Apache Terror | The Comanche “War of Extermination” that DESTROYED the Apache

The Apache Indians established dominance over the Spanish as they raided and destroyed settlements. However, Spanish technology created a far more dangerous and threatening presence that will upend the power dynamic of the region and push the Apache to the brink of extinction.

This story demonstrates the tumultuous era of fierce tribal warfare and relentless conquest and the shocking truth behind the downfall of the Apache Indians. Witness how the Apache, once a dominant force, fell victim to the relentless onslaught of their arch-rivals, the Comanche, in a merciless "War of Extermination."

Three books really helped me in researching this episode. I encourage you to check them out. They are listed below:

Comanches: The History of a People by T.R. Fehrenbach

The Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne

The Lipan Apaches: People of Wind and Lightning by Thomas A. Britten.

[Ammo]

I was in the Air Force with an Apache who grew up on a reservation in northern New Mexico....people talk about the Irish or us Southerners holding a grudge, , , he never missed a chance to knock the Comanche, the Spanish and the Mexicans...He and I hunted all over Wyoming and Colorado....he knew the Earth...This has been an excellent presentation....a little known bit of American history.

[tacitus]

Native American history needs to be presented more. The 'noble savage' idea of NA's being this monolithic group who were peaceful, friendly and in tune with nature has done so much damage. They were people, human beings, capable of great valour and great evil like the rest of us, and like the rest of us, they fought and traded with each other, sometimes brutally.

[viper]

Comanche v. Apache v. Spanish/Mexican v. American is easily one of the most colorful epochs in North America history. As a kid I grew up in Oklahoma, just miles away from Quanah Parker’s home. In High School I learned Oklahoma history and my teacher was a slightly militant Native American woman. She was great and she sparked a love of this I have had ever since. Great vid!

[AbnEngrDan]

West Texas Comanche here - Fantastic channel and episode. Very informative. I'm familiar with the general topic, as many stories (this one, for sure) are passed down from generation to generation in our family. I think the only part I'd differ on would be on when the Comanche were introduced to the Spanish Mustang. Coronado and subsequent expeditions from 1540s to the 1580s came into contact with Comanche bands in Western Kansas. In the stories passed down, this is the time frame they were introduced. It took many years to master, though. And also - the Comanche took to breeding because they learned how (and why) from the Spaniards. Not saying every band of the tribe, but I can tell you that two bands for sure were very friendly with the Spaniards early on - one of them I descend from.
Elders put their twists on history when it is passed down, but the 'meat' of it us very accurate.
Over the next century and a half, the horsemanship and tactics would expand to all Comanche bands. Understand that the need for more resources only came as they became completely mobile, leaving all agrarian life behind.

[spurtikus]

I think this would make an epic series. You could show this story from all three sides, who else would binge-watch it?

[ARPine-btuo]

I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Everything in the east and south bay is named after Juan Bautista de Anza! He led an expedition there is 1776 to explore the area around the San Francisco bay. I had no idea he was involved in the Apache and Commanche conflicts. It's so cool to see connections in history!

[GamerGateVeteran]

I am part Apache (and Cherokee), still living in Texas. Thank you for putting together such a well laid out and detailed summary of the many events. Well done. You have a new sub off this 👍

[goofydog]

One aspect to the Comanche I found interesting was their mastery of the horse, of course, and how they developed into the best fighters off the animal. It was how well they trained off the back of their horses and almost importantly was how they saved their warriors from succumbing to their enemy.They achieved this through their ability to swoop in during a battle and literally lift a wounded fellow warrior off the ground running at full speed, and swing the warrior up on the back of their horse. This took tremendous amounts of practice and strengthening exercises performing that feat. They learned to do this from young ages. I believe it gave the entire tribe a trust they wouldn't be left behind and that they would die for one another. Perhaps that is one of the reasons they fought so hard.

[tabletalk]

This is REAL history, not the phony garbage which passes for history in our schools. Bravo, friend!

[dudermcdudeface]

The Apache gambit of convincing the Spanish to unknowingly build on Comanche land is deliciously clever, even though it didn't work. That kind of chess is rarely shown in pop culture history, because it flies so far in the face of either positive (noble savage) or negative stereotypes (regular savage).

[timglasser]

The warcraft of the Comanche in America appears very similar to the Mongols in Asia. The Mongols covered vastly more territory, of course.

[geebeeinga]

Just finished Empire of the Summer Moon. Learned so much about this war between tribes and their history of conflict.

[orangehair]

Comanche vs Apache would make a great historical action movie. Even a series of movies.

[historynoble]

simple, not overdone, cheap but effective, intriguing without that much over-the-top editing. I love it. New subscriber.

[christophercharles]

Very nice presentation. You've done a great job of absorbing numerous sources and weaving them together into a fine, well-paced narrative. I'd never heard - in depth, anyway - of the Apache & Comanche war. Thanks for providing such a great introduction for me!

[richardwaid]

Wow, 69 years old and I have never heard this level of detail about this history. Snippets about some of it but nothing this encompassing. Well done!

[MrAkaacer]

Its amazing how different and similar we are. Largely we're a product of our geography. The Comanche's sound very similar to the mongols in the way they waged war.

[dougmoore]

I learned this as a child while living in phoenix for several years with my family. There was an Apache family several houses down and became friends and heard this from the grandfather. I never forgot it and wondered why this was not covered in school books or in class. As a young man l found information slowly hints about the war between the apaches and the Comanches. Also how the after effect that brought the apaches to Arizona.

[plantfeeder]

The beginning story of the Comanche is very similar to the beginning story of the Aztecs. Both were outcast tribes that found a source of power. The Comanche with the horse and the Aztec with their resoursefulness to where they ended up. And both were brutally vengeful people

[cademosley]

A book that goes into a deep dive for this period is Pekka Hamalainen's "The Comanche Empire". One interesting thing I learned from that book that this lecture kind of touches on is that the Spanish engagement with Comanche were night and day between New Mexico (peaceful relations) and Texas (terrible relations full of conflict), especially as it got into the 19th Century (after the period of this video). One thing that this lecture suggests is that the role of the Apache played into that in this early stage.