be heard throughout the night. The fact that both sides had prisoners could have averted anymore bloodshed, but the taking of Cochises family hurt Americans chances of ever gaining his trust back (Sweeney 153). Cochise was desperate for more whites to trade for his people. He laid siege on the stage trail awaiting shipments through to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The driver of the stage however was able to avert the attack and made it through without death. Cochise left a note for Bascom for a final attempt to trade for his people. He left the letter in a place that was supposed to be seen by whites in a short time. The letter was never seen and Cochise took this as a refusal to trade. Cochise planned an attack together with Mangas Coloradas and Francisco, chiefs of neighboring bands. The plan was to cut the stock off while they were watering near a spring prompting Bascom to engage near the spring. This would allow for Cochise and the majority of his party to sweep the stage station and free his people. A well thought out plan that did not work. Bascom repelled the Indians by quick decision and counter-attack. This was the last attempt at freeing his people. The white prisoners were killed and mutilated so that the white people would find them; Cochise lost his brother and two nephews (Sweeney 160). The Apache Wars resumed throughout the decade of the 1860s and into the early 1870s with Cochise being one of the main Apache belligerents. However deeply rooted his hatred for the Americans, he knew that it was impossible to win a war against them. In 1871, General Oliver Otis Howard arrived in Arizona with orders to desist all American military campaigns against the Apaches. He was taken to Tularosa, New Mexico where a camp of nearly one thousand Chiricahuas were staying. With the aid of an Indian scout, Howard met with Cochise to discuss a peace agreement and an inevitable placement of the Chiricahua on a reservation, preferably along the Ri...
