Indian Wars

How Buffalo Bill Cody almost saved Sitting Bull’s life

If everything had worked according to Buffalo Bill’s plans, he may have saved the life of his friend, Lakotah Warrior Sitting Bull. However, since things rarely work out according to plans in real-life, the story has some odd twists to it — and, sadly, an unhappy ending.

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‘Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes’ — Get a copy of this book

I urge you, if you have any interest in the history and leadership of Plains Indians — especially the Cheyennes — to get a copy of this excellent book by historian Stan Hoig, “The Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes.” It was published by University of Oklahoma Press in 1980, and, yes, it IS (or at least at the time I’m writing this article) available to order online directly from University of Oklahoma Press — and, no, I don’t make a plug nickle from the purchase if you go to that link and buy yourself a copy.

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Get Henry M. Stanley’s account of his 1867 trip across the Plains

You may have to look around to find it, but I urge you to get Henry M. Stanley’s account of his 1867 trip across the Plains.

I absolutely love reading the diaries, journals, and other firsthand accounts of people who traveled to and through the Old West. My copy of Stanley’s fascinating account of his travels with U.S. Army troops and the early Indian Wars is an old paperback edition published in 1982 by the University of Nebraska Press as part of their Bison Books history series. The title of the book is “My Early Travels and Adventures in America.”

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Follow-up on that ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belt

I don’t know as I’ll ever find the answer to this one — why some of the post-Civil War cartridge belts used in the West were called “Fair Weather Christain” belts — but I’ve got a couple of things to pass along on the matter:

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Anyone know origins of name ‘Fair Weather Christian’ cartridge belts?

I was browsing through some Western history sources this morning and the phrase “Fair Weather Christian cartridge belts” caught my eye.

But I have spent much of the morning Googling and digging through books in my library — and no where can I find anything about the origins of that name and what in the world it had to do with the M1876 Cartridge Belt. Yes, I got that specific information from a site that makes and sells leather holsters, belts, and other Old West leather gear. They made reference in passing on that site to troops who had fought in the Civil War adapting some of their military belts to hold cartridges. I even found reference somewhere to a replica of Frank James’ 1875 Remington .44-.40 pistol, which showed a picture of the gun and a handmade replica of James’ holster and “Fair Weather Christian” belt.

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