- American Horse (elder)
American Horse (ca. 1820?-1876) was a minor headman of the
Miniconjou Lakota during thePlains Indian wars of the last half of the nineteenth century. More commonly known as Iron Plume, he was probably present at theBattle of the Little Bighorn and was mortally wounded at theBattle of Slim Buttes .Following the native victory over General
George Armstrong Custer at theLittle Bighorn in June 1876, the Lakota andNorthern Cheyenne moved eastward where by early fall, many were encamped in the area of the Little Missouri River. A small group of about forty lodges, including minor headmen such as Roman Nose, Red Horse and Iron Plume, separated from the main villages and moved near Slim Buttes, South Dakota, apparently intending to quietly slip in to theCheyenne River Agency to surrender. Unfortunately, they were discovered by a party of troops under CaptainAnson Mills , an advance party of GeneralGeorge Crook 's column, and attacked.During the battle, Iron Plume, four warriors, and fifteen women were backed into a cave, but refused to surrender. During the shooting, Iron Plume was mortally wounded by a shot through his bowels. After the battle, he was treated by an army surgeon, but little could be done for him and he died later that night.
Scout
Frank Grouard identified the wounded man as American Horse, though later Lakota corrected his error, noting that the minor Indian headman was named Iron Plume. This has resulted in considerable confusion by later historians. Many have misidentified him as the OglalaAmerican Horse and have even used portraits of him to represent Iron Plume.George Hyde , historian and author, incorrectly listed him as American Horse the elder, to distinguish him from the younger Oglala by the same name. Contrary to Hyde's writing, these two men were not related.
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