Once They Moved Like the Wind: Cochise, Geronimo, and the Apache Wars

A great book. If you even have a passing interest in the Apaches, New Mexico, Arizona, American Indian Tribes, etc., you'll enjoy this book.

I was given this book as a gift and I found it to be one of the best books that I have read regarding the Apaches. It was also very interesting to read. I have been reading books about Geronimo since about 1955 and this made me interested in finding out more about Victorio and Mangas Coloradas.

This is perhaps the definitive account of the Apache conflicts in the American Southwest and northern Mexico, particularly in the period from the time of Mangas Coloradas through Cochise, Victorio and Geronimo. Personally I think it could have been even more interesting if Roberts had started earlier in Apache history and included the Apache interactions with the Spaniards, Pueblo Indians, and so on. Roberts would be the ideal author to incorporate that early history, as some of his other writings (such as "In Search of the Old Ones") demonstrate his interest and expertise in the ancient Indian civilations of the Southwest and Mexico. In any case, anyone who wishes to learn more about the late 19th century Apache conflicts and the personalities involved will certainly appreciate the scholarship and flowing writing style of this book. And the comprehensive bibliography provides plenty of leads for those who may wish to read the original source materials. After finishing this book I was inspired to revisit some of the sites in southeastern Arizona such as Cochise Stronghold, the Chiricahua Mountains and Fort Bowie, and they came to life for me in a way they never had before.

This is by far and away one of the best books I have ever read about the history of native Americans. Roberts clearly portrays the full complexity of the individual characters involved, it seems, both honestly, and with great respect for the Native American values, traditions and lifestyle he describes. While clearly aware of the horrific sacrifice that was exacted from the Apache, Roberts consistently refuses to idealize these victims of European westward expansion, prefering instead to show them as the remarkable and complex individuals they were. He spares no punches in describing the violence and cruelty that existed on both sides of the equation -- European and Native American -- yet he does so without letting White Americans off the hook. What emerges is a text, rich in historical detail, that neither idealizes nor denigrates the Native Americans it depicts. Instead, Cochise, Geronimo, and their ilk are seen each as individuals grappling each in their respective ways -- sometimes wisely profound, sometimes petty and mean -- to maintain a remarkable and admirable lifestyle that was sadly and cruelly destroyed. A highly recommended read for anyone interested in a richly detailed, apparently accurate, and remarkably individualized account of this time in American History.