Wooden Leg facts for kids

Wooden Leg (in Cheyenne, Kâhamâxéveóhtáhe) (1858–1940) was a brave Northern Cheyenne warrior. He is famous for fighting against General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Growing Up as a Cheyenne Warrior

Wooden Leg was born in 1858 near the Cheyenne River in the Black Hills. His parents were Many Bullet Wounds and Eagle Feather on the Forehead. He had three brothers and two sisters.

As a child, he was known as Eats from His Hand. He later got the name Wooden Leg from his uncle. His uncle was a Crow man adopted into their family. This uncle was a very strong walker. He could walk for hours without getting tired. People said his legs seemed to be made of wood.

Wooden Leg was the only one who could keep up with his uncle on these long walks. So, his friends started calling him Wooden Leg too. Eventually, he took this name as his own.

He grew up living like other Plains Indians. He spent his time hunting animals and sometimes fighting against other tribes. He was known for being very tall. Even in his 70s, he was 6 feet 3 inches tall!

First Battle Experience

Wooden Leg saw his first big battle with white soldiers in 1866. This was the Wagon Box Fight. He was too young to fight, but his oldest brother, Strong Wind Blowing, died in this battle. Even though the Cheyenne won, it was a sad day for his family.

When he was 14, he joined the Elkhorn Scrapers. This was a group for warriors in his tribe. At 17, he spent four days alone in a tepee to thank the Great Spirit. This was a special time of thinking and meditating.

After this important event, his face was painted with a black circle. The inside of the circle was yellow. This special face paint, along with his best clothes, shield, and a flute made from an eagle's wing bone, became part of his war gear for life.

Battles and Challenges of 1876

In 1876, Wooden Leg and his tribe faced many challenges.

The Powder River Attack

On March 17, 1876, Wooden Leg and hundreds of Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Sioux were camped peacefully. They were by the frozen Powder River. Suddenly, U.S. soldiers attacked their sleeping village.

Wooden Leg and other warriors quickly helped the women and children get to safety. They fought hard to slow down the soldiers. The soldiers burned their village and their winter food. They also took about 700 horses. But the warriors fought back and made the soldiers leave. This fight is known as the Battle of Powder River.

The Cheyenne got most of their horses back the next morning. They did not lose many people. But they were left "very poor" because their homes and food were gone. They walked for three days to reach Crazy Horse's village, where they found shelter and food. Some Cheyenne froze to death on the way.

Fighting at Rosebud and Little Bighorn

On June 17, 1876, Wooden Leg fought in the Battle of the Rosebud. They fought against U.S. soldiers and their Crow and Shoshone allies. The Native Americans won this battle. This victory helped lead to Custer's defeat just eight days later.

On June 25, 1876, Wooden Leg and his brother Yellow Hair were woken up by shouts. Soldiers were coming! Wooden Leg quickly got ready for battle. He first fought soldiers near the river. After defeating them, he found a rifle and more ammunition.

Then, he attacked the soldiers on the hills, led by General Custer. Wooden Leg had just fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the American Indian Wars.

More Fights and Hardships

After their victory at Little Bighorn, the Northern Cheyenne moved around the area. In late 1876, more U.S. soldiers attacked their camp. This was the Dull Knife Fight. Wooden Leg and others had to run away. Their camp was burned, and their food was taken. Wooden Leg lost his special flute in this attack.

After this battle, the Northern Cheyenne traveled northeast. They joined other tribes like the Oglala Sioux. They were chased by more soldiers and fought again at the Battle of Wolf Mountain in January 1877.

Life After the Wars

Some Cheyenne people who had lived on reservations tried to convince others to surrender. Many Cheyenne accepted because they were hungry. But Wooden Leg and 34 others refused. They still wanted the freedom they believed was their right.

He lived a hard life as a hunter. Eventually, because of hunger, Wooden Leg and the other Cheyenne decided to go to a reservation.

Life on the Reservation

Wooden Leg moved to the White River Reservation. Later, the U.S. government moved the Cheyenne to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). There, Wooden Leg learned how to hunt eagles.

However, many Northern Cheyenne got sick and died in this new place. A group led by Dull Knife and Little Wolf decided to leave and go back north. Wooden Leg stayed at first. In 1878, he married a Southern Cheyenne woman.

After his father died, Wooden Leg and his family decided to leave the southern reservation. They traveled back north to the Tongue River area, where Little Wolf and other Cheyenne were camped.

Serving as a Scout and Judge

In 1889, Wooden Leg joined the U.S. Army as an Indian scout at Fort Keogh. He helped guide soldiers. In 1890, he was part of the Ghost Dance campaign, which led to the Wounded Knee Massacre. He also worked as a messenger and guard.

Thirty years after the Battle of Little Bighorn, Wooden Leg attended a meeting in 1906. White people and Native Americans gathered at the battle site to remember the event. Wooden Leg was one of the few Native Americans brave enough to share his story with a white doctor named Dixon.

In 1908, Wooden Leg was baptized by a priest. He believed that white people and Native Americans worshiped the same God, just in different ways.

In 1913, Wooden Leg traveled to Washington and New York. He was part of a group that spoke about the Cheyenne tribe. When he returned, he became a judge. His job was to settle arguments in the tribe and teach U.S. laws.

He was offered the chance to become a chief twice, but he refused. Some white people called him Chief Wooden Leg, but he was never officially a chief. He had two daughters, but they both died young. After his last daughter passed away, he and his wife adopted his sister's son, John White Wolf.

In 1903, Wooden Leg shared many stories about Cheyenne life before the reservations and about the Battle of Little Bighorn. These stories were written down in a book called Wooden Leg: A Warrior Who Fought Custer.

Wooden Leg died in 1940.

See also

In Spanish: Wooden Leg para niños