Chato

[kayitah]

Since I have been interested in Chiricahua and Western Apache culture and history, Chato has been one of the most interesting, complex and controversial characters.

I have always felt sympathy for him, unlike many others who look at him as the "arch-traitor", one of those being responsible for the bad things that happened to the Chiricahua back then.

Having followed Chato's biography very closely, and regarding Britton Davis' memoirs as one of the most honest, unbiased and reliable sources available, I have always had a different opinion of Chato.

While many may not like what's following, I still wish to express my sentiments and my point of view.

While many people glorify Geronimo's efforts as heroics, they demonize Chato. In the end, the Chiricahua had to suffer mainly because of what Geronimo did, and what Geronimo did not do. Naiché and the rest of the band may be guilty to some extent as well, but in the end, peace was arranged with the efforts of great men like Yanozha, Fun, Ahnandia, Perico, Kayitah, and Martine.

Geronimo proved unable to do anything substantially good for his people and, while Chato is viewed as a traitor by many (because he enlisted as a scout, after being one of the militant leaders of the free Chiricahuas), he did what many other Chiricahuas felt to be the only way to save the people - work with and trust in honest men like Davis, Crawford, Gatewood, and Crook.

While Chato is almost a forgotten man these days, Geronimo is often portrayed as a hero - mainly by white Americans. I doubt many Chiricahuas see him as a hero. In the end, Geronimo's actions proved to be of the most severe for his followers - and even for those who opposed him. In the end, it was betrayal at the hands of the government (namely president Cleveland) that landed all Chiricahuas - even the scouts and those living peacefully at San Carlos - in exile and imprisonment in Florida. The dimension of the aftermath makes this more than just another chapter of shame in U.S. history.

There are always two sides of the medal, and in some way both men may have felt that their way is the right way.

For first-hand accounts watch "Geronimo and the Apache Resistance" (1988) of the American Experience series. There is also a newer work available, called "We shall remain - Geronimo" (2009, also by American Experience).
I prefer the older version, but both stories are told affectingly.

Attachments:

[kayitah]

2nd lieutenant Britton Davis - Camp Verde State Historic Park

Attachments:

[jeroen]

I agree that Chatto is often underestimated and misjudged. Few historians seem to understand that in Chiricahua Apache society each man was free and had a perfect right to make his own decisions. When Chatto decided to work as a scout, as many others did, it was his own choice, that others did not like him for it, is understandable but no one, not even Geronimo, defied his right to do what he thought was right. But, men like Kaatenay and Geronimo equally had a right to do what they thought was best.
I always am a bit hesitant to judge one a hero or a traitor, simply because we look at history with the advantage of hindsight. In the same way it is simply not fair to judge one to be a better man than the other or judge one guilty or innocent for events that largely was out of the hands of individuals.. But I do think it is a bit to easy to blame Geronimo and his actions for the fate that befell the Apaches. He did not put the people in the prison camps in Florida, he simply fought to remain free. That his actions were sometimes self serving is not that unusual, Chatto's were just as self serving. In fact, all human behavior in large part is the rsult of self interest. Like you say:
"it was betrayal at the hands of the government (namely president Cleveland) that landed all Chiricahuas - even the scouts and those living peacefully at San Carlos - in exile and imprisonment in Florida. The dimension of the aftermath makes this more than just another chapter of shame in U.S. history."

[kayitah]

Thank you for your contribution, Jeroen.

I agree with you - instead of judging and blaming one individual or the other, it's better to try to understand their motives and actions.

It seems that every leader, if a chief or not, had a notable amount of followers/supporters (because they considered their leader's way the most promising one).

[jeroen]

Yes, pure democracy...

[kayitah]

On September 5, 1886, Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles sent a telegram to his superiors in Washington, D.C., announcing that the 16-month war with Geronimo and Naiche was finally over. An era had also ended. Twenty-five years of intermittent warfare between the Chiricahua Apaches and Americans had reached its ultimate and inevitable destiny. At the forefront of the resistance was Geronimo, a Chiricahua shaman who had a hand in virtually every major incident between his people and Americans during the previous quarter-century. He was not a chief in the traditional sense. His tribal authority prevailed over relatives and close friends. Yet most Chiricahuas recognized that he had almost supernatural powers: an unquestioned ability to predict enemy movements and the outcome of battles.

During his last flight from the reservation on May 17, 1885, he could convince only 143 followers (41 fighting men) to join him. More than half left only because they had panicked when Geronimo told them a lie, that his men had killed the agent. The balance of the tribe, some 385 individuals, had stayed on the reservation. Hoping to put a quick end to the war, 60 of the 80 Chiricahua men actually enlisted as scouts for the military. They were led by Chatto, a 40-year-old chief, who would perform yeoman's service during the campaign of 1885. Without Apache scouts (which included Western Apaches), the military would have accomplished little.

Today, on the 120th anniversary of Geronimo's September 3 surrender, Chatto and Geronimo have become the faces of the peace and war factions, the symbolic characters of the nation's last significant Apache war. Once Geronimo formally capitulated at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona Territory, General Miles sent the hostiles to Florida, where they were kept under military control and classified as prisoners of war. Miles' decision was just, for over the previous decade Geronimo had left reservations on four occasions (in 1876, 1878, 1881 and 1885), escaping to the Sierra Madre in Mexico.

Miles then made a recommendation, this one unjust. He asked his superiors to authorize the removal of the entire Chiricahua tribe to Florida. He did not value the contributions made by Chatto and the 60 Chiricahua scouts. And he purposely ignored the inconvenient fact that 385 Chiricahuas not only had lived peacefully on the reservation but had never provided aid or recruits to the hostiles. He argued that the reservation was a breeding ground for new leaders, implying that malcontents had joined Geronimo. His specious arguments convinced Secretary of War William Endicott and President Grover Cleveland to approve his egregious betrayal. Those who had helped Brig. Gen. George Crook and Miles to end the war suffered the same fate as those who had raided and killed citizens of the United States and Mexico. Miles sent them to Florida, where they, too, were classified as prisoners of war under control of the War Department. Incredibly, this designation continued for 27 years.

Though remembered today for their contempt for each other, Geronimo and Chatto had a similar history. Each spent his early years living with Mangas Coloradas, who was Chatto's uncle. Each vividly remembered the military's treachery toward Cochise and Mangas Coloradas in the early 1860s, which left the tribe suspicious of Americans and contributed mightily to the strife in the 1870s and 1880s. Each was captured at Ojo Caliente by Indian Agent John Clum, who shackled them before transferring them to San Carlos. Finally, in September 1881, fearing that American soldiers planned to arrest them, each jumped the reservation for Mexico. Chatto explained that talk of troops made [Geronimo] nervous [as] a wild animal.

For reasons not entirely clear, once in Mexico their friendship ended. Then tragedy struck Chatto. On the frigid morning of January 24, 1883, Tarahumara Indians from Chihuahua surprised a Chiricahua camp, slaying about 20 and capturing 33, including Chatto's wife and two children. The loss devastated him, haunting him for the next 50 years. His heart was sick with grief. A few months later Chatto led a famous raid into Arizona and New Mexico territories that captured a young white, Charlie McComas. Soon after, Chatto organized a war party to strike Chihuahua. His objective was captives, whom he planned to trade for his family. While he was absent, however, Captain Emmet Crawford's Western Apache scouts surprised Chatto's base camp. Every chief accepted Crook's offer to return to the San Carlos Reservation. The general took some 300 with him, leaving 200 to come in soon after. Chatto stayed behind, hoping to recover his family. Negotiations with Chihuahua, however, broke down, and he finally returned to San Carlos in February 1884. Chatto explained his delay to Captain Crawford: If you were in my position with your relatives in captivity, I think you would have done the same.

Chatto adapted quickly to reservation life, but the thought of his family consumed him. When he met General Crook in May 1884, Chatto asked him for help to free his people held in Mexico. Over the next year the general did all in his power, urging officials in Washington to write Mexican officials about the captives. To show his gratitude, Chatto enlisted as a scout on July 1, 1884. Lieutenant Britton Davis, the Chiricahuas' agent near Fort Apache, appointed him sergeant. The two developed a strong friendship grounded in trust. Davis would later characterize Chatto as one of the finest men, Red or White, I have ever known.

Crook especially felt betrayed by Geronimo's final uprising. He told Davis to tell the reservation Chiricahuas that he would have to suspend efforts to recover their captives until peaceful times are restored. Chatto took command of the reservation. He organized a war dance for the scouts and then left to pursue the hostiles. Chatto surprised one camp, capturing 15 women and children. Years later he recalled the arduous and dangerous time: I carried a double cartridge belt with 45 to 50 cartridges on each belt. My rifle was loaded and my finger on the trigger following fresh tracks of hostiles, not knowing when a bullet might go through my forehead. Chatto was friendly with the two Chiricahua guides, Martine and Kayitah, who helped the Army locate the elusive leader's camp in Mexico. In fact, Chatto had recommended Martine, who took Lieutenant Charles Gatewood to meet with Geronimo on August 25.

Geronimo and Chatto remain controversial among their own people. To some, Geronimo was the last of the Chiricahua patriots, fighting to preserve his way of life. To others, however, he had outlived his time. Those who remained on the reservation thought Chatto was on the right side. Yet some followers of Geronimo, unable to appreciate the reasons for Chatto's decision, thought him a traitor.

Historians are just beginning to understand why Chatto served so eagerly as a scout for Crook. Personal animosity toward Geronimo was perhaps one reason, but another was gratitude to Crook for trying to recover his family. Unfortunately, without Mexico's cooperation even the general could not arrange a happy outcome.

Geronimo has achieved a notoriety accorded to only a very few American Indians. One could argue that his fame stems from the fact that his surrender in 1886 effectively marked the end of Indian resistance in North America.

This once obscure Apache warrior, not even recognized by most Americans until he was in his mid-50s, has today become a legend of mythical proportions, and his fame steadily continues to grow.
________________________________________
This article was written by Edwin R. Sweeney and originally published in the October 2006 issue of Wild West Magazine.

[naiches2]

Thank you kayitah for article. Is very interesting.

[jeroen]

Thanks for posting the article here, it gives more insight in Chatto's actions and motives.

Chatto, Mickey Free, Coonie and others...:

[perico]

In that picture Mickey Free is in the front row far left, Chatto is in the center, and Coonie is in the back row, second from the right FYI.

[jeroen]

Here is a rare image of Mickey Free (right in back row), the white man is probably Tom Horn...

[kayitah]

I have the anglo-american seen identified as packer Frank Coe, but also Tom Horn and Archie MacIntosh.

The Apache in front of Mickey Free is Rowdy, while the corporal is known as Irish.

[jeroen]

Here's another Mickey Free:

[jeroen]

Chatto in old age:

[naiches2]

Well-known portrait of Chato (Randall, 1885)

[Second]

Hello everyone, I just recvd an ISBN for my book and I have entered the last phase of publishing. My book is titled Second Jumper, searching for his bloodline. Written by Sigfried R. Second-Jumper.
It has taken me 5 yrs to write it. It starts out with the surrendering of the Chiricahuas and their journey to Florida as prisoners of war. While in Florida, my great grandparents were separated from the bulk of the Tribe and shipped to Cuba. An event witnessed by other prisoners, and recorded in their oral history and songs.
Also recorded and photographed by my family are my great grandparent’s arrival in Cuba, their struggles, sacrifices and accomplishments. Some of my great grandparent’s descendents began migrating to Florida, settling on the outskirts of the Florida Everglades. It was there that I discovered a Miccosukee Indian camp tucked deep in the swamps. Little did I know I was meeting the remnants of the only Unconquered Nation, The Florida Seminoles. In time I learned to master the art of breaking in horses, wrestling alligators, followed by 15 yrs of dancing and singing among them. These events were captured and will be shown with never before seen photographs.
Through their encouragement, I along with my family set out on a trip across country, in search of our long lost Apache relatives. A long journey that started in St. Augustine, FL, Oklahoma, Arizona, ended at the Mescalero Apache Reservation in NM. Upon arrival at Mescalero, I was welcomed and accepted by ex-prisoners of war, the Chiricahuas and ultimately my long lost relatives. Unaware of my past tribal history, I was inaugurated into the medicine circle as a singer for the Chiricahua Crown Dancers. It was there, that I have and continue to learn the traditional ways of the Chiricahuas. After many years of loosing members and traditions, we all decided to record and preserve our ways along with our daily activities for future generations. For the first time ever, the reader will enter into the sacred tepee of the Crown dancers and learned what takes place prior to ceremonies. All of it has been done with the consent of all members.
When the Seminoles learned that I was recording these stories, they asked me to include theirs as well. Some of these tales and photographs have been kept by members of both groups for decades as family treasures. I am honored to have been trusted to write them as they were told to me. All stories were reviewed by all participants prior to publishing to assure that they are told as they would want their great grandchildren to hear them.
Unlike many or most books written about these two groups, this one is done from within. As a result, the participants felt comfortable revealing stories long suppress by fear and mistrust. There is only half a page of references and over 300 pages of the real stories of the Tigers of the Human race, the Chiricahua Apaches and the Only Unconquered Nation, the Florida Seminoles.
I have dedicated my book to future Chiricahua and Seminole descendents but it really pertains to all humans as preserving their ancestral ways is just as important.
I will keep you all posted as soon as my book is available.

Sincerely,
Siggy Jumper