certainly hope so [Music]

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 554,653

Rating: 4.8789382 out of 5

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Id: tLFOxR3Vvco

Length: 25min 12sec (1512 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 21 2020