Last Indian warrior to surrender
Who
Geronimo
Where
United States ()
When
Geronimo, although not a formal Chief, was a leader of the Chiricahua Apache and the last Indian warrior to surrender to American Army troops. His final surrender to Brigadier General Nelson A .Miles (he had previously been in captivity but escaped) took place on September 4, 1886 in Skeleton Canyon in the Peloncillo Mountains on the Arizona-New Mexico border south of Rodeo, New Mexico. At the end, his band included only 16 warriors, 12 women, and 6 children. Born a Bedonkohe Apache and named “Goyathlay” (“one who yawns”), he later joined the Chiricahua. Mexican soldiers donned the sobriquet “Geronimo” upon him, as they were awed by his bravery and fighting prowess. His fame spread across all of the United States and the world, and he actually participated in the Inaugural Parade of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 4, 1905 in Washington. He remains one of America’s most legendary figures.