The Bascom Affair, the great US Military Blunder of Cochise County

The Bascom Affair, also known as the Bascom Incident or the Apache Pass Incident, occurred in February 1861 near Apache Pass, Arizona, and is widely regarded as a catastrophic blunder by the U.S. Military that escalated tensions with the Chiricahua Apache, particularly the Chokonen band led by Cochise, into a decade-long conflict. From the perspective of the U.S. Military’s missteps, the incident was marked by inexperience, poor judgment, cultural ignorance, and tactical errors that turned a manageable situation into a flashpoint for the Apache Wars (1851–1900). Below is a detailed account of the affair, focusing on the military’s blunders, with context drawn from historical records.

 

Background - **Context**: In the 1850s, the U.S. Army was tasked with protecting settlers, miners, and stagecoach routes in the newly acquired Arizona Territory following the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and the Gadsden Purchase (1853). The Chiricahua Apache, led by Cochise, had maintained relatively peaceful relations with Americans, often allowing safe passage through their territory near Apache Pass, a key route for the Butterfield Overland Mail. - **Trigger**: On October 1860, a raid on John Ward’s ranch near Sonoita Creek, Arizona, resulted in the theft of cattle and the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy, Felix Ward (later known as Mickey Free). Ward, a settler, wrongly attributed the raid to Cochise’s Chokonen band, though it was likely perpetrated by another Apache group, possibly the Pinal or Coyotero Apaches.

 

The U.S. Military’s Blunders The Bascom Affair unfolded when Lieutenant George Nicholas Bascom, a young and inexperienced officer, was sent to confront Cochise, leading to a series of missteps that inflamed hostilities. 1. **Inexperienced Leadership**: - **Blunder**: Lieutenant Bascom, a 24-year-old West Point graduate (class of 1858), had only two years of frontier experience with the 7th Infantry at Fort Buchanan, Arizona. His lack of familiarity with Apache culture and diplomacy made him ill-equipped to handle a delicate negotiation with a respected leader like Cochise. - **Impact**: Bascom’s inexperience led to a confrontational approach rather than a diplomatic one. He failed to recognize Cochise’s history of cooperation with Americans, including his role in ensuring safe passage for the Butterfield Overland Mail through Apache Pass.

 

False Assumptions and Lack of Evidence**: - **Blunder**: Acting on John Ward’s accusation, Bascom assumed Cochise was responsible for the Ward ranch raid without evidence. The military did not investigate the possibility that another Apache band was involved, relying instead on settler hearsay. - **Impact**: This misjudgment alienated Cochise, who was likely innocent of the raid. The accusation insulted his honor and undermined his trust in American authorities, setting the stage for confrontation.

 

Botched Negotiation**: - **Blunder**: On February 4, 1861, Bascom invited Cochise to a meeting at the Butterfield Overland Mail station in Apache Pass under a flag of truce. He requested Cochise bring his family, a gesture meant to ensure peaceful talks. However, once Cochise arrived with his wife, son, brother, and two nephews, Bascom accused him of the raid and demanded the return of Felix Ward. When Cochise denied involvement, Bascom ordered his men to seize the Apache party as hostages, a direct violation of the truce. - **Impact**: Cochise escaped by cutting through the tent wall and fleeing under gunfire, but his family and companions were captured. This betrayal of the truce was a grave insult in Apache culture, where honor and trust were paramount. It transformed Cochise from a neutral or cooperative leader into a determined enemy of the U.S.

 

Tactical Missteps**: - **Blunder**: Bascom’s force, consisting of about 54 soldiers from the 7th Infantry, was small and unprepared for the terrain of Apache Pass. After Cochise’s escape, Bascom failed to anticipate the Apache’s guerrilla tactics. Cochise rallied his warriors, who were intimately familiar with the rugged Dragoon Mountains and Apache Pass, and began a siege of the mail station. - **Impact**: The Apache cut off Bascom’s water supply from Apache Spring, 300 yards away, forcing his men to dig a well inside the station. Cochise’s warriors also captured a stagecoach and took four American hostages, escalating the standoff. Bascom’s lack of tactical foresight left his unit vulnerable and reactive.

 

Failure to De-escalate**: - **Blunder**: Over the next few days, Cochise attempted to negotiate, offering to exchange his American hostages for his family. Bascom, under orders to secure Felix Ward, refused unless the boy was returned, despite Cochise’s insistence that he did not have him. Bascom’s rigid stance ignored opportunities for compromise and failed to account for Apache customs of negotiation. - **Impact**: The impasse led to violence. On February 8, Cochise’s warriors attacked a wagon train, killing several Mexican teamsters and capturing others. In retaliation, Bascom’s superiors at Fort Buchanan, likely influenced by settler pressure, ordered the execution of the Apache hostages. On February 19, Bascom’s men hanged six Apache men, including Cochise’s brother Coyuntura and two nephews, and left their bodies as a warning.

 

Cultural Ignorance**: - **Blunder**: The U.S. Military, particularly Bascom, demonstrated a profound lack of understanding of Apache culture. The execution of hostages, especially relatives of a respected leader, was a grave provocation. Apache society placed high value on family and retribution, and such actions guaranteed a cycle of vengeance. - **Impact**: The hangings enraged Cochise, who allied with Mangas Coloradas, his father-in-law and leader of the Mimbreño band, to launch widespread raids against settlers, miners, and military targets across Arizona and New Mexico. The Bascom Affair is often cited as the catalyst for the Apache Wars’ intensification, costing countless lives over the next decade. 

 

Consequences of the Blunders - **Escalation of Conflict**: The Bascom Affair transformed Cochise from a potential ally into a formidable adversary. His raids, often launched from strongholds like the Dragoon Mountains near Dragoon Springs, disrupted U.S. settlement and communication lines, including the Butterfield Overland Mail, until his temporary peace agreement in 1872. - **Loss of Trust**: The violation of the truce and the execution of hostages destroyed any possibility of peaceful negotiations with the Chiricahua Apache for years. The incident reinforced Apache distrust of American intentions, complicating future diplomacy. - **Military Overreach**: The affair exposed the U.S. Army’s unpreparedness in the Arizona Territory. Fort Buchanan was understaffed and poorly equipped, and Bascom’s actions reflected broader issues of inadequate training and resources for frontier officers. - **Human Cost**: The immediate aftermath saw the deaths of the six Apache hostages and several American and Mexican captives killed by Cochise’s warriors. The long-term toll included hundreds of deaths in subsequent raids and battles, as well as the suffering of Apache communities forcibly relocated to reservations. 

 

U.S. Military Perspective From the military’s viewpoint at the time, Bascom’s actions were an attempt to assert authority and protect settlers in a volatile frontier. Officers like Bascom were under pressure to respond to settler complaints and secure the region amid limited resources and the looming Civil War (1861–1865), which diverted attention and troops. However, in hindsight, military historians and analysts, such as Edwin R. Sweeney, criticize Bascom’s decisions as reckless and poorly informed. The Army’s failure to verify the raid’s perpetrators, coupled with Bascom’s violation of a truce and the subsequent executions, turned a minor incident into a major conflict. The military’s lack of cultural awareness and reliance on inexperienced officers like Bascom exemplified systemic weaknesses in frontier policy.

 

Conclusion The Bascom Affair was a textbook example of U.S. Military blundering, driven by Lieutenant Bascom’s inexperience, false assumptions, violation of a truce, tactical errors, and cultural ignorance. By accusing Cochise without evidence, betraying his trust, and executing his relatives, the military ignited a fierce resistance led by one of the Chiricahua Apache’s most capable leaders. The affair’s fallout, including escalated raids and a prolonged war, underscored the consequences of mishandling delicate frontier relations. The U.S. Army’s missteps at Apache Pass in 1861 set a tragic precedent for the Apache Wars, highlighting the need for better training, intelligence, and diplomacy in dealing with indigenous nations.