The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947 Page: 182

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

period. As enhanced by Carroll and Haggard, it is even more
worthy of such a niche.
JOHN WALTON CAUGHEY
University of California at Los Angeles
General George Crook: His Autobiography, Edited and Anno-
tated by Martin F. Schmitt. Norman (University of Okla-
homa Press), 1946, Pp. xviii+326. $3.00.
General Crook's manuscript contribution to this volume was
written between 1885 and 1890. After his death his papers
remained in possession of his wife during her life. Shortly
thereafter, they passed into possession of Colonel Walter S.
Schuyler, one-time aide of Crook. In 1939, Mrs. Schuyler gave
them to the library of the Army War College. In 1942, Martin
F. Schmitt found them and prepared the Autobiography for
publication.
After graduation from West Point in 1852, except for the
Civil War interlude, Crook's life was spent almost entirely in
the West, fighting or supervising Indians. From 1852 to the
Civil War, he was in Oregon, a rugged, well-watered, densely
forested area; from 1866 to 1870, he was in Idaho and the
adjacent country, broken, semi-desert, and subject to violent
weather changes; from 1871 to 1875, and again from 1882 to
1885, he was in Arizona, of rugged mountains and arid wastes;
from 1875 to 1882, and again from 1885 to his death, he was
in the Great Plains of short grass, blistering summer heat, and
blinding winter blizzards. Thus, Crook fought all types of In-
dians in almost every sort of terrain and variety of climate.
Implacable and relentless in crushing hostiles, he tried to
understand the friendly Indians. This was Crook's campaign
policy: prepare for an extended trip, use Indian scouts, travel
as lightly as possible, move at night, and attack at daylight
with a headlong rush, kill as many redmen as possible and
destroy all supplies, then repeat the process until the enemies
yield. The Indians feared and respected him. He was willing
to be generous in order to save the lives of his soldiers. The
only time he asked to be relieved of command was when the
government failed to support him in his promises. In order to
crush the hostile Apaches, who would abandon their reserva-
tions and flee into Mexico, Crook had to cooperate with Mexican

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