Of all the tales of stamina, strength, and raw courage that were emanated from our plains frontier, the story of Hugh Glass ranks as one of the most remarkable.
Hugh was a scout, trapper, hunter, Indian fighter and adventurer. He was nearing middle age when he signed on with William H. Ashley and Andrew Henry at St. Louis in early 1823 to ascend the Missouri River to trap and hunt. Hugh along with a small group of men led by Andrew Henry started overland along the Grand River toward the Yellowstone.
Several days later, while scouting for game apart from the rest of the group, Hugh was surprised by a she grizzly with her two cubs. Before he could set the triggers on his weapons he was picked up and thrown to the ground. All he had was his knife, which he used as he grappled with the bear. While the enraged bear cuffed and raked him with her powerful paws, Hugh plunged his blade again and again. Both combatants sank to the ground, Hugh victorious, but horribly maimed and more dead than alive. Hearing his screams for help his fellow companions arrived and bandaged his wounds the best they could and waited for him to die. At length, wishing to hasten their march to the Yellowstone, Henry asked for volunteers to stay until Hugh was dead and to bury his body. With a promise of monetary compensation, John S. Fitzgerald and a nineteen-year-old Jim Bridger agreed to stay. So hopeless seemed his condition that they began digging his grave. But before they could complete even this last favor, a band of hostile Indians was reported approaching. The two men picked up Hugh's rifle, knife and other equipment and hurried to join the rest of the company in flight, leaving Hugh for dead.
Hugh eventually awoke - - to a grim situation. His companions had abandoned him and he vowed he would kill them. He was alone, unarmed without even a knife and 200 miles from Ft. Kiowa, the nearest settlement. His leg was broken. His wounds were festering. So much flesh had been torn from his back he could touch bare ribs.
He dared not follow the Grand River because of hostile Indians, so raft transportation was out. Hugh re-set his own leg and made a sort of carriage for it so that he could drag himself along on two elbows and one knee. He threw the bearskin his companions had covered him with for protection and camouflage. On September 9, he began crawling, his destination, the Cheyenne River some 100 miles to the south.
Fever and infection took their toll and frequently rendered him unconscious. Once he passed out and awoke to discover a huge grizzly standing over him. The animal had evidently been attracted by Hugh's bearskin. While Hugh lay perfectly still, the grizzly flicked the bearskin off Hugh's back and began licking his maggot-infested wounds. This may have saved Hugh from further infection and death. Later he resumed his torturous journey, revenge on the companions who had left him for dead kept him going.
It took Hugh two months to reach the Cheyenne River. There he felt he was safe enough to follow the river. He fashioned a crude dugout from a fallen tree, shoved it into the water and began floating down the Cheyenne and then the Missouri. river several days of comparatively luxurious travel he finally reached Ft. Kiowa and safety.
He recuperated and then sought the two men who had left him for dead. He found Bridger, who had grown into a big man, at a fur trading post on the Yellowstone River near the mouth of the Big Horn River. He did not kill Bridger because of his youth. He then sought out Fitzgerald and found him some time later, discovering that he had joined the Army. Hugh likewise did not kill Fitzgerald because the killing of a U.S. soldier carried severe consequences.
Hugh eventually returned to the Upper Missouri country in the fall of 1828, remaining there until the end of his life. That life came to an end in the early days of 1833, when Hugh and two companions started down the frozen Yellowstone River on a hunting and trapping excursion. They had proceeded only a few miles from the fort when a roving band of Arikaras jumped them from the bank, and Hugh Glass, who had become a legend in his own time, at last fell dead beside his two comrades.
Hugh was a scout, trapper, hunter, Indian fighter and adventurer. He was nearing middle age when he signed on with William H. Ashley and Andrew Henry at St. Louis in early 1823 to ascend the Missouri River to trap and hunt. Hugh along with a small group of men led by Andrew Henry started overland along the Grand River toward the Yellowstone.
Several days later, while scouting for game apart from the rest of the group, Hugh was surprised by a she grizzly with her two cubs. Before he could set the triggers on his weapons he was picked up and thrown to the ground. All he had was his knife, which he used as he grappled with the bear. While the enraged bear cuffed and raked him with her powerful paws, Hugh plunged his blade again and again. Both combatants sank to the ground, Hugh victorious, but horribly maimed and more dead than alive. Hearing his screams for help his fellow companions arrived and bandaged his wounds the best they could and waited for him to die. At length, wishing to hasten their march to the Yellowstone, Henry asked for volunteers to stay until Hugh was dead and to bury his body. With a promise of monetary compensation, John S. Fitzgerald and a nineteen-year-old Jim Bridger agreed to stay. So hopeless seemed his condition that they began digging his grave. But before they could complete even this last favor, a band of hostile Indians was reported approaching. The two men picked up Hugh's rifle, knife and other equipment and hurried to join the rest of the company in flight, leaving Hugh for dead.
Hugh eventually awoke - - to a grim situation. His companions had abandoned him and he vowed he would kill them. He was alone, unarmed without even a knife and 200 miles from Ft. Kiowa, the nearest settlement. His leg was broken. His wounds were festering. So much flesh had been torn from his back he could touch bare ribs.
He dared not follow the Grand River because of hostile Indians, so raft transportation was out. Hugh re-set his own leg and made a sort of carriage for it so that he could drag himself along on two elbows and one knee. He threw the bearskin his companions had covered him with for protection and camouflage. On September 9, he began crawling, his destination, the Cheyenne River some 100 miles to the south.
Fever and infection took their toll and frequently rendered him unconscious. Once he passed out and awoke to discover a huge grizzly standing over him. The animal had evidently been attracted by Hugh's bearskin. While Hugh lay perfectly still, the grizzly flicked the bearskin off Hugh's back and began licking his maggot-infested wounds. This may have saved Hugh from further infection and death. Later he resumed his torturous journey, revenge on the companions who had left him for dead kept him going.
It took Hugh two months to reach the Cheyenne River. There he felt he was safe enough to follow the river. He fashioned a crude dugout from a fallen tree, shoved it into the water and began floating down the Cheyenne and then the Missouri. river several days of comparatively luxurious travel he finally reached Ft. Kiowa and safety.
He recuperated and then sought the two men who had left him for dead. He found Bridger, who had grown into a big man, at a fur trading post on the Yellowstone River near the mouth of the Big Horn River. He did not kill Bridger because of his youth. He then sought out Fitzgerald and found him some time later, discovering that he had joined the Army. Hugh likewise did not kill Fitzgerald because the killing of a U.S. soldier carried severe consequences.
Hugh eventually returned to the Upper Missouri country in the fall of 1828, remaining there until the end of his life. That life came to an end in the early days of 1833, when Hugh and two companions started down the frozen Yellowstone River on a hunting and trapping excursion. They had proceeded only a few miles from the fort when a roving band of Arikaras jumped them from the bank, and Hugh Glass, who had become a legend in his own time, at last fell dead beside his two comrades.
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