Bloody Knife | |
|---|---|
 Bloody Knife | |
| Born | ca. 1840 Dakota Territory |
| Died | 25 June 1876 (aged 35–36) Montana Territory |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1868–76 |
| Rank | Scout |
| Unit | 7th U.S. Cavalry |
| Battles / wars | American Indian Wars |
Bloody Knife (Sioux: Tȟamila Wewe; Arikara: NeesiRAhpát; ca. 1840 – June 25, 1876) was an American Indian who served as a scout and guide for the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment.[1][2] He was the favorite scout of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and has been called "perhaps the most famous Native American scout to serve the U.S. Army."[2]
Bloody Knife was born to a Hunkpapa Sioux father and an Arikara mother around 1840. He was abused and discriminated against by the other Sioux in his village because of his background, in particular by Gall, a future chief. When Bloody Knife was a teenager, he left his village with his mother to live with the Arikara tribe. His brothers were killed during a Sioux raid led by Gall in 1862. Bloody Knife found employment as a courier and hunter for the American Fur Company and later served under Alfred Sully before scouting for George Custer on several military expeditions. He died from a bullet wound to the head on June 25, 1876, during the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
- ^ Hatch, Thom (2002). The Custer companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars. Stackpole Books. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-8117-0477-7.
- ^ a b Logt, Mark Van de (2011). Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607–1890: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 78–79. ISBN 978-1-85109-697-8.