Thomas Cruse (1857–1943)

In 1879, Thomas Cruse graduated from West Point and was assigned to active duty in Arizona at Fort Apache. Throughout the 1880s Cruse participated in a number of campaigns against the Apache: the Cibecue Expedition in 1881, the Big Dry Wash campaign in 1882 (where he won the Medal of Honor), and a number of other campaigns throughout the Southwest. He married in 1882 and his wife accompanied him throughout his years of service. In the 1890s he was appointed to the Quartermaster Corps (an assignment he didn't relish) and served as chief quartermaster during the Spanish-American conflict. He spent time in Manila and retired from the army in 1918.

Most of this memoir deals with Cruse's years in the Southwest. A professional soldier, he makes no bones about his duties as an Indian fighter; political and social issues are not his concern. He gives a good picture of life at Fort Apache (and other camps), on the trail during campaigns, and encounters with "the enemy," which included Victorio and Geronimo. He also gives first-hand accounts of Generals Crook and Miles, and was particularly impressed with the leadership abilities of General Eugene Carr, especially at Cibecue. Cruse is a clear, objective writer, and the book is informative and interesting. A major disappointment is the lack of an index. Otherwise this is a good account of an army officer's reminiscences of the Indian campaigns in the Southwest during the 1880s.… (meer)