Cutting the tent
Cochise may have been born as early as 1810. His place of birth was probably present-day Arizona. His name means “hardwood,” but nothing is known of his early life. During his youth he probably participated in the Apache war with Mexico. Through the 1850s his people enjoyed good relations with the United States.
The peace was broken in 1861. In that year a raiding party stole a white rancher's cattle and kidnapped the young son of a ranch hand. A United States Army officer mistakenly thought Cochise was responsible and imprisoned him and several of his relatives. Cochise managed to escape by cutting through the cloth of the tent in which he was being held. The rest of the prisoners were killed.
The incident sparked a war between United States troops and the Apache. Considering Americans to be his mortal enemies, Cochise led a bloody campaign against their settlements. His warriors eventually drove American settlers, traders, and troops out of what is now southern Arizona.
Apache wars
In 1862 an army of 3,000 California volunteers marched into Apache territory with cannons. In the fighting that followed, the Americans killed Mangas Coloradas, a powerful Apache leader and the father of Cochise's wife. Mangas' death only made Cochise more determined in battle.
For the next seven years Cochise waged war against settlers and soldiers. Between raids he and his 200 followers avoided capture by hiding in the Dragoon Mountains of present-day Arizona. Many American soldiers tried to kill Cochise, but his great skill as a warrior and horseman kept him alive.
In June 1871 Gen. George Crook assumed military command in Arizona. He won the allegiance of many Apache and persuaded them to move to reservations. Cochise himself surrendered in September. After disappearing briefly in the spring of 1872, he returned in the summer and settled on the new Chiricahua reservation. He died there on June 8, 1874.