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THBRare Photograph of Al Sieber with Apache Scouts, Plus
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveNov 17, 2017 - Nov 18, 2017
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (372)
- Lot Description
Cabinet-sized silver print on heavy paper backing, likely early 20th century photograph printed from original negative. The studio photograph shows Al Sieber seated in front, with an unidentified government official in native dress standing behind him. Four Apache Scouts are on either side of the men.
Albert Sieber (1843-1907) was born in what is now Germany in 1843, the 13th of 14 children. As was too often the case in the past, his father died when he was just two years of age. His mother immigrated to Lancaster, PA with her eight living children in 1851. They later moved to Minnesota. In March 1862 he enlisted in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry and fought in a number of key battles over the next year, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg, the 1st MN was ordered to delay a Confederate assault on Cemetery Ridge on July 2, what many thought would be a suicide mission. It turned into one of the key maneuvers of the multi-day battle. The casualty rate for the unit in that battle was 82%, with Sieber being among the wounded. It was only one of at least 28 wounds suffered during his career.
After the Civil War Sieber went West to engage in a number of “Western” ventures – prospecting, ranching, and Indian fighting and scouting. General George Stoneman hired Sieber in 1871 as Chief of Scouts. He participated in Crook’s Apache campaign for the next two years. He continued working on the reservations and scouting for nearly one and a half decades. In 1883, he was involved in trying to locate Geronimo. He was in the field, but not present when Geronimo surrendered to Lieutenant Charles Gatewood and Nelson Miles in 1886.In 1887 Sieber and most of the Army officials at San Carlos left on business, leaving the Kid, Sergeant of Scouts, in charge. The scouts decided to celebrate with an alcoholic beverage, things got ugly and The Kid’s father was killed. Then a friend of the Kid’s retaliated, killing the murderer and his brother. When Sieber and the officers returned, they disarmed the combatants until the shootings could be investigated. Someone in the crowd of onlookers fired a shot, more shots were fired, and Sieber was wounded again. This effectively ended his scouting career.
He was fired from his position as chief of scouts in 1890. He returned to prospecting for a while, and seems to have taken on other “odd jobs.” In 1907 he was leading an Apache work crew that was building the Tonto Road (Gila Co., AZ), a project under the supervision of another famous scout, Luther Kelly. A large boulder, estimated to weigh at least 5 or 6 tons, was being moved by Sieber’s crew. They dug around it all day, but could not get it to move. Sieber did not want to leave it until the next day, so he went below to see what the problem was. He is reported to have crawled under the rock to move an obstruction - and the rock finally did move, crushing Sieber as it tumbled downhill.
The same photograph is reproduced opposite page 241 in the biography by Thrapp, Dan L. Al Sieber: Chief of Scouts. Norman (OK): University of Oklahoma Press, 1964. A first edition copy of the biography with dust jacket accompanies the lot.
A small discolored area that appears to be adhesive (tape?) just below Sieber's feet. A couple of tiny "nicks" in the top edge of the image. Otherwise very good. Book is good, obviously read and a bit musty-smelling, but no major flaws.Condition
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Eliminate the Hassle of Third-Party Shippers: Let Cowan's Ship Directly To You!
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