The Bascom Affair

On February 4, 1861, 2nd Lt. George Bascom and his detachment of 54 men encamped two hundred yards east of here. Bascom’s mission was to find Cochise, recover a kidnapped boy, and return livestock assumed taken by the Chiricahua Apaches. During a meeting with Cochise and members of his band, Bascom ordered Cochise held hostage until the boy and the livestock were returned. Knowing that neither he nor his people had committed the acts, the Apache chief was insulted and bolted from the tent. In the ensuing confusion, the remaining Apaches were captured. For sixteen days, warfare bloodied Apache Pass. Both Indians and soldiers captured hostages and executed them out of vengeance, creating bitterness and hatred that lasted eleven years. Terror reigned until 1872, when President U.S. Grant sent an emissary, General Oliver O. Howard, to join army scout Thomas Jeffords and Cochise in making peace.

Bowie, Arizona · United States