|
|
Medicine Bill Comstock – Saga of the Leatherstocking ScoutBy Susan K. Salzer | Wild West | 4 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post This may have been the grave Leslie Linville of Colby, Kan., found in 1941. At the time he thought it was that of an Indian, but later he came to believe it was Comstock’s. “He was buried very respectfully in a very shallow grave, perhaps 12 inches deep facing the Rising Sun,” Linville wrote in 1970. “This was a must with the old Frontier Men.” Others agreed, including historian Gray. But in the end, one can only speculate. Such is the case with so many things in Comstock’s life. Although he was, like Buffalo Bill, a highly respected Army scout in Kansas, Medicine Bill didn’t have Cody’s longevity or knack for providing colorful stories, in print or onstage. But Comstock was kindred to Natty Bumppo, with one big difference. He was, despite the mystery and controversy, the real thing—a plainsman who was anything but plain, and a white man from Michigan who died with his moccasins on in the true West. Subscribe Today
Author Susan K. Salzer writes from Columbia, Mo. For further reading: Fort Wallace, Sentinel on the Smoky Hill Trail, by Leo E. Oliva; and Ups and Downs of an Army Officer, by George A. Armes. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 19th Century, Adventurers & Trail Blazers, American Indian Wars, Literature, Native American History, Westward Expansion, Wild West
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
What is HistoryNet?The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest. |
From Our Magazines
|
Weider History Group |
Weider History Network: HistoryNet | Armchair General | Great History | Achtung Panzer! Terms of Use | Copyright © 2009 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. |
||
Loading ...
4 Comments to “Medicine Bill Comstock – Saga of the Leatherstocking Scout”
Simply a great article on perhaps one of the greatest scouts in the era of the american indian wars. Likely killed by indians because
of his expertise and knowledge of the red rascals!
By Marc Holcomb on May 14, 2009 at 9:48 pm
i think bill comstock was in the beecher island fight, and was he not shot by warriors a little distance from a dog soldier village, allegedly there to spy for general custer?
By linda on Aug 12, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Linda. Medicine Bill was not in the Beecher Island fight but Sharp Grover was. George Bent said Comstock had visited the Dog Soldier village of Bull Bear, not Turkey Leg as most reports claim. Did the Indians kill him? Who knows? Personally, I believe Medicine Bill was killed by Indians. A spy for Custer? Interesting idea and one I have not heard. Most accounts say Bill and Grover were trying to talk the Indian leader (Turkey Leg or Bull Bear) into calming down his warriors. I’m working on a book about all this and hope to learn more about this fascinating character.
By Susan Salzer on Sep 8, 2009 at 10:38 am
this guy was my great grandmother’s uncle. We still have similar family traits to this day, both me and many of my cousins..
Amazing really…
By Deana Truman on Nov 2, 2009 at 11:44 pm