Many Loves of Buffalo Bill (7 page)

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 counterattack. 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
[sic]
of him, as he never shirked duty or faltered in emergencies
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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
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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
.
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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 twenty-two, 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.
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She had her share of admirers at the post as well. Settlers, soldiers, and cowboys kept her dance card full at every gala.
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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.”
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The Codys' home at Fort McPherson was a modest two-room cabin with an adjacent small log barn. Before Louisa and Arta's arrival, William had furnished the home with items he had 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.
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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 Indian warriors were mortally afraid of drunken women, so the pair guzzled down a bottle of tea and pretended to be inebriated. When the Indians saw their behavior, they fled in terror. William was pleased with the fact that Louisa could take care of herself if needed. He didn't worry too much 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 arrival of a baby and building a life for themselves in Nebraska once William's commitment to the army reached its end. Louisa had big plans for herself 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 met each other at Fort Sedgwick, Nebraska. 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
.
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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.
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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 onetime 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. Because the post commander had no jurisdiction over the civilians who were behind the thefts, a judge to handle such legal issues had to be appointed.

At first, William was hesitant 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.”
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Believing the job would not only keep William close to her but also be a prestigious honor, Louisa convinced him to take the position. William tracked down horse thieves, settled property disputes, officiated at weddings, and presided over divorce proceedings.
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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 wrote about how striking William looked. For example, General Henry E. Davies made this observation: “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.”
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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 had provided, 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. Nonetheless, she made sure that her husband was ready for his introduction into eastern society. 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.”
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(“Colonel” was an honorary title that the governor of Nebraska had given to William 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 theater. 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 theater manager.
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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 was hired on as a scout with another hunting expedition. The time he spent in New York away from the job had made him feel a little insecure about whether 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!”
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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 when it presented 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.