Fort Bowie, Arizona: Combat Post of the Southwest, 1858-1894

In a study that spans more than five decades of southwestern military history, retired National Park Service research and field historian Douglas C. McChristian offers a sweeping examination of Fort Bowie, located in the Apache Pass of southwestern Arizona. Although the author's title is somewhat misleading, as he suggests that Fort Bowie was operational by 1858, troops stationed at the post, which was established in 1862 and remained in operation for thirty-two years, played a significant role in bringing peace to the region. That criticism notwithstanding, the book as a whole serves as a good example of how the history of a military post should be written.

McChristian's study offers a good balance of military operations coupled with a discussion of the post and its garrison, integrating this information into the larger history of the region. With the opening of the Butterfield Overland Mail route in 1858, it soon became apparent that a strong military presence would be needed in southwestern Arizona, as the failed attempt to capture Cochise allowed him to lead the Chiracahua Apache in raids against travelers and settlers. It was, however, the Civil War that would lead to the establishment of Fort Bowie, as the "California Column" was ordered into Apache territory in efforts to counter a Confederate thrust coming from Texas. Initially engaging Cochise at the battle of Apache Pass, the failed Confederate offensive relegated the Californians to protective duty, as they remained in the region and established Fort Bowie in 1862.

Reduced to a temporary "camp" status in 1866 in the wake of a post-Civil War military reorganization, McChristian explains that the fort was soon revitalized to protect immigrants and guard both the overland mail route and transcontinental railroad. It is in this role that the post was at its largest, serving as the base of operations for campaigns against Geronimo between 1881 and 1886. In the ensuing years, the end of the Indian threat led to Fort Bowie's declining importance, factors leading to its closure in 1894.

As an expanded version of a Fort Bowie Historic Research Study prepared for the National Park Service, McChristian is at his best when he describes some of the more colorful episodes that took place at and around Fort Bowie. In his description of the 1862 battle of Apache Springs, he illustrates how artillery was used with telling effect upon the Apache for the first time (although a map may have helped explain the course of the battle). His chapter on garrison life is also informative, as he describes the role of the army laundress, the place of families on an isolated post, and how the peace of the garrison was disrupted in 1877 by a scandalous extramarital affair that took place between a cavalry lieutenant and the wife of the post surgeon. The author's extensive research, coupled with use of previously unpublished photos of Fort Bowie, provides an insightful glimpse into life at a combat post on the Arizona frontier.