# Thomas Duncan — The Life of Buffalo Bill character guide

> Thomas Duncan in The Life of Buffalo Bill by William F. Cody.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Duncan, General Duncan

**First appearance:** 0023-xxi-a-military-expedition

## Snapshot

A brevet brigadier general commanding frontier troops, one of the officers whose expeditions Cody's scouting and hunting kept supplied and informed.

## Who they are

Duncan belongs to the roster of military men, alongside Sheridan, Carr, and Royal, under whom Cody served during the Indian campaigns of the 1860s and 1870s. As a commander he carries the weight of organizing expeditions through hostile country, depending on scouts whose knowledge he cannot personally verify, a reliance that breeds both trust and friction. He matters because his command represents the institutional side of the frontier war, the structured force that gave Cody's individual skills their larger consequence.

## In the story

### [Administering Justice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se/chapters/xxiii-administering-justice)

Commands an expedition to the Republican River country; known for his jovial nature and fondness for hunting.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se/characters/thomas_duncan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_life_of_buffalo_bill_se/characters