not recognize the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, they refused to agree to the Gadsden Purchase. They held the belief that Mexicans could not cede land or sell Apache lands they had never controlled (Cole 78).In my research I have discovered that one of the most respected and highly regarded Chief among the Chiricahua Tribe was Cochise, usually referred to as "Oak" by his people. As 1861 dawned, Cochise had already spent more than three-quarters of his life in relative obscurity as far as the non-Chiricahua world was concerned. He was approaching fifty and had two wives, the first of whom bore him two sons, and the second one son (Sweeney 142). It was said that Cochise possessed remarkable skills in tribal diplomacy as well as encounters with white generals and politicians (Sweeney 1). He was the leader who was present at the incident that opened hostilities between the Chiricahuas and the Americans: The Bascom Affair at Apache Pass, known by the Indians as "Cut the Tent" a reference to Cochises means of escape (Sweeney 144).The Bascom affair started on January 27, 1861, by two parties of Apacheswho raided the ranch of John Ward eleven miles south of Fort Buchanan. They stole a reported twenty head of cattle and kidnapped a twelve year old boy named Felix. A detachment of soldiers from Fort Buchanan were dispatched led by First Lieutenant George Nicholas Bascom, a brave young officer with no Indian experience. While investigating the matter, tracks led toward the San Pedro River into Chokonen country, therefore implicating Cochises people.Public opinion supported the belief, although historically it is believed that the raiders were probably White Mountain Apaches (Sweeney 146).Bascoms command element, headed by a man named Colonel Morrison, issued orders to retrieve the boy and the stock by any means necessary and to punish those responsible (Sweeney 146). Cochise meanwhile may have sent messengers to inquire about the Ward boy f...
