Each shift reflected a new attempt to resolve a conflict that military force alone had proven incapable of ending.

The Apache’s approach also evolved.

The early phases of the conflict involved pitched battles and large-scale raids that reflected the Apache’s confidence in their ability to confront American military power in direct engagements.

As the Army’s presence increased and as the specific military tools available to it improved — including better repeating rifles, more efficient communication through telegraph, and eventually the use of Apache scouts who knew the terrain as well as the resisters — the Apache tactics shifted toward smaller, faster, more evasive operations.

The final phases of the resistance, in which Geronimo and his small band evaded multiple Army columns for months, were the culmination of this evolution toward maximum mobility and minimum vulnerability.