Hugh Glass
Born: 1783 in Scranton, PA
Died: 1833 by the Yellowstone river
Occupation: frontiersman, trapper, fur trader, hunter, explorer
-Born to irish parents
- Not much known about his early life
- allegedly captured by pirates in the gulf of mexico off the coast of texas in 1816
-was a pirate for two years until he escaped by swimming ashore back to Texas
-He was later said to be captured by the pawnee tribe and lived with them for many years
-He lived with them until 1821 when he and the tribe traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to meet with U.S. authorities
-In 1823 Hugh Glass and General William Henry Ashley traveled to a fur-trading camp that Ashley had set up in 1822 when he posted an advertisement in the Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser
-In that advertisement Ashley called for 100 men to "ascend the river Missouri" to start fur-trading
- Some of the more famous men that joined General Ashley's expedition were: James Beckwourth, David Jackson, William Sublette, Jim Bridger, Thomas Fitzpatrick, James Clyman and Jedediah Smith.
-In June of 1823 when Glass and Ashley met up with the rest of the men that joined in 1822 they were all attacked by Arikara, and during this attack Glass was shot in the leg, but managed to escape with many other men on a boat downstream
-Glass wrote a letter to the parents of John S. Gardner, killed on June 2, 1823:[12]
Dr Sir:
My painful duty it is to tell you of the death of your son who befell at the hands of the Indians 2nd June in the early morning. He died a little while after he was shot and asked me to inform you of his sad fate. We brought him to the ship when he soon died.
Mr. Smith a young man of our company made a powerful prayer who moved us all greatly and I am persuaded John died in peace. His body we buried with others near this camp and marked the grave with a log. His things we will send to you.
The savages are greatly treacherous. We traded with them as friends but after a great storm of rain and thunder they came at us before light and many were hurt. I myself was shot in the leg. Master Ashley is bound to stay in these parts till the traitors are rightly punished.
-Eventually, Glass and the rest of the Ashley Party made their way back to Fort Kiowa to reassemble before heading west. Ashley's companion, Andrew Henry, had joined the group, and together with Glass and a few other people, they traveled overland to the Yellowstone River. Glass surprised and disturbed a mother grizzly bear with two cubs while searching for wildlife for the expedition's larder near the forks of the Grand River, close to the modern Shadehill Reservoir, Perkins County, South Dakota. He was gravely injured as the bear charged, snatched him up, bit, slashed, and tore at his flesh before dropping him to the ground. Glass was severely mauled, yet he was still able to kill the bear with the aid of his trapping party. The men believed Glass wouldn't make it through his wounds.
-In order to care for Glass until he passed away and bury him, Henry called for two volunteers. As the rest of the party moved on, John S. Fitzgerald and a man later identified as "Bridges" stepped forward and started digging his grave.
-Fitzgerald claimed that they had been attacked by the Arikara again and the two took Glass’s belongings and left him to die
-Glass lived, but had many severe cuts all over his body as well as a broken leg
-He decided that he wanted to live, so he set his leg back in place, put a bear skin over him and began to crawl 200 miles back to fort Kiowa
-To prevent gangrene Glass allowed maggots to eat away at his dead, infected flesh
-Glass crawled to the Cheyenne River, where he constructed a rudimentary raft and sailed downriver to Fort Kiowa, using Thunder Butte as a reference for navigation. He traveled for six weeks. Surviving on roots and berries
-Glass resumed his search for Fitzgerald and "Bridges" after he had healed from his wounds. The Yellowstone River's Fort Henry was desolate when he eventually made the trip there. Andrew Henry and crew had apparently moved to a new camp at the mouth of the Bighorn River, according to a note. Glass discovered "Bridges" when he got there, but due of his youth, it seemed like he forgiven him. After that, Glass reenlisted in Ashley's company.
–Glass found out that Fitzgerald was stationed in fort atkinson in Nebraska and he wanted to find him and kill him
-This was until he found out that the Army captain would have killed him for killing a soldier, but Glass told Fitzgerald that if he ever left the army he would kill him
-It was also said that Fitzgerald was forced to return the rifle he stole from Glass and that Glass was given $300 as compensation
-Then in 1833 Glass and his fellow trappers were killed by a group of Arikara on the Yellowstone River
-Very different ending from the revenant