▁T ent ". ▁ ▁C och ise ▁joined ▁with ▁his ▁father - in - law ▁Mang as ▁Color adas ▁( Red ▁S lee ves , ▁Kan - da - z is ▁T lish ish en ), ▁the ▁powerful ▁Chi hen ne - Ch ir ic ah ua ▁chief , ▁in ▁a ▁long ▁series ▁of ▁ret ali atory ▁sk irm ishes ▁and ▁ra ids ▁on ▁the ▁white ▁settlement s ▁and ▁ran ches . ▁The ▁Battle ▁of ▁Drag oon ▁Spr ings ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁these ▁engag ements . ▁During ▁the ▁ra ids , ▁many ▁people ▁were ▁killed , ▁but ▁the ▁Apache ▁quite ▁often ▁had ▁the ▁upper ▁hand . ▁The ▁United ▁States ▁was ▁dist ract ed ▁by ▁its ▁own ▁internal ▁conflict ▁of ▁the ▁lo oming ▁Civil ▁War , ▁and ▁had ▁begun ▁to ▁pull ▁military ▁forces ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁area . ▁It ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁the ▁resources ▁to ▁deal ▁with ▁the ▁Apache . ▁Additionally , ▁the ▁Ap aches ▁were ▁highly ▁adapted ▁to ▁living ▁and ▁fighting ▁in ▁the ▁har sh ▁terrain ▁of ▁the ▁south west . ▁Many ▁years ▁passed ▁before ▁the ▁US ▁Army , ▁using ▁tact ics ▁conce ived ▁by ▁General ▁George ▁Cro ok ▁and ▁later ▁adopted ▁by ▁General ▁Nelson ▁A . ▁Mil es , ▁were ▁able ▁to ▁effectively ▁challenge ▁the ▁Apache ▁war rior ▁on ▁his ▁own ▁lands . ▁ ▁Battle ▁of ▁Apache ▁Pass ▁At ▁Apache ▁Pass ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 2 , ▁C och ise ▁and ▁Mang as ▁Color adas , ▁with ▁around ▁ 5 0 0 ▁f igh ters , ▁held ▁their ▁ground ▁against ▁a