It Takes One to Find One

Apache scouts were vital resources in the Indian Wars.

One of the smartest strategic moves by the Frontier Army during the Indian Wars was to enlist Natives as scouts. The Apache groups were formidable foes in New Mexico and Arizona, The wild, untamed land worked to their advantage, making them almost impossible to find. One officer wrote: “It grew increasingly apparent that the success of the troops depended on the scouts. Without the scouts the troops couldn’t find the enemy; with the scouts they rarely missed.” He added, “The longer we knew the scouts, the better we liked them.”