Buffalo Bill

Captain Graham

Buffalo Bill worked alongside Captain Graham during military scouting missions and frontier operations.

Colonel Royal

Buffalo Bill worked with Colonel Royal in military scouting and frontier operations.

Mrs. Burns

Mrs. Burns was a civilian acquaintance of Buffalo Bill, likely a neighbor or local resident in the frontier community.

Ned Buntline

Ned Buntline collaborated with Buffalo Bill to create sensationalized dime novels and stage shows that made Cody famous.

Captain Graham

Buffalo Bill worked alongside Captain Graham during military scouting missions and frontier operations.

Ned Buntline

Ned Buntline collaborated with Buffalo Bill to create sensationalized dime novels and stage shows that made Cody famous.

Colonel Royal

Buffalo Bill worked with Colonel Royal in military scouting and frontier operations.

Introductory

Subject of the biography; described as a truthful, modest, and skilled plainsman, scout, hunter, and actor.

The Life of Buffalo Bill

The central figure of the chapter, whose life story is being narrated.

Childhood

Narrates his childhood experiences, including his brother's death and the family's move to Kansas.

Early Influences

Young Bill Cody experiences his first encounters with soldiers, Indians, and emigrant trains, and learns horsemanship from Horace Billings.

Boy Days in Kansas

Young Bill Cody spends time with Indian boys, learns archery and the Kickapoo language, and later helps his father escape pro-slavery men.

Youthful Experiences

Narrator and protagonist; recounts his first Indian kill and schoolyard fight.

In Business

Young Billy Cody, determined to follow the plains as an occupation, joins Simpson's train as an extra hand.

Hard Times

Narrator and protagonist; survives the winter at Fort Bridger, participates in the Indian attack, and later returns home.

Accidents and Escapes

Narrates the chapter; breaks his leg and is left alone in a dugout, then visited by Sioux warriors and later rescued by Harrington.

Adventures on the Overland Road

Returns to the plains, becomes a Pony Express rider for Slade, makes a record 322-mile ride, and joins a stock-recovery expedition.

X: Questionable Proceedings

Narrator and participant in the jayhawking raids; returns home to visit his mother.

A Soldier

Narrates his Civil War experiences as a scout and soldier, including his reunion with Wild Bill Hickok and his enlistment in the Seventh Kansas.

XII: A Wedding

Narrator and protagonist; marries Louisa Frederici, scouts for the army, and rides with General Custer.

A Millionaire

Partners with William Rose to found the town of Rome, loses his fortune when Hays City overtakes it, then demonstrates his buffalo-hunting prowess by killing eleven buffalo with twelve shots while riding bareback.

XIV: Earning a Title

Narrator and protagonist; hired as a buffalo hunter for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, earns his nickname, and survives multiple Indian attacks.

Champion Buffalo Killer

Narrator and protagonist; wins the buffalo hunting match against Billy Comstock, earning the title of champion buffalo hunter.

A Courier

The narrator and protagonist, who volunteers for dangerous courier duty and successfully delivers dispatches despite multiple close calls with Indians.

An Appointment

Receives appointment as guide and chief of scouts from General Sheridan.

Scouting

Acts as guide and chief of scouts; has Cody's Creek named after him; survives an Indian ambush; kills buffalo for the command.

A Tough Time

Serves as chief of scouts under General Carr, leads the wagon train down a steep bluff, and hunts antelope to supply the camp.

An Exciting Chase

Acts as a U.S. detective, leading the pursuit and capture of horse thieves.

A Military Expedition

Serves as scout for the Fifth Cavalry, reports Indian trail, delivers dispatch, and participates in skirmishes.

A Desperate Fight

Leads Pawnee scouts ahead of the command, kills Chief Tall Bull, captures his horse, and later races it.

Administering Justice

Narrator and protagonist; serves as chief of scouts, becomes justice of the peace, and participates in skirmishes.

Hunting Expedition

Serves as guide and organizer of the hunting expedition; plays a joke on Mr. McCarthy; presides as chief justice in a mock court-martial.

Hunting with a Grand Duke

Organizes the hunt, guides the Grand Duke, and demonstrates stage-driving skills.

Sightseeing

Narrates his first stage appearance and his experiences in New York and Chicago.

Honors

Leads a charge against Indians, receives a scalp wound, guides hunting parties, and is elected to the Nebraska legislature.

An Actor

Narrates his transition from scout and legislator to stage actor, despite self-doubt and criticism from friends.

Starring

Narrator and protagonist; organizes theatrical companies, guides hunting expeditions, and mourns the death of his son Kit.

I Return to the Plains

Returns to the Plains to join the Sioux War, serves as guide and chief of scouts for the Fifth Cavalry, and kills a Cheyenne chief in a duel.

Dangerous Work

Narrator and protagonist; scouts on steamer, rides dispatches, guides troops, and later pursues theatrical career.

Conclusion

Returns to North Platte, participates in roundup, spends time with family, purchases cattle, and organizes his dramatic troupe.