Husband, Father, Scout and Actor
“My restless, roaming spirit would not allow me to remain at home very long.”
William Cody – 1904
In late February 1869, Louisa and her two-year-old daughter Arta were tucked safely inside her parent’s home in St. Louis, Missouri. It was cold, and she stood over a fire blazing in a grate fireplace trying to get warm. Her little girl was nearby playing on the floor with a doll. Preoccupied with rereading a letter from William, Louisa paid little attention to the knock on the front door, nor did she look up from the letter when her mother answered it. The sound of a familiar voice booming over Elizabeth Frederici’s cheerful welcome, prompted Louisa to set aside the correspondence.
Arta immediately recognized the burly figure that entered the room as her father’s. She hurried to William, and he scooped her into his arms. Louisa was less certain that the man was her husband. There was a long moment of silence as she studied his face and rugged manner of dress. The change in his appearance was so striking that she could only stare at him. “Where the close cropped hair had been were long, flowing curls now,” she later wrote in her memoirs. “A mustache weaved its way outward from his lower lip, while a small goatee showed black and spot-like on his chin.” (1)
Louisa slowly approached William then cupped his chin in her hand. He smiled back at her, and she hugged him around the neck, stroking his matted, unruly mane. “What happened to your hair?” she asked, smoothing it down and pushing several strands behind his ear. “This is how they wear it on the plains,” he replied unapologetically. “If it were any shorter I couldn’t claim to be a scout.” He went on to explain that any Native American who got the better of him would have quite a scalp on their hands. (2)
William pulled Louisa close to him and kissed her face. They were happy to see one another, but she thought he looked thin and tired. She promised to serve him a fine meal once he “made himself presentable.” After playfully tossing his daughter in the air a few times and tickling her ribs, he reluctantly went to take a bath and change out of his buckskins into store-bought clothes.
William’s appearance was significantly less wild when he sat down to eat dinner that evening with his family. It gave Louisa pleasure to see how well he liked her cooking. The good food, congenial surroundings, his wife’s attentiveness, and the affection of his daughter were not enough to entice him to stay put for an extended period of time.
General Phil Sheridan, commander of the troops on the western front, needed William as a scout for the Fifth Cavalry. The outfit was being transferred from Fort Lyon, Colorado, to Fort McPherson, Nebraska. As soon as the passage way was made safe from assault by the Sioux, Cheyenne, Kiwas, and Arapahoe Indians, William promised to return for Louisa and Arta and take them with him to the Northern Plains. The day he announced that he needed to be on his way, a troubled light came to Louisa’s eyes, and the lines around her mouth deepened with sorrow. She worried for her husband’s well-being on such a dangerous journey. She did not doubt his ability as a hunter, she had been present at numerous shooting expeditions where William occasionally and successfully competed.
Riflemen challenged the claim that he was the best buffalo hunter in the West. Huge sums of money were offered to William to prove his talent. Hundreds of spectators would converge at the spot where the contests were held, twenty miles east of Fort Sheridan, Illinois. William and his opponents would hunt for eight hours to see who could shoot the most buffalo. William always won. Many of the Plains Indians knew of his reputation and feared him. Louisa hoped his notoriety would protect him beyond the area where he earned his fame. Soon after William rode off to join Sheridan’s troops, Louisa began packing and making arrangements to go with him when he returned.
Riding well in advance of the cavalry, William blazed a trail through treacherous, unsettled territory scanning the area for hostile Indians. Not far from Fort Larned, Kansas, where his trip originated, he spotted a large gathering of Kiawa and Comanche braves. Other than being restless and anxious about receiving a herd of cattle the U.S. Government had promised the tribes, William accepted the word of the Indian leaders that they were not planning any attack. It did not go unnoticed by him, however, that many of the Natives were armed with rifles and had a generous supply of ammunition. He continued on his way, but kept a careful eye out for tribesmen who might be considering going on the warpath.
Days after his first encounter with the Indians, he was hurrying towards the next outpost on the trek to get supplies and a fresh mount when he was stopped by forty braves. He recognized them as the same men whom he had met outside Fort Larned. Their faces were now smeared with red paint, and their demeanor was clearly unfriendly. William was jerked off his ride, disarmed, and escorted to their camp along the Arkansas River. After some fast talking and the promise to help round up several head of cattle and drive them to their village, William was set free.
More than a dozen braves trailed along behind him to make sure he would do what he said. William slowly managed to pull ahead of his followers and eventually spurred his ride into a full gallop. A chase between the scout and the Indians ensued. The braves were gaining on William just as he spotted a party of soldiers moving out of a thicket beside a stream. The troops noticed William was in trouble and took position with their rifles to fire on the incoming Indians. When William reached the soldiers he leaped off his mount and fell in with them. Several shots were fired, and two braves were killed. The remaining Indians turned away from the ambush and rode back to their encampment. (3)
The Indian uprising along the route did not end with the exchange of gunfire outside Fort Larned. Native Americans were sullen and bitter about the intrusion on their land and the slaughter of the buffalo. From the time William left Louisa at the Kansas military post in 1867 until the time he was able to move his family to Nebraska two years later, he would be involved in numerous skirmishes with a variety of Indian tribes.
One of the most dangerous of the armed conflicts occurred in the summer of 1869 on the north fork of Nebraska’s Beaver Creek. William was leading a group of civilian scouts and Fifth Cavalry soldiers through the dangerous area when they happened upon a tribe of more than 300 Cheyenne warriors and their families. All were traveling along the water’s edge. Word of the Indian’s presence was sent to the commander of the troops, and orders were given to the soldiers to keep themselves low in the ravine to avoid being detected. William was sent ahead to find out how quickly the Indians were moving and in what direction. He returned with the recommendation that the Cavalry attack the Cheyenne before they discovered the Army was there.
The tribe was not caught unaware. Their own scouts had caught sight of the Army. The Indians lined up on one side of the creek-bed and were waiting for the advancing soldiers. The Fifth Cavalry’s commander, General Carr, divided his men into divisions and concentrated a wave of troops on the point in the line that had the least number of warriors. A rogue lieutenant decided to attack another point in the line and found himself and his division surrounded by 100 warring Cheyenne. While the remaining troops fought to rescue the men, the Indians fortified their defense. They held off the Cavalry long enough to get the women and children out of the area and then, a little at a time, began retreating towards the Republican River.
William’s superior shooting and riding skills were instrumental in driving the Cheyenne into the hills and out of the immediate area. The grueling battle had left the scout and the other members of the Cavalry exhausted and in need of provisions, ammunition, fresh horses, and reinforcements. The soldiers knew the Cheyenne were tenacious and would mount a counter attack. They knew they would need more help to fight back the rested warriors. William, who had been severely wounded in the episode, volunteered to travel to the nearest fort for assistance.
General Carr recalled William’s brave ride in his daily log. “…His head was swathed in a bloody handkerchief, which served as a bandage as well as a chapeau, his hat having been shot off, the bullet plowing his scalp badly for about five inches. He was bleeding profusely – a very close call, but a lucky one. The advance guard had been relieved, the Indians severely punished, with a loss on our side of only three killed. Our greatest need was supplies, which the hot trail had side tracked. As the country was infested with Indians, and it was fifty miles to the nearest supply point, Fort Kearney, on consultation with Cody he decided it would be best to undertake the job himself, a point of characteristic of him, as he never shirked duty or faltered in emergencies.
I gave him the best horse in the outfit, and when twilight arrived, he, after patching up his head a little, was off to bring relief and meet us at a point northwest about a day’s march away. These were about the most definite directions any scout got in the trackless wastes…. Cody made a ride of fifty miles during the night, arriving at Fort Kearney at daylight. (4)
He had chased and fought Indians all day, been wounded, and when, through his rare frontier instinct, he reached us he had been almost constantly in the saddle and without sleep for forty hours.”
By late summer 1869, William had moved Louisa and Arta to Fort McPherson and the family was busy partaking in the many social engagements at the post. At 22, Buffalo Bill, as many came to call him, was recognized by military leaders and government officials as the best guide and hunter on the plains. He and Louisa were highly sought after guests at dinners, dances, and weekly stage plays.
Female camp followers, wives and daughters of the military men stationed at the fort, found William’s unconventional looks appealing. They were attentive and eager to be near him. Louisa had become accustomed to William’s long whiskers and found them as attractive as the other ladies did. (5) She had her share of admirers at the post as well. Settlers, soldiers, and cowboys kept her dance card full at every gala. (6)
William was proud of his wife, and, in the first year together at the army camp, the two shared many wonderful memories. Years later, Louisa fondly recalled a Christmas when William left the fort to travel to Cheyenne, Wyoming to bring back “gifts and other necessities of the season.” While waiting for him to return, she and some of the other wives decorated the hall where a Christmas party was to be held. She helped prepare a massive holiday meal for the soldiers and their families as well. William arrived back at the post with a wagon that was overflowing with presents for Arta and the other children who lived there. “The program,” Louisa later wrote, “came off in high style, except when our daughter stood up and recited a bit of a silly verse her father had taught her, instead of the more appropriate recitation I had selected for her.” (7)
The Codys’ home at Fort McPherson was a modest two-room cabin with a small log barn located next to it. Prior to Louisa and Arta’s arrival, William had furnished the home with items he ordered from a store in Cheyenne. In his attempt to make the primitive structure presentable for his wife and child, he tried to paper the rough walls of the cabin. He abandoned the chore before it was completed. “I’m more of a success as an Injun killer,” he told his wife as she inspected the messy job. Louisa was grateful for her husband’s efforts. (8)
William wasn’t the only one in the family who had dangerous dealings with the Native Americans who surrounded the post. Louisa had her share of menacing encounters as well. One incident occurred at the Codys’ cabin while Louisa and her friend, Mrs. Charles McDonald, were working on sewing projects. They heard a noise outside the building and spotted hostile Indians lurking about. The two women knew that braves were mortally afraid of drunken women, so the pair guzzled down a bottle of tea and pretended to be inebriated. When the Natives saw their behavior they fled in terror. William was pleased with the fact that Louisa could take care of herself if needed. He worried less about the safety of his wife and baby when he was out on a scouting mission because he knew she was a capable woman.
The Codys’ marriage grew strong during their time at the fort. The time they spent together during breaks between scouting expeditions and community activities was enjoyable. They looked forward to the new baby they were soon going to have and building a life for themselves in Nebraska once William’s commitment to the army reached its end. Louisa had big plans for her and her husband, but so did Ned Buntline.
Ned Buntline was a newspaper publisher and writer. He was traveling through the region delivering lectures on the evils of drinking when he met William. The two men were at Fort Sedgwick, Nebraska when they were introduced. Ned was fascinated with the adventures the seasoned scout had experienced. He spent hours questioning William about his life and listening to harrowing tales of near death experiences and survival on the untamed frontier. Ned was so impressed with William that when he returned to his home state of New York, he penned a dime novel entitled Buffalo Bill: The King of Bordermen – the Wildest and Truest Story I Ever Wrote. (9)
The book was a huge success and helped make William the most famous westerner to date. The book became a series, and William read each installment with great enthusiasm and wonder. He and Ned corresponded between novels, and any new stories involving the daring scout’s encounters with Indians were transformed into another book. (10)
William’s popularity was still on the rise when his and Louisa’s son was born on November 26, 1870. The couple named him Kit Carson, after the famed frontiersman William had met when he was a boy. Not long after Kit’s birth, William was offered the job of Justice of the Peace of Cottonwood Springs. The one-time Pony Express station and county seat for North Platte was one mile southeast of Fort McPherson. A series of crimes were being perpetrated outside the jurisdiction of the post. Government property was being hijacked coming into and going out of the army camp. The post commander had no jurisdiction over the civilians who were behind the thefts which is why a judge to handle such legal issues needed to be appointed.
William was hesitant at first about accepting the job. He told the post commander that he didn’t “know any more about law than a government mule does about book-keeping.” (11) Believing the job would not only keep William close to her, but be a prestigious honor as well, Louisa convinced him to take the position. William tracked down horse thieves, settled property disputes, officiated at weddings, and over divorce proceedings. (12)
William’s interest in scouting and buffalo hunting did not wane with his new position. He was called on many times to guide buffalo hunting parties for such well-known men as General Phil Sheridan and the Grand Duke of Russia. Louisa sent her husband out on such expeditions dressed in elaborate, ornamental garments she had stitched herself. Those who accompanied him on various hunts, such as General Henry E. Davies, wrote in his book Ten Days on the Plains about how striking William looked. “Tall and somewhat slight in figure, though possessed of great strength and iron endurance, straight and erect as an arrow, and with strikingly handsome features, he once attracted to him all with whom he became acquainted, and the better knowledge we gained of him during the days he spent with our party increased the good impression he made upon his introduction.” (13)
The hunting parties William organized and led earned him a considerable amount of money as well as gifts of furs and priceless jewels. He was mindful of providing for his family’s well-being, but was prone to mismanaging his income if Louisa did not intercede. He was overly generous to his friends and made poor investment decisions. Louisa was thrifty and, although she liked fine things, lived in moderation.
The buffalo hunt William planned for Russia’s Grand Duke Alexis resulted in not only a substantial fee for his work, but also a trip to New York. William had always wanted to visit the east coast, and, out of gratitude for the excellent entertainment Cody offered him, the Duke made arrangements for the scout to make the journey.
Had it not been for the fact that Louisa was expecting their third child, she would have accompanied William on the excursion. She made sure her husband was ready for his introduction into eastern society regardless. She worked diligently on adding appropriate garments to his wardrobe. “We procured some blue cloth at the commissary and, sewing day and night, I made Will his first real soldier suit,” Louisa recalled in her memoirs, “with a Colonel’s gold braid on it, with stripes and cords and all the other gingerbread of an old-fashioned suit of blues.” (14) (Colonel was an honorary title given to William by the Governor of Nebraska while serving in the Nebraska National Guard.)
William was well received at every stop along the tour of the eastern cities. He was treated to fine meals with high ranking government officials and well-known entertainers. He was invited to balls and introduced to troupes of beautiful women all seeking his favor and attention. Journalists followed William everywhere he went and recorded what he said at the many events he attended, including a performance of a play written by Ned Buntline based on the novel the author had penned about the daring scout.
The audience gave William a standing ovation when they were informed he was in the theatre. At Ned’s insistence, he reluctantly made his way to the center of the stage to take a bow. The response prompted the backers of the show to offer William $500 to play himself. “You might as well try to make an actor out of a government mule,” William told the theatre manager. (15)
William extended his trip by ten days and would have continued traveling a bit longer if not for an order from General Sheridan to return to Fort McPherson. Before being rushed off to another uprising between the army and the Indians, he enjoyed a brief visit with his wife and children. He shared the particulars of his trip with Louisa, but chose not to elaborate on the ladies he met at the various dances where he was a guest. She learned the details of those outings on her own through the newspaper accounts of his journey.
William wasn’t home long before he hired on as a scout with another hunting expedition. The time he spent away from the job in New York had made him feel a little insecure about whether or not he could still do the work. “Why, Mamma,” he joked to Louisa, “I’m such a tenderfoot right now from being away that I’d run if I even saw an Injun!” In spite of his brief doubts, he proved himself on the wild plains again and again.
In the summer of 1872, he and his scouting partner, Texas Jack Omohundro, led a group of British sportsmen on a hunting trip that was attacked by North Platte Indians. Not only did William protect the sportsmen from being killed or captured, but he also helped them acquire the buffalo they hoped to win. William’s contribution as a scout for the military, combined with his work in helping to keep the peace on the wild frontier, was recognized by the U.S. Government presenting him with the Congressional Medal of Honor.
In between the various hunting trips, military assignments, award ceremonies, and a short-lived stint in politics, William became a father for the third time. Louisa gave birth to Orra Maude on August 13, 1872. Not long after the baby was born, Louisa’s parents urged her to bring the children to St. Louis for a visit, and she agreed.
While his family was away, William decided to accept Ned’s persistent requests to travel with him to Chicago and appear as the lead in the stage play about Cody’s adventures. William wrote Louisa of his intentions noting, “I don’t know just how bad I’d be at actin’. I guess maybe I better find out.” (16)
Ned assumed William would make the trip to Illinois with a troupe of westerners in tow (Indians, trappers, riders, etc.) who would participate in the show with him. Texas Jack was the only person with him when he arrived in Chicago. He was so excited that William had changed his mind about participating in the play that he wasn’t overly concerned about the additional casting. However, the owner of the theatre where the program was to take place was furious. Not only because William came to town with just one other person, but also because the play itself hadn’t been written yet.
The situation was quickly remedied. Ned penned a melodrama entitled The Scouts of the Prairie; actors, dancers, and set builders were hired. All those who hadn’t answered the call to go west were invited to see the play depicting the wilds beyond the Rockies. On December 12, 1872, audiences flocked to the opening night performance. The box office receipts for the debut show were more than $2,800. Ned took his troupe of novice entertainers on the road. Regardless of the poor reviews the show received for its writing and some of the performances, The Scouts of the Prairie was a financial success.
Louisa was taken aback when William announced he was going to resign as a scout for the army so he might continue with Ned’s show. “His primary motivation was providing for the children,” Louise wrote in her memoirs. “He wanted money to send the children to fine schools and give them everything they needed.” By the end of the first season, William had earned more than $6,000. It was more money than he had made in all the years he had been a military scout.
His family accompanied him on the road until he purchased a home for them in Rochester, New York in mid 1873. After making sure Louisa and the children had all they would need until he could see them again, he rode off to rejoin the cast of Ned’s show and enjoy the additional fame the play offered him.
(1) Yost, Nellie Snyder Buffalo Bill His Family, Friends, Fame, Failures and Fortunes Sage Books Chicago 1979 Pg. 18
(2) Cody, Louisa & Cooper, Courtney Ryley Memories of Buffalo Bill D. Appleton & Company New York 1919 Pg. 155-157
(3) Cody, William F. An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill Cosmopolitan Book Corporation New Jersey 1920 Pg. 137-140, Regli, Adolph The Real Book About Buffalo Bill Garden City Books New York 1952 Pg. 141, Yost, Nellie Snyder Buffalo Bill His Family, Friends, Fame, Failures and Fortunes Sage Books Chicago 1979 Pg. 4
(4) Goodman, Julia Cody & Leonard, Elizabeth Buffalo Bill: King of the Old West Library Publishers New York 1955 Pg. 188, Cody, William The Adventures of Buffalo Bill Harper & Brothers New York 1904 Pg. 135
(5) Regli, Adolph The Real Book About Buffalo Bill Garden City Books New York 1952 Pg. 160
(6) Yost, Nellie Snyder Buffalo Bill His Family, Friends, Fame, Failures and Fortunes Sage Books Chicago 1979
Pg. 40
(7) Cody, Louisa & Cooper, Courtney Ryley Memories of Buffalo Bill D. Appleton & Company New York 1919 Pg. 196-205
(8) Ibid., Pg. 160-164
(9) Goodman, Julia Cody & Leonard, Elizabeth Buffalo Bill: King of the Old West Library Publishers New York 1955 Pg. 195-196, Yost, Nellie Snyder Buffalo Bill His Family, Friends, Fame, Failures and Fortunes Sage Books Chicago 1979 Pg. 25, Cody, William F. Buffalo Bill’s Life Story Cosmopolitan Book Corporation New Jersey 1920 Pg. 159
(10) Monaghan, Jay The Great Rascal: The Life & Adventures of Ned Buntline Bantam Book New York 1953 Pg. 4
(11) Yost, Nellie Snyder Buffalo Bill His Family, Friends, Fame, Failures and Fortunes Sage Books Chicago 1979
Pg. 45
(12) Cody, Louisa & Cooper, Courtney Ryley Memories of Buffalo Bill D. Appleton & Company New York 1919 Pg. 207
(13) Davies, Henry E. & Hutton, Paul A. Ten Days on the Plains Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX. 1985
Pg. 25-26
(14) Louisa & Cooper, Courtney Ryley Memories of Buffalo Bill D. Appleton & Company New York 1919 Pg. 218
(15) Russell, Don The Lives & Legends of Buffalo Bill Cody University of Oklahoma Press Norman, OK. 1979 Pg. 182
(16) Louisa & Cooper, Courtney Ryley Memories of Buffalo Bill D. Appleton & Company New York 1919 Pg. 232
