Wild Bill Hickok

[tmh10]

Wild Bill Hickok is a name that reminds us of old west gunfights, but also was involved in the Civil War. I post a small bit of the story here, but if you want to know more just click on the link.


Hickok worked for the Union during the Civil War. At various times he acted as a scout, a spy, a detective, a special policeman and a sharpshooter. He served the Union well, especially at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark., March 6-8, 1862, when his accurate sharpshooting from a post high above Cross Timber Hollow snuffed out several Confederates.
James Butler Hickok was called 'Bill' as early as the mid-1850s, and he may have picked up the nickname 'Wild Bill' during the Civil War period for his carefree, daring ways of living and fighting. Some people attribute the sobriquet to an early 1862 incident in Independence, Mo. He and his brother Lorenzo apparently helped stop a lynch mob, and a woman called one or both of them 'Wild.' Or it might have been just J.B. Hickok stopping an angry mob outside an Independence saloon and a woman subsequently saying, 'Good for you, Wild Bill.' In any case, the nickname stuck, thanks in no small part to writer Nichols. Why did Hickok help Nichols embellish his accomplishments? Again, the answer is complex. First, Hickok tended to be rather boastful. He also found telling tales quite amusing, and may have even sensed that a big reputation might serve him well.

http://www.historynet.com/wild-bill-hickok.htm

 

[donna]

Thanks for post. I have read before about him being in Civil War but think a lot of folks just think of him in the Old West.

 

[deleson1]

My great great grandfather homesteaded land in the Rapid City, Deadwood area. He knew Wild Bill, not a good friend but a acquaintance, and had nothing good to say about him. Drunk, braggard, crook. But he was smart enough to never say it to his face.

 

[JWheeler331]

My great great grandfather homesteaded land in the Rapid City, Deadwood area. He knew Wild Bill, not a good friend but a acquaintance, and had nothing good to say about him. Drunk, braggard, crook. But he was smart enough to never say it to his face.

Well if he knew him for the short time he was in "alive" in Deadwood.....he did seem to be more disgruntled; drinking more, gambling more and things like that.

 

[deleson1]

Well if he knew him for the short time he was in "alive" in Deadwood.....he did seem to be more disgruntled; drinking more, gambling more and things like that.

IIRC, my relation met him prior to him coming to Deadwood. I think they met originally somewhere in Nebraska where my family lived before going to Rapid City/Deadwood area. I was told he seen him a few times in Deadwood also. Like I said, he was not really friends with him, merely a acquintance who had a low opinion of him. I was told this family history when I was young so I cant remember all the details

 

[DanF]

Hickcock may not have been a "hero". but unlike many of the "legendary Gunfighters". He could stand and deliver when called on to do so.

 

[carson_reb]

Another example of how closely the ACW and the history of the American West are, more often than not, related. JB Hickok, Col. GA Custer, WF Cody, Gens. George Crook and Lew Wallace, among others of more notorious Western fame, all played roles, some more significant than others, in the ACW, which was the beginning of their legends.

 

[JWheeler331]

Hickcock may not have been a "hero". but unlike many of the "legendary Gunfighters". He could stand and deliver when called on to do so.

Very true......One of the select few who could actually live up to the "Gunfighter" name.

 

[deleson1]

Hickcock may not have been a "hero". but unlike many of the "legendary Gunfighters". He could stand and deliver when called on to do so.

I agree with that 100 per cent. Like I said earlier it was only one of my relatives opinion of him, but then again my gggrandfather could of been a total a hole and no one cared what his opinion was, who knows, lol I have met a few famous people in my day and I am sure with all certainty that no one cares what my opinion of them were,,,,,,,,lmao.

 

[Borderruffian]

In the fall of 1861, James Hickok signed on as a teamster for the Union Army at Sedalia, Missouri, but within weeks was employed between Rolla and Springfield, and by the end of the year he was a wagonmaster.​

Hickok remained in that position until September 1862 when he was dropped for an undisclosed reason and disappeared for almost a year before he turned up at Springfield as a member of the "detective police" employed by the Provost Marshal of South-West Missouri. The missing period is still under investigation and, it is hoped, evidence will be found to provide details of his alleged forays into Confederate territory as a spy.​

As a detective, Hickok had his share of hazardous moments, but at times he must have been bored to death. His duties included visits to saloons within the city of Springfield to note the number of troops in uniform who were drinking whilst on duty, or to check on the owners to see if they had liqor licenses. Other tasks involved long treks to places as far away as Little Rock, Arkansas, to arrest or obtain sums of money from individuals in debt to the Union. On one occasion he and some other policemen were not paid. Hickok then resigned or, perhaps, was ordered by General Sanborn, in command of the District, to report to him, who then hired him as a scout. Paid five dollars a day, Hickok was provided with a horse and equipment. In later years, the general wrote that he was the best man he had.​

​

http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/585​

​

 

[diane]

It's weird to think my grandfather was a contemporary of Wild Bill Hickok's, but he was. There was an interesting type of man out West after the CW - don't know if it was the times or the war or both. But you didn't say a lot of things to their faces! When I started looking up my grandfather there were several old timers who said not to bother and said he was everything but a drunk. (Teetotaler except for his morning toddy.) So far, can't say they were far wrong!

 

[Borderruffian]

Dodge rose to prominence for his spectacular performance as a brigade commander at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, one of the most impressive (and unremembered) Union victories of the early war period. There is reason to believe that the Union Commander, Gen. Samuel Curtis, received warning of the planned (disastrous) Confederate encircling movement of his position through scouts working for Dodge. Further legend (utterly untrue) is that James "Wild Bill" Hickock was one of these scouts. Badly wounded at Pea Ridge, upon Dodge's recuperation he was promoted to brigadier general. General Grant placed him in command of the District of Corinth, Mississippi, part of Grant's Army of Tennessee, as well as the Second Division, 16th Corps.

http://www.civilwarsignals.org/pages/spy/pages/dodge.html

 

[Nathanb1]

It's weird to think my grandfather was a contemporary of Wild Bill Hickok's, but he was. There was an interesting type of man out West after the CW - don't know if it was the times or the war or both. But you didn't say a lot of things to their faces! When I started looking up my grandfather there were several old timers who said not to bother and said he was everything but a drunk. (Teetotaler except for his morning toddy.) So far, can't say they were far wrong!

I agree. Shook me to my foundations when I finally (hey, I'm slow) realized my great-granddad lived in the same small town as John Wesley Hardin. Thank goodness, he was Methodist and we didn't associate with those infant baptizers! (Just kidding, folks!) No wonder Sam (ggrandfather) preached with pistol on the pulpit and his rifle propped up within reach.....

 

[Dugger]

Hickcock may not have been a "hero". but unlike many of the "legendary Gunfighters". He could stand and deliver when called on to do so.

Now I not gonna defend the life he chose but from all accounts I have read he was the "real deal" . Dead shot. Calm. Many men he killed actully fired first...then he drilled em. Proficient with either left or right hand draw. Lizzie Custer loved him....hmmm...where does that go? Heh.

"Yes I have killed over 20 men but they all deserved it. Of course, mind you, I never let a man get the drop on me." Wild Bill

He did let an man get the drop on him in Deadwood. Was getting sloopy by then.

 

[Borderruffian]

The exploits of Wild Bill Hickok - spread by word-of-mouth and embellished by dime novels - would shape the popular image of America's frontier. Tall, lean, muscular, long blond hair falling to his shoulders, two pistols shoved into his belt, wearing a law man's badge on his chest: he personified the image of the Western hero for both his and later generations.
One incident in particular had a major impact on the birth of an icon of the Old West - the gunfight in which two lone gunman faceoff in the middle of a dusty street. There is no evidence that these shootouts occurred with any frequency in the West - after all, who in their right mind would participate in such a dangerous enterprise? However, an incident in Springfield, Missouri soon after the close of the Civil War did much to inspire the myth.
There was no love lost between Wild Bill and Dave Tutt. Hickok had fought for the Union, Tutt for the Confederacy. Their enmity only increased when both became interested in the same woman. The matter came to a head when Tutt stole Wild Bill's pocket watch during a poker game and bragged he would parade through Springfield's town square wearing his rival's prized possession. At the announced time, Wild Bill stood in the square and warned Tutt not to proceed. Unfazed, Tutt boldly strode towards his enemy and pulled his pistol. Wild Bill simultaneously drew his pistol and fired. Tutt fell - dead. Wild Bill quickly turned and leveled his gun towards a crowd of Tutt's supporters who had gathered nearby, warning them not to interfere. They took the hint.
Later, when Hickok became the law in such wide-open towns as Abilene and Hays City, Kansas, his reputation alone was often sufficient to persuade dusty cowhands to think twice about disrupting the peace.

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hickok.htm

 

[Nathanb1]

Now I not gonna defend the life he chose but from all accounts I have read he was the "real deal" . Dead shot. Calm. Many men he killed actully fired first...then he drilled em. Proficient with either left or right hand draw. Lizzie Custer loved him....hmmm...where does that go? Heh.

"Yes I have killed over 20 men but they all deserved it. Of course, mind you, I never let a man get the drop on me." Wild Bill

He did let an man get the drop on him in Deadwood. Was getting sloopy by then.

He's the reason I have to sit with my back against a wall when I'm in a restaurant or the lunchroom Daddy drilled it into me!

 

[diane]

Lol! My grandfather's brother, William, was a Baptist preacher in Texas and did exactly the same thing! He was a traveling preacher and he'd put up a big canvas painting of Judgement Day. In the center was the Throne of God, off to the right was the River of Life, off to the left was the Lake of Fire. The sheep were headed off to the River of Life and the goats were off to the Lake of Fire. So, it was pretty clear to any trouble makers they'd be goats if the preacher had to shoot them!

 

[Borderruffian]

He's the reason I have to sit with my back against a wall when I'm in a restaurant or the lunchroom Daddy drilled it into me!

Expired Image Removed

 

[tmh10]

Wild bill was in a play called Scouts of the West with Texas Jack Omohundro and Buffalo Bill Cody in 1873. As far as I can find out Wild Bill And Texas Jack left the show and Buffalo Bill then started his Wild West Show he was famous for.

 

[Borderruffian]