The specific military achievement of the Apache resistance during this evolution was remarkable.

The United States Army of the 1870s and 1880s was a professional force with substantial combat experience from the Civil War, equipped with modern weapons, supported by telegraph communication that allowed coordination across large areas, and backed by essentially unlimited national resources.

Against this force, a succession of Apache leaders maintained resistance for decades with a fighting force that never numbered more than a few hundred and that had no comparable logistical support.

The specific individuals who made this possible — the warriors, the scouts, the leaders — were people of exceptional individual capability operating within a tradition that had developed their skills over generations.