Cochise

Cochise , c.1815-1874, chief of the Chiricahua group of Apache in Arizona. He was friendly with the whites until 1861, when some of his relatives were hanged by U.S. soldiers for a crime they did not commit. Afterward he waged relentless war against the U.S. army and became noted for his courage, integrity, and military skill. His friendship with Thomas Jeffords became the key to peace. In 1872, Gen. Oliver Otis Howard , the Indian commissioner, requested Jeffords to accompany him to Cochise's mountain stronghold. As a result of the peace talks, Cochise agreed to live on the reservation that Howard promised would be created from the chief's native territory. After the death of Cochise, however, his people were removed to another reservation. The southeasternmost county of Arizona is named for him.

Cochise (1810?–74) legendary Chiricahua Apache chief, born probably in southeastern Arizona. Cochise participated in raids on Mexican settlements in the 1830s and 1840s, and became the principal chief of the Chokonen band in 1856. During the mid-1850s he alternated allegiances between the United States and Mexico.