A Crook Named George

United States General George Crook died 116 years ago last month, on March 21, 1890. Crook served in the American Civil War for the Union, but he made his name in the Indian Wars that occurred in the latter half of the 1800s.

Crook was born in 1829 near Dayton, Ohio. He was a lackluster student at West Point, but still served in the Civil War for the Union. He was present at Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chickamauga, and the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.

In 1873, Crook attained the rank of brigadier general. He served in the Federal relocation of the Apaches and the Sioux. In the 1880s, Crook was in charge of rounding up the Apaches in Mexico, who were led by Geronimo. The Apaches proved hard to work with, with Geronimo getting away, but Crook succeeded in placing 500 Native Americans in a reservation (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

General Crook championed the rights of the Native Americans in his final years. He was known as a man of compromise and understanding to the Indians, and, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, "General William Tecumseh Sherman called him the best of the Indian fighters and managers" (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Crook died in 1890, leaving behind a legacy of conciliation with the Native Americans.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia