I'm not very knowledgeable about the old west but it seems to me that if the government in Washington were setting up forts during the Indian wars they wouldn't name them after the enemy. During World War II would the allies in France have set up a "Fort Gestapo"? They'd name it after a president or military hero. So I ask, was there a fort named "Fort Apache" or was this just a nickname given to some fort or just the name of a Hollywood movie?
shareFt Apache was real. It was placed where it was, in the middle of Apache territory to watch them more closely. However, it never did have a log palisade, and as far as I know, no fort in the old West did. I guess it is kinda odd to name it Ft Apache, however, it must be remembered that the Apaches as a whole were not ememies of the whites at the time.
BTW: During the War Between the States, forts and ship that were cpatured by the opposite side, very often kept their original name. Two cases in point: Ft Pillow, occupied by Union troops in 1864 kept the original name of a Confederate colonel, and the USS Sterling Price started life as the CSS Sterling Price.
I live in Arizona and yes, Fort Apache did and still exists today. It was established in 1870 to peacfully protect the Apache tribes - so that might be why it was named Fort Apache.
The soldiers from this fort did pursue both Cochise and Geronimo.
One big difference between the real Fort Apache and the Fort Apache in the film is the geographical location. The real Fort Apache is located in the White Mountains of Arizona surrounded by pine trees, green meadows, lakes, and streams while Ford set his film in the desert to make use of the red rocks he loved to use as backgrounds in his western films.
If you would like to see what the real Fort Apache looks like you can google in Fort Apache and take a walking tour on the internet.While it doesn't look like the fort depicted in the film, it is still very interesting to see.
Some of the original buildings are still there and in use as Fort Apache has a school and post office located on the premises.
The War Between the States? What, were you born in 1850? What the hell?
I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
Hey, my family is from Georgia and when we go down south to visit I still hear the Civil War refered to as the "War of Northern Aggression." Plus my husband has been called "Yankee" up to ten times a day.
shareThe official name in old US documents is The Rebelllion. I always like to call it the War of Southern Treason.
shareI consider modern-day Southern "celebrations" of the war - like the 150th anniversary that we're starting to be in right now - to be certifiably treasonous.
I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
US military forts were sometimes named after important political leaders, such as Fort Abraham Linclon, North Dakota.
They were usually named after high ranking army officers. Fort Grant, Arizona, is a good example, although Fort Apache indicates that it was North of Fort Apache instead of South of it as in real life.
A lowly captain or lieutenant would hardly ever have a fort name after him unless he was killed in action. Fort Fetterman, Fort Brown, Fort Grattan, and Fort McKinney are examples which come to mind of forts named after captains and lieutenants killed in the Indian Wars. One of the many unusual things about General George Crook was that a fort was named after him when he was just a lieutenant and obviously still alive.
In 1878 General Crook renamed Fort Brown Fort Washakie in honor of the powerful Chief Washakie (c. 1800 to 1900) of the Shoshone. Washakie was of course a high ranking political leader of a subordinate government within the United states and sometimes led its forces in war to assist the Federal government, thus making him a part time high ranking officer.
The story I have read is that all the Western Apache tribes were hostile for most of the 1860s, and especially bitter since the winter of 1864-65 when General Carleton ("He was the best of Indian fighters, he was the worst of Indian fighters") allegedly ordered the total extermination of the western Apache.
Then in 1869 a large group of Coyotero or White Mountain Apaches were trapped by Major John Green of the First Cavalry. But instead of killing them he negotiated a peace treaty with the Coyotero or White Mountain Apaches. There would be peace, and they agreed to let the government build a road and a fort in their territory, and provide Indian scouts when asked. Fort Apache served to guard the Coyotero or White Mountain Apache from more hostile Apaches and also to remind them why fighting the US Government was unwise. It was named in honor of the friendship between the Americans and the White Mountain Apache.
And General George Crook recruited tens or hundreds of Coyotero or White Mountain Apache scouts at a time while in command in Arizona from 1871-75 and 1882-1886, making them one of the main pillars of his strategies, though he also recruited as many scouts as possible from the hostile bands themselves.
Alchise, mentioned as one of the Hostile leaders in Fort Apache, was actually a Coyotero or White Mountain chief who lived near Fort Apache and often served as a sergeant of Indian scouts, being awarded the Medal of honor in 1874. or 75. Perhaps Alchise was named as one of the hostile leaders to demonstrate that Fort Apache takes place in an alternate universe in which things went really, really bad for the US during the Apache Wars.
In the movie Ambush someone plans to use a deserter from the fictional Diablito's band to lead him to Diablito and is warned the deserter cannot be trusted because "He's not a Fort Apache Scout".
Ft Apache is real. It is still a reservation here in Arizona, and is a resort and casino.
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