Buffalo Bill

Buffalo Bill (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was born William Frederick Cody in the American state of Iowa, near Le Claire . He was one of the most colorful figures of the Old West, and was perhaps a bit misunderstood.

Early years

Buffalo Bill was born in 1846, the year before Mormon pioneers went west to Utah and two years before gold was discovered in California. He was fifteen when he worked as a rider on the Pony Express, which went bankrupt the next year (1861). Shortly after the death of his mother in 1863, Cody enlisted in the 7th Kansas Cavalry regiment and fought with them on the Union side for the rest of the Civil War.

Related Topics:
1846 - Mormon - Pioneers - Utah - Gold - 1861 - 1863

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From 1868 until 1872 Cody was employed as a scout by the United States Army. Part of this time he spent scouting for Indians, and the remainder was spent gathering and killing buffalo for the U.S. Army and the Union Pacific Railroad. He received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for "gallantry in action" while serving as a civilian scout for the 3rd Cavalry. This medal was revoked on February 5, 1917, 24 days after his death, because he was a civilian and therefore was ineligible for the award under new guidelines for the award in 1917. The medal was restored to him by the army in 1989.

Related Topics:
1868 - 1872 - United States Army - U.S. Army - Union Pacific Railroad - Medal of Honor - 1989

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After being a frontiersman, Buffalo Bill entered show business. He toured the United States starring in plays based loosely on his Western adventures. His part typically included an 1876 incident at the Warbonnet Creek where he scalped a Cheyenne warrior, purportedly in revenge for the death of George Armstrong Custer.

Related Topics:
Frontiersman - 1876 - Warbonnet Creek - Cheyenne - George Armstrong Custer

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