George Crook was Born near Dayton, Ohio, September 8, 1830, he graduated from West Point in 1852. In 1861 he was promoted to Captain and gave good service in Western Virginia and in September was promoted to Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers, taking command of the Kanawha District.

He was in command of the Division of Cavalry in the Army of the Cumberland, was at Chickamauga and drove Joseph Wheeler across the Tennessee. He was brevetted Major General of Volunteers, July 1864, and was put in command of the Army of West Virginia, and took part in General Philip Henry Sheridan's operations in the Shenandoah Valley. In late February 1865, he was captured by Confederate guerrillas, being exchanged the next month.

He was brevetted Brigadier and Major General, U.S. Army on March 14, 1865, afterwards distinguishing himself in several campaigns against Indians, particularly in the battles of Powder River, Tongue River and the Rosebud.

He died on March 21, 1890 at Chicago while in command of the Department of the West. Crook Walk in Arlington National Cemetery is named for him. He was originally buried in Oakland, Maryland, but was moved to Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1898.

His wife, Mary Tapscott Dailey Crook, born at Moorefield, Virginia, May 7, 1842 and who died at Oakland, Maryland, September 24, 1895, is buried with him.

General Crook's destiny was to lead his men against the rebel tribal leaders such as Cochise and Geronimo. It was these tasks that brought him to the Sonoran deserts, and the Tucson area. Crook was attacked by many for his "lenient" policies towards the Apache, and it was even proffered that he was a coward. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he likely had become weary of a lifetime of killing, and he was trying to find alternate solutions. None of his ideas were well received by the government, and he ultimately retired under some stress.

Perhaps the best way to get to know General Crook is to hear what he has to say, and the way he says it. Following is one of his military letters:

HQ, Second Cavalry Division

Maysville, Ala., November 5, 1863

MAJOR: I have the honor to report that on the 23d of September I was ordered by the commanding general of the department to proceed to Washington, Tenn., with my command, numbering about 2,000 effective men, for the purpose of guarding the fords along the Tennessee River for a distance of some 50 miles. The roads leading to the different fords and ferries were in many cases 5 miles apart. Between these points there were practicable fords almost every half mile. It was impossible to patrol along the bank of the river between these roads, and to go from one to the other required us in many instances to make a detour of 10 and even 15 miles.

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