Leonard Wood (1860–1927)

Leonard wood was a young contract surgeon, brand new to the army when he joined the expeditionary force, headed by Captain Henry Lawton, to track down Geronimo and a small band of his Chiricahua Apaches who had fled their Arizona reservation and crossed the border into Mexico, where they successfully eluded the Mexican Army, vigilante ranchers, and Lawton's combined force of cavalry, infantry and Indian scout-trackers for more than six months. Wood's journal is amazingly detailed, well-written and most interesting, as he describes the extreme hardships of the four long months he spent in pursuit of the Apache 'hostiles,' finding and losing their trail countless times, enduring boiling heat, torrential rains, flash floods, hunger and thirst, sickness and injuries. Besides being the unit doctor, he also volunteered to take command of the unruly, poorly disciplined infantry. He rode, walked and swam many hundreds of miles, and nearly died from a tarantula bite. He also dispensed medical aid to both his own men and to the poor local populace they encountered in their months long search. Wood's slim journal is well supplemented with useful notes, bibliography and an index, all useful in understanding the expedition's mission, the Mexican culture, the terrain and the principals involved.

About all I knew of Leonard Wood for a long time was the Fort that bears his name in Missouri, an unfriendly, sand-blasted spot where I endured Army Basic Training not once, but twice. In fact, in 1898, more than twenty years later, Wood was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in running down Geronimo in the mountains of Mexico. He went on to a most illustrious and decorated career in the Army and later in politics.

CHASING GERONIMO is a very good book, especially for history buffs. (Be sure to read the endnotes as you go along.) Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (plus d'informations)