al Miles negotiated their placement under his command at Fort Sill, despite historical tensions among the tribes that resided there, the Comanches and Kiowas. After some difficulty with the post commander, the homeless Apaches were sent to Fort Sill, still prisoners of war (Cole 166). Rumors of an uprising never came to pass at Fort Sill, and the Chiricahuas were making progress along the "White mans road." Agriculture and farming were embraced and students from Pennsylvania eventually returned to their people, raising the level of literacy to almost fifty percent. Geronimo was allowed to parade the country and made appearances at the St. Louis World Fair, selling his autograph and buttons. Public pressure again mounted for the release of the prisoners, and in August of 1912, Congress authorized the release of the Apaches appropriating 200,000 dollars for their resettlement (Cole 167). Some families chose to stay at Fort Sill buying unused lots of land from the Comanches or Kiowa, while others chose to move to the Mascelero reservation in New Mexico where they remain today (Cole 168).In conclusion, I feel that it is important to note that the U.S. government did not fully understand the ways of the Chiricahua. The reservations were set up to fail based upon the structures of the reservations themselves. The Apaches were raiders and warriors, not farmers or settlers. Their hierarchy was set up so that leaders were picked as a result of raids and war. Their system of economics was based almost entirely on raids, so there was almost no way for young warriors to gain the attention of possible wives. It was only a matter of time until conflict began. Also, I feel it is important to note that they were faced with insurmountable odds. The people of the Southwest was perfectly comfortable with the Chiricahuas complete extermination. They were up against the Mexican Army as well as the U.S. The white man allowed the Apache to beco...
