John Rope (circa 1855/1863 – 8 August 1944, born Tlodilhil (Black Rope) was a White Mountain Apache clan leader and Apache scout who received a medal of honor. Rope was born somewhere between Old Summit and Black River,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, but says his earliest memories are from his time near Cedar Creek, which is just west of Fort Apache. Rope's father was Nayundiie, a White Mountain Apache clan leader. He was foster brother to

Mickey Free Mickey Free (b. 1847/1848; d. 1914, Apache name Mig-gan-la-iae), birth name Felix Telles, was an Apache Indian scout and bounty hunter on the American frontier. Following his kidnapping by Apaches as a child, he was raised as one and became a war ...

. Rope went to San Carlos in mid-1870 while in his early twenties to enlist along with his brother and Yavapais, Tonto Apaches, San Carlos Apaches, and other White Mountain Apaches. He and his brother shared a horse and rode double to reach their destination. Rope stated that he had joined the army "in order to help the whites against the Chiricahuas because they had killed a lot of people." Rope rode as a scout for General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

during the

Apache wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

. During his time as a scout Rope attempted to arrest Casador (Casadora, Nànt'àntco - "great chief") a

Western Apache The Western Apache live primarily in east central Arizona, in the United States. Most live within reservations. The Fort Apache Indian Reservation, San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Tonto Apache, and the Fort McDowe ...

, who was chief of the

San Carlos Apache The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation ( Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fr ...

s. Casador had turned renegade after shooting and killing a woman and a man. He had dug in at Black Mesa and during the encounter with Rope one of the other Apache scouts was killed after Casador's warriors had opened fire upon them. Rope was with Crook during the capture of Chihuahua in the Sierra Madres and gave an account of the killing of Chihuahua's aunt by other scouts which resulted in the death of a young white captive boy by name of Charley McComas. Rope was extensively interviewed by Grenville Goodwin in later life. Rope was buried in Bylas, Arizona following his death and was given a full United States military honors burial, by the U.S. Army scouts based in

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, appr ...

. He was the first Apache scout to receive this honor.

References

Bibliography

* * * * *. In an article published in the Eastern Arizona Courier on February 13, 2008, the reporter Louis Lorenzo interviewed Ada Rope Jordan and Irene Rope Rustin, daughters of John Rose. The article states that John Rose "...was laid to rest in the 1940s in Bylas and was the first Apache scout to receive a medal of honor and to be buried with full military honors (by the U.S. Army scouts from Ft. Huachuca)." This reference does not refer to the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States armed forces, as there is no record of that decoration being awarded to John Rope. See Wikipedia articles List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars, and

List of Native American Medal of Honor recipients This is a list of Native Americans awarded the nation's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is bestowed "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in ...

and the U.S. Army Center of Military History Website
Native American Medal of Honor Recipients
* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rope, John 1855 births 1944 deaths United States Army Indian Scouts American frontier Apache Wars