"William" Alchesay
Alchesay, whose Sierra Blanc Apache name translated to “The Swollen”, was born on the 17th of May 1853, in Limestone Canyon of the Arizona Territory. At 19 years old, he joined the US Army Indian Scouts and served under General George Crook during a Chiricahua Apache uprising in 1872. Alchesay’s actions during the winter of 1872-1873 as an envoy for General Crook to Geronimo later earned him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.
Alchesay not only fought in the campaign but was able to convince Geronimo to surrender peacefully in 1886. He was described as “a perfect Adonis in figure, a mass of muscle and sinew of wonderful courage, great sagacity, and as faithful as an Irish hound” by another Medal of Honor recipient, John Bourke, who was the General Crook’s aide. Alchesay received his Medal of Honor on the 12th of April 1875 (making him one of fourteen Native Americans to receive the Medal during the campaign), and he returned to his family in 1886, where he was a cattleman and farmer. He became leader of his tribe and eventually traveled to Washington DC to speak with President Cleveland in 1887, President Roosevelt in 1909, and President Harding in 1921, in order to advocate for better conditions for his people.
Alchesay was married three times, since plural marriage was a custom and was recognized by the US government and he applied for an Indian Wars pension in 1925 under the name of William, and he also stepped down from active chieftainship. Alchesay, also known as William Alchsay, died on the 6th of August 1928, at the age of 75. He is buried in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation Cemetery, in Whiteriver, Arizona.
