Geronimo surrenders to General Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon
- When
- 1886
- Where
- Skeleton Canyon, Arizona
- Episodes
- 1
In September 1886, Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to General Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona, ending his final period of conflict. The surrender followed an intense pursuit in northern Mexico and a breakout from the San Carlos Reservation in May 1885. Geronimo's band, worn out by persistent military pressure, officially capitulated on September 4, 1886.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Geronimo, a military leader from the Bedonkohe band, engaged in raids and combat against Mexican and U.S. forces from 1850 to 1886. His actions were part of the prolonged Apache–United States conflict. In May 1885, he fled the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, leading to a renewed pursuit by American and Mexican forces that eroded his band's will to resist.
The Surrender. The small band of Apaches, completely worn out, returned to the United States with Captain Lawton. They officially surrendered to General Nelson Miles on September 4, 1886, at Skeleton Canyon, Arizona. This event marked the end of nearly three decades of campaigning and the final capitulation of Geronimo's last band of warriors.
People involved
- Geronimo · Apache military leader
- Nelson A. Miles · General, U.S. Army
- Henry Lawton · Captain selected by Miles in 1886 to command B Troop, 4th Cavalry at Fort Huachuca
Sources
- Geronimo Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26
- Skeleton Canyon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-20
- Nelson A. Miles Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.