Born in Ohio in 1828 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1852. Crook was a Union general during the Civil War, but he is best known for his participation in the Indian Wars. In 1871, he was sent to conquer hostile Apaches in Arizona and remove them to reservations. He succeeded and, in 1875, was sent to operate against the Plains Indians.
Crook returned to Arizona in 1882 to subdue Apaches under Geronimo who had fled the reservation. Because of his cunning and his unorthodox attire, the Apaches nicknamed Crook Nantan Lupan, or “Grey Fox.”
When the government refused to honor Crook’s surrender terms for the Apaches, he asked to be relieved of duty. General Nelson Miles replaced Crook and, within a short period of time, secured Geronimo’s surrender, ending the Apache Wars for good. Although Crook remained a senior army officer, he did not participate in any further Indian campaigns. He spent the last years of his life advocating for the rights of his former adversaries. Crook died on March 2, 1890. |
