Amos Chapman (1839–1925) was a civilian scout who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for gallantry while in service of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...

. His medal was later revoked before he died as he was a civilian, but was reinstated in 1989. He was of mixed white and Native American ancestry, and married Mary Longneck, a

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

woman, maintaining Native American customs throughout his life. In 2012, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.

Biography

Chapman was born in 1837 in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, to white and Native American parents. He began acting as a scout for the U.S. Army and settlers in the 1860s. In 1868, he moved to Oklahoma, and was attached to the Seventh Cavalry during General

Alfred Sully Alfred Sully (May 22, 1820 or 1821 – April 27, 1879) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and the American Indian Wars. He served as Brevet Brigadier General in the Union army ...

's actions against the

out of

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Ce ...

. Subsequently,

Camp Supply Fort Supply (originally Camp Supply) was a United States Army post established on November 18, 1868, in Indian Territory to protect the Southern Plains. It was located just east of present-day Fort Supply, Oklahoma, in what was then the Cherokee ...

was set up and Chapman worked there as an interpreter. Ledger-sm2

He married Mary Longneck, the daughter of the Cheyenne Chief Stone Calf, and had six children with her. He lived for a time with her tribe. In July 1874, he volunteered to scout for the U.S. Army once more, and scouted for Lt. Frank Baldwin. On September 12, 1874, he was involved in an action which would earn him a

. Chapman, fellow civilian

Billy Dixon William Dixon (September 25, 1850 – March 9, 1913) was an American scout and bison hunter active in the Texas Panhandle. He helped found Adobe Walls, fired a buffalo rifle shot at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, and for his actions at the ...

and four soldiers were confronted with a force of over a hundred

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

s and

Kiowa Kiowa ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe and an Indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colora ...

s. At the Battle of Buffalo Wallow, as it became known, the small group made its way to a defensive position in a

buffalo wallow A buffalo wallow or bison wallow is a natural topographical depression in flat prairie land that holds rain water and runoff. Though thriving bison herds roamed and grazed the great prairies of North America for thousands of years, they left f ...

, where it held out until the weather caused the Native American force to break off their attack. What happened during the battle is disputed. At one point either Dixon or Chapman was injured and stranded outside of the wallow and the other ventured out to retrieve his fellow scout. Chapman's story goes that he pulled Dixon up onto his back, and had to stop on his return several times to eliminate the Native Americans who were attempting to shoot him and Dixon. With a quarter of a mile to go before they reached the wallow, Chapman was shot in shin on his right leg, which shattered the bone. He continued to drag himself and Dixon the rest of the way back to the wallow, whilst under fire. However, Dixon's story is that Chapman was already injured and Dixon retrieved him and pulled him back to the wallow.

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Nelson A. Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War (1861–1865), the later American Indian Wars (1840–1890), and the Spanish–American War, (1898). From 1895 to 1903 ...

would later say of Chapman's actions that they were "one of the bravest deeds in the annals of the army." Chapman's leg was amputated by a surgeon at Camp Supply, and all the survivors were awarded a Medal of Honor. Chapman subsequently wore a prosthetic leg, and continued to serve as camp interpreter during the commotion following the

Dull Knife Fight The Dull Knife Fight, or the Battle on the Red Fork, part of the Great Sioux War of 1876, was fought on November 25, 1876, in present-day Johnson County, Wyoming between soldiers and scouts of the United States Army and warriors of the Northern ...

in 1879. The Native Americans referred to him as Tam-e-yukh-tah, which translated as "the man with the cut off leg". He later retired from service and settled with his wife and family near

Seiling, Oklahoma Seiling ( ) is a city in Dewey County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 850 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 1899 for Louis Seiling, a local store owner who had acquired a homestead in the Cheyenne-Arapaho land run of April 1 ...

. He reportedly still slept on occasion in a

teepee A tipi or tepee ( ) is a conical lodge tent that is distinguished from other conical tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the structure, and historically made of animal hides or pelts or, in more recent generations, of canvas stretched o ...

. Chapman would visit Miles annually in Washington. He died on July 18, 1925, as a result of injuries suffered from a wagon accident. He was due to speak as part of the

lyceum circuit The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

at the time of his death. He was buried in Brumfield Cemetery,

Dewey County, Oklahoma Dewey County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,484. Its county seat is Taloga. The county was created in 1891 as "County D". In an 1898 election, county voters chose the ...

Medal of Honor and legacy

Chapman's medal was revoked in a review in 1916–17, along with several other awards made to civilian scouts. It was restored in 1989. His citation reads "The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Civilian Scout Amos Chapman, a United States Civilian, for gallantry in action on 12 September 1874, while serving as an Indian Scout with the 6th U.S. Cavalry, at Washita River, Texas." He was admitted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame as one of the 2012 inductees.

References

External links

* First Burial = miles East of Seiling {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Amos 1839 births 1925 deaths American people of the Indian Wars Civilian recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Michigan People from Seiling, Oklahoma United States Army civilians American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor and legacy

See also

References

External links