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This is the conference with Cochise

Title:

A Conference with Cochise. By: Bourke, John G., Cozzens, Peter, Eyewitness to the Indian Wars, Volume 1, 2001

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History Reference Center

John G. Bourke Diary l: 125-27, 177-83, United States Military Academy Library

Wednesday, January 29, 1873. Marched on road to middle crossing of Rio San Pedro and thence to Sulphur Springs. Received dispatches from General Crook. Day very cold. High wind. Sky clear. Night bitterly cold.

Thursday, January 30. Remained at Sulphur Springs. Yesterday a note was sent to Agent Jeffords, requesting an interview with Cochise, and today quite a large band of squaws and children have come over to our camp, but Cochise was not with them. Mr. Jeffords shortly after appeared and had a conversation with Major Brown,(n2) with whom he made arrangements for a meeting with Cochise. Express sent to General Crook.

Monday, February 3. Marched southwest across Sulphur Springs, ten or twelve miles to the second canyon in Dragoon Mountains, where we found Cochise and his family with a few young warriors.

Cochise is a fine-looking Indian of about fifty winters, straight as a rush-six feet in stature, deep-chested, Roman-nosed, black eyes, firm mouth, a kindly and even somewhat melancholy expression tempering the determined look of his countenance. He seemed much more neat than the other wild Indians I have seen and his manners were very gentle. There was neither in speech or action any of the bluster characteristic of his race. His reception of us was courteous, although he said but little in the way of compliment. He expressed his own earnest desire for peace--said that in the treaty made with Howard it was understood that soldiers could pass over the roads of his reservation but could not live upon it, nor were citizens to settle there. In reference to the Mexicans, he said he considered them as being on one side in this matter, while the Americans were on another. The former had not asked him for peace as the latter had done. He did not deny that his boys were in the habit of raiding on Mexico, but this he could not prevent as it was no more than was done from all the reservations.

Our interview was quite brief and at its conclusion we returned to our camp at Sulphur Springs. I was very much astonished by the great number of children in the Indian camp.

Account of the Interview between Major W. H. Brown, 5th Cavalry, and the Indian Chief Cochise, or Cheis, February 3, 1873

Major Brown: I have come from General Crook to this part of the country to see Cochise. The general hears that Cochise is at peace and he knows by (Cochise's) actions that he has kept it. The general is anxious also to keep this peace in all its integrity, according to the terms of the treaty; but, in order to be able to do this, he wants to know what the terms of the treaty are. He has never been furnished with a copy of the treaty, and although he will receive a copy in time, yet it is a long way to Washington, and as the easiest way to get these terms he has sent me to Cochise to find out what he understands these terms to be, and especially with reference to the movements of troops within the reservation of Cochise--and particularly whether troops are to be permitted to come upon the reservation or not--and also, what has been the understanding about Mexico, whether the peace applies to the people of that country or not.

Cochise: The troops were to pass and repass by the roads on the reservation, the same as ever, according as the emergencies of the service might require, but none were to come upon the reservation to live, nor were citizens to do so.

Major Brown: What stipulations, if any, were made in the treaty with regard to the people of Mexico?

Cochise: (Endeavoring to evade the question) now said that, permission had been given them by General Howard to go to Mount Graham in seed time to gather acorns, mesquite beans, but they were not to live at Mount Graham.

Major Brown: Tell them that is all right; they can go to Mount Graham and get seeds and such things as they may want, so long as they live upon the reservation--but, they must always tell the agent so the troops may expect their coming. Say also if they want to come and see where the new post is going to be placed, some of them can accompany me on my way back. (Major Brown repeated the question about Mexico.)

Cochise: The Mexicans are on one side in this matter and the Americans on another. There are many young people here whose parents and relatives have been killed by the Mexicans, and now these young people are liable to go down, from time to time, and do a little damage to the Mexicans. I don't want to lie about this thing; they go, but I don't send them.

I made peace with the Americans, but the Mexicans did not come to ask peace from me as the Americans have done. I don't myself want to go down to Mexico and will not go, but my boys may go there. I consider that I myself am at peace with Mexico, but my young men, like those at all the other reservations, are liable to occasionally make raids. I don't want to lie about this; I can't prevent it. There are bad people everywhere. A great many of us were one time at peace at Fronteras and some of the Mexicans used to tell us to come up here and steal American horses, which are big and worth a great deal of money in Mexico. But when our people came back there with them, they killed them and took the horses and cattle away. Why don't the Americans tell us to go down there and steal from the Mexicans?

Major Brown: Tell them we are now at peace with Mexico and cannot do them any harm. When we make friends with a man we never do anything behind his back to hurt him. If ever we go to war with Mexico, we shall send word to the Mexicans and tell them we are coming. If we whip them, we shall whip them fairly, but not by doing something behind their backs. I have said all I have to say and when I go back I shall tell the general all about Cochise so that he will know all about him the same as if he had come here himself.

Cochise: It is all right. When this ground was given me it was that we might roam over it as we pleased. I don't intend to let my young men do any wrong on this ground. I like the way in which you talk. (The remainder of this sentence, not being understood by me as Major Brown appeared to understand it, has been omitted.) I am glad of the peace and my people rejoice at it.

The meeting closed as it had begun, with a general hand-shaking.

(n1.) Although occupied principally with the ongoing Tonto Basin operations, General Crook kept a weather eye on Cochise and the Chiricahuas. To ensure their intentions remained peaceable, on January 5, 1873, he sent Captain Brown with six troops of the 5th U.S. Cavalry to visit Cochise. Thomas Jeffords, the agent for Cochise's band and an intimate friend of the chief, acted as interpreter for their conference.

Brown and Cochise met on February 3. Neither was in good health. Brown had been ill for most of the expedition, Cochise was slowly dying of cancer. The following year Brown was detailed to purchase horses in California, then went on a year's sick leave. Apparently despondent over the June 3, 1875, marriage of Lt. General Philip H. Sheridan to Irene Rucker, whom he purportedly loved, Brown committed suicide the day after the wedding.

As in all matters he recorded, Bourke took pains to transcribe accurately the conference between Major Brown and Cochise. The delay occasioned as Jeffords translated gave Bourke the chance to capture the discussion nearly verbatim.

(n2.) Bourke refers to Captain Brown by his brevet rank of major.

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By John G. Bourke

Edited by Peter Cozzens