The Life of Hon. William F. Cody

Life of Hon. William F. Cody, by
William F. Cody

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Title: The Life of Hon. William F. Cody Known as Buffalo Bill The
Famous Hunter, Scout and Guide
Author: William F. Cody
Release Date: November 10, 2003 [EBook #10030] [Date last updated:
July 5, 2006]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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THE LIFE OF HON. WILLIAM F. CODY

KNOWN AS BUFFALO BILL
THE FAMOUS HUNTER, SCOUT AND GUIDE.
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
1879

To GENERAL PHILIP H. SHERIDAN, THIS BOOK IS MOST
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
[Illustration: Yours Sincerely, W. F. Cody]

INTRODUCTORY.
The life and adventures of Hon. William F. Cody--Buffalo Bill--as told
by himself, make up a narrative which reads more like romance than
reality, and which in many respects will prove a valuable contribution
to the records of our Western frontier history. While no literary
excellence is claimed for the narrative, it has the greater merit of being
truthful, and is verified in such a manner that no one can doubt its
veracity. The frequent reference to such military men as Generals
Sheridan, Carr, Merritt, Crook, Terry, Colonel Royal, and other officers
under whom Mr. Cody served as scout and guide at different times and
in various sections of the frontier, during the numerous Indian
campaigns of the last ten or twelve years, affords ample proof of his
genuineness as a thoroughbred scout.
There is no humbug or braggadocio about Buffalo Bill. He is known far
and wide, and his reputation has been earned honestly and by hard
work. By a combination of circumstances he was educated to the life of
a plainsman from his youth up; and not the least interesting portion of
his career is that of his early life, passed as it was in Kansas during the
eventful and troubleous times connected with the settlement of that
state. Spending much time in the saddle, while a mere boy he crossed

the plains many times in company with bull-trains; on some of these
trips he met with thrilling adventures and had several hairbreadth
escapes from death at the hands of Indians. Then, for a while, he was
dashing over the plains as a pony-express rider. Soon afterwards,
mounted on the high seat of an overland stagecoach, he was driving a
six-in-hand team. We next hear of him cracking the bull-whacker's
whip, and commanding a wagon-train through a wild and dangerous
country to the far West. During the civil war he enlisted as a private,
and became a scout with the Union army; since the war he has been
employed as hunter, trapper, guide, scout and actor. As a buffalo hunter
he has no superior; as a trailer of Indians he has no equal. For many
years he has taken an active part in all the principal Indian campaigns
on the Western frontier, and as a scout and guide he has rendered
inestimable services to the various expeditions which he accompanied.
During his life on the plains he not only had many exciting adventures
himself, but he became associated with many of the other noted
plainsmen, and in his narrative he frequently refers to them and relates
many interesting incidents and thrilling events connected with them. He
has had a fertile field from which to produce this volume, and has
frequently found it necessary to condense the facts in order to embody
the most interesting events of his life. The following from a letter
written by General E. A. Carr, of the Fifth Cavalry, now commanding
Fort McPherson, speaks for itself:
* * * * *
"I first met Mr. Cody, October 22d, 1868, at Buffalo Station, on the
Kansas Pacific railroad, in Kansas. He was scout and guide for the
seven companies of the Fifth Cavalry, then under Colonel Royal, and
of which I was ordered to take the command.
"From his services with my command, steadily in the field for nine
months, from October, 1868, to July, 1869, and at subsequent times, I
am qualified to bear testimony to his qualities and character.
"He was very modest and unassuming. I did not know for a long time
how good a title he had to the appellation, 'Buffalo Bill.' I am apt to

discount the claims of scouts, as they will occasionally exaggerate; and
when I found one who said nothing