George Bent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Bent
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George Bent and his first wife Magpie, in 1867.
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| Born | 1843 Otero County, Colorado, United States |
| Died | May 19, 1918 (aged 75) Washita, Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of AmericaCheyenne  United States |
| Service/ |
 Confederate States ArmyDog Soldiers |
| Years of service | 1861–1862 CSA, 1864–1867 Cheyenne |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 1st Missouri Cavalry Regiment (CSA) Landis' Battery, Missouri Light Artillery (CSA) |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
George Bent (1843 – May 19, 1918) was a unique person who lived between two worlds. He was the son of a Cheyenne chief's daughter, Owl Woman, and an American fur trader, William Bent. This made him a mixed-race individual, or Tsėhésevé'ho'e in Cheyenne, meaning "Cheyenne-whiteman." He was also known by his Cheyenne name, Ho—my-ike.
George Bent was born near what is now La Junta, Colorado. He grew up learning both Cheyenne and American ways of life. He spent time with his mother's Cheyenne family and at his father's trading post, Bent's Fort. From age 10, he also attended boarding school in St. Louis, Missouri, where he learned about American culture. Even with his mixed background, George Bent strongly identified as Cheyenne.
During the American Civil War, he fought as a soldier for the Confederate Army. After the war, he became a Cheyenne warrior, fighting against American forces in the American Indian Wars. Later in life, he worked as an interpreter for the United States government. He lived on a reservation in Oklahoma for the rest of his life. Because of his background, he sometimes felt like an outsider to both Cheyenne and white communities.
In his later years, George Bent became a very important source of information for anthropologists like James Mooney and George Bird Grinnell. He helped them understand and record Cheyenne culture and history. He wrote many letters that later became a book about his life.
Contents
Early Life and Education
George Bent was born at Bent's Fort, a busy trading post run by his father, William Bent. His mother, Owl Woman, was the daughter of a Cheyenne chief. According to Cheyenne traditions, children belonged to their mother's family, so George was considered Cheyenne. He and his three brothers and sisters grew up speaking both the Cheyenne language and English. He learned a lot about Cheyenne culture from his mother and her family.
After his mother passed away around 1847, his father married her two younger sisters, which was a Cheyenne tradition. The youngest sister, Island, helped raise George and his siblings. When George was 10, his father sent him to an American boarding school in Kansas City to get a European-American education. Later, he attended Webster College for Boys near St. Louis.
Military Service
When the American Civil War started, George Bent joined the Confederate Army. He fought in several important battles. He was at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in August 1861 and the First Battle of Lexington in September 1861, both of which the Confederates won.
As a member of the 1st Missouri Cavalry Regiment, he also fought in the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas in March 1862, which the Union Army won. Later, his cavalry unit became infantry, and he joined an artillery unit called Landis' Battery. This unit helped cover the retreat of Confederate soldiers during the Siege of Corinth in Mississippi.
Later that summer, George Bent was either captured or left the army. He returned to St. Louis, which was controlled by the Union. After promising to support the Union, he was released from a military prison. He then went back to his father's ranch in Colorado Territory. However, there was strong anti-Confederate feeling there. For his safety, George went to live with his Cheyenne relatives. From that point on, he lived among the Cheyenne people and saw himself as one of them.
Sand Creek and Aftermath
George Bent played a role in trying to make peace between the Cheyenne and the U.S. Army. He helped write letters from Cheyenne chief Black Kettle to the army, which led to peace talks.
On November 29, 1864, George Bent was at Black Kettle's camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho people at Sand Creek. The people in the camp believed they were safe because they had been talking about peace with the U.S. Army. However, Colonel John Chivington and his 700 Colorado volunteers attacked the village. About 150 Native Americans were killed. George Bent's brother, Charles, barely escaped, but another young mixed-race Cheyenne man, Jack Smith, was killed.
George Bent was wounded in the hip during the attack. He was among about 100 survivors who escaped and found shelter. His friend, Edmund Guerrier, helped him return to his father's ranch to recover. After the terrible attack, the Cheyenne and Arapaho decided to get revenge.
George and his brother Charles joined the Dog Soldiers, a group of Cheyenne warriors. In January 1865, they rode with about 1,000 warriors in a successful attack on Julesburg, Colorado. They killed many townspeople and soldiers. Most of the Cheyenne then went north to join Red Cloud in Wyoming. As they left, they burned many homes and stations in the South Platte River valley. George Bent later wrote that the whole valley was lit up by the flames of burning ranches.
Throughout 1865, George Bent fought with the Cheyenne in many battles, including the Battle of Mud Springs and the Battle of Rush Creek in Nebraska. He also fought in the Battle of Platte Bridge Station in Wyoming and the Battle of Bone Pile Creek. He believed that the "savages" in these conflicts were often the U.S. soldiers. George Bent took part in 27 Cheyenne war parties, but he didn't share many details about his own actions in these wars. Many Dog Soldiers, including George's brother Charles, were killed in 1869 at the Battle of Summit Springs in Colorado.
Interpreter for the U.S. Government
George Bent began to return to a more peaceful life as an interpreter at the Medicine Lodge Treaty Council in October 1867. His skills in talking between the two cultures impressed the U.S. soldiers and officials. Soon after, his brother Charles, a well-known Cheyenne warrior, was killed in a fight with soldiers.
In 1868, the U.S. government hired George Bent as an interpreter. He worked first at Fort Larned and later for the new Indian Agency for the Cheyenne and Arapaho. In 1870, the Agency moved to El Reno, Oklahoma. George Bent lived on the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation near Colony and worked for the U.S. government for most of the rest of his life.
Because he understood both American and Cheyenne cultures, George Bent became an important person on the reservation. He tried to help both sides get along. However, he also realized that as a mixed-race man, he sometimes felt like he didn't fully belong to either group.
George Bent also helped American cattlemen get permission to let their cattle graze on Indian land. Because of this, some Cheyenne people lost trust in him, and he was even fired as a U.S. interpreter for a time. But in 1890, he was very important in convincing the Cheyenne and Arapaho to accept a plan called the Dawes Act. This plan divided tribal land into smaller pieces for individual families. It was meant to help Native Americans adopt American farming styles, but it caused the tribes to lose a lot of their shared land. Many Cheyenne and Arapaho blamed George Bent for the problems that came from this change, including the loss of much of their tribal lands.
Family Life
George Bent was married three times. His first wife was Magpie, who was the daughter of Chief Black Kettle of the Southern Cheyenne tribe. His other wives were Kiowa Woman and Standing Out. George Bent had six children in total: Mary, William, Daisy, Lucy, George Jr., and Charlie.
Cheyenne Historian
By 1901, George Bent was going through a difficult time. He had lost much of his influence and wealth. However, meeting the anthropologist George Bird Grinnell changed things for both of them. Grinnell quickly realized that George Bent was incredibly valuable for his research. Bent spoke both Cheyenne and English, could read and write, and knew Cheyenne culture very well. (He had also given information to James Mooney earlier, but he didn't have much respect for Mooney.) George Bent shared his knowledge with Grinnell and helped him interview other Cheyenne people.
George Bent really wanted the story of the Cheyenne people to be told in a book. He felt Grinnell was taking too long to finish his book. So, Bent started working with George E. Hyde, who was deaf and nearly blind. Eventually, Bent suggested that Hyde become a ghostwriter for Grinnell, and Hyde likely wrote most of Grinnell's book, The Fighting Cheyennes, which came out in 1915. Grinnell mentioned Bent as a source but didn't fully credit him for his help. Later, Grinnell wrote another book, The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Lifeways, where he gave Bent more credit. Thanks to Bent's deep understanding and Hyde's writing, Grinnell's books describe Cheyenne culture very well.
Even though they never met in person, Hyde and Bent became close friends and worked together closely. Bent wrote 340 letters to Hyde between 1904 and 1918. From these letters, Hyde wrote a book called Life of George Bent: Written from His Letters. This book is a main source of information about the Cheyenne side of the wars in the 1860s and the events that followed.
George Bent passed away on May 19, 1918, in Washita, Oklahoma, during the 1918 flu pandemic. At the time, his dream of a well-written book about the Cheyenne's history and culture had not yet been fully realized.
In 1968, George E. Hyde's book, Life of George Bent: Written from His Letters, was finally published. In 2005, David F. Halaas and Andrew E. Masich also published a book about George Bent called Halfbreed: The Remarkable True Story of George Bent-- Caught Between the Worlds of the Indian and the White Man.
