Man Describes Surviving an Indian Battle in 1868 - Wild West - Enhanced Audio

This is an interview with Corporal Leander Herron, who tells the story of surviving an Indian battle in September, 1868, about 11 miles outside of Fort Dodge, Kansas. He received a medal of honor for his actions that night.
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During that time, there were heightened tensions and frequent raids by Plains warriors on wagon trains and settlers in the area. On the night of September 2-3, Herron and fellow Corporal Patrick “Paddy” Boyle set out from Fort Dodge to deliver dispatches 75 miles northeast to Fort Larned. About 11 miles from the post, they came across an Army firewood wagon and its four-soldier escort under attack by nearly 50 Kiowas. Herron and Boyle galloped into the fray to assist the besieged soldiers. While Boyle rode for reinforcements, Herron organized a desperate defense. He and his companions were down to just a dozen rounds among them the next morning when they were saved by a charge of cavalrymen who had galloped the 11 miles from Fort Dodge to their rescue.
Pictures were enhanced using AI optimization software. For the audio, I remastered it using noise gate, compression, loudness normalization, EQ and a Limiter.
This video is made for educational purposes for fair use under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.

[@Lifeinthe1800s]

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[@dudesofduffield]

then turn off your ads

[@SuperDave-vj9en]

@@dudesofduffield I don’t get ads. I have KZbin premium for about $18.00 per month. The KZbin creator doesn’t have anything to do with the ads!

[@dudesofduffield]

@@SuperDave-vj9en youre part of the problem

[@SuperDave-vj9en]

@@dudesofduffield Why? Because I’m honest and pay? You must be a poor peon who can’t afford a subscription to KZbin.

[@oldschool1993]

My great grandmother was born in 1858 and her father-my great great grandfather fought in the Civil War. I still have his enlistment papers for the Kentucky Volunteers. When I was 5 years old in 1951 I sat with my mother beside my great grandmother's death bed. It was a tradition then that the women of the family would stay by the bedside in shifts so that the person would never die alone. So here I am in 2022 at age 75 and knew a person who was alive during the Civil War.

[@wesmcgee1648]

Wow. I'm 64 and feel like the kid here. Wow!

[@Curtis7391-t8q]

Wow! That’s amazing!

[@craigdowd1017]

Direct connection with history!

[@georgekovacs4278]

I've met several quite aged men and women who had fathers, uncles and older brothers who participated in the Civil War, as a kid in the early sixties in rural Missouri. "Granny Alt" turned 90 in 1960, I remember listening how in about 1875, she was given a fox pelt cut to fit a coat collar to bribe her into not telling the sheriff's deputies that she saw who shot the owner of a pair of plowing mules in the back for having been an outspoken Unionist a decade earlier.

[@andyokus5735]

That's great! I remember my! Great Grandmother. She was 93 and I'll never forget that ever loving look of joy on her face when she saw me. Think I was 8 in '65. She went to Mass everyday of her life. A true Saint.

[@katherinelehman4412]

This man is buried in a local cemetery near me. Amazing to hear his voice! I wonder if town historians know this video exists!

[@oisnowy5368]

Did you point it out to them? They'd be thrilled to hear about it if they did not know.

[@franksfiddle9031]

with technology these days I bet they could even add part of this recording in some digital form to his marker

[@katinabotten]

Wow!

[@LijaMoore]

Cool! When was he born?

[@austinharvey7644]

You should tell them!

[@kbalch]

Great stuff! Let's not overlook the interesting fact that the interviewer is Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI fighter ace and MoH winner.

[@fredact]

That's amazing!

[@Centermass762]

With all due respect, nobody "wins" the Medal of Honor. They're a recipient of it. The MoH is generally given to someone for actions performed on what is likely the worst day of their life. That's not a win. I'm not trying to bust your balls, just explaining why that's a pet peeve of mine.

[@kbalch]

@@Centermass762 While arguably true as to the deeper meaning of "winning" in this context, your objection really amounts to no more than a display of deliberate obtuseness. The simple fact of the matter is that "winning the MOH" is the ordinary and traditional form, your personal peeve notwithstanding. For that matter, it's a personal peeve of mine to object to the phrase "with all due respect" when what's invariably meant is just the opposite. Feel free to regard my quibble with the same deference I did yours.

[@Centermass762]

@@kbalch yeah, I figured you'd get all offended even though I was as nice and courteous as I could possibly be. Typical. 🤣

[@J23-o7u]

@@Centermass762 well said I learned something new Thks for information 👍

[@jamesstewart4175]

I am so thankful for this interview. My great great grandmother was one of those Box girls. This is the first time I have heard a first hand account of her rescue. Thank you so much for this!

[@Snarkapotamus]

Talk about a personal connection to a story! Anything you can add from your family's perspective?

[@jamesstewart4175]

@@Snarkapotamus Well, just a bit on what happened. When the family was attacked, everyone was killed except the two girls, including their parents and the baby. One of the girls repeatedly tried to escape. To stop her from escaping they burned her feet in a campfire. If I have the story correct, she never walked again. It was great when we learned that this episode was recorded in Custer's diary. Even better now that we have part of the story recorded from an eye witness. At the end of this recording he says he is going to see Mrs. Custer hoping to find out what had happened to the girls. Sadly, the trauma was so great that my ancestor died a few years later after marrying and having one child, my great grandfather. My great grandfather was one of the last "real" cowboys, riding the Chism trail several times. recently learned that the tribe that did this was known for this. So much so that they drove the Apache from Texas into Arizona. Hopefully I have that all correct, if not, it is pretty close. I am definitely grateful for my heritage.

[@Snarkapotamus]

@@jamesstewart4175 - Very interesting! I know that after the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 the Cheyenne and Arapaho in SE Colorado and Western Kansas were not a happy bunch. And who could really blame them? Chivington and his troops killed hundreds of women and children. And as bad as that was, they also desecrated the bodies and decorated their uniforms with body parts. A truly horrible moment in Western history. I've been to Sand Creek at dusk when there no one else was around and I could still feel their presence...

[@philipjames751]

This is truly incredible. I can only imagine how emotional you must’ve become while listening to this. I was going to Google to find out what became of the Box girls but I don’t think I need not to. Bless you sir.

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

@@jamesstewart4175 Hello, my respects, I have been studying history for a long time, and have a large library including the history of the American West. One book where you can find another telling of your ancestors' story is Gregory and Susan Michno's "A Fate Worse than Death." This book is an encyclopedia of captive records. The Michno book states that it was the Box women's experience that led Custer to order his men to shoot his wife dead if they should ever find themselves in a situation where her capture was imminent. Libby consented, but in her book she speaks of it as "double jeopardy" that she experienced several times, not knowing from which side the bullet would come.

[@Thatguy01984]

So a guy who’s fighting weapon was an airplane with mounted machine guns is interviewing a guy who defended cover wagons against Kiowa warriors….what an interesting time in our country. So cool.

[@karlabritfeld7104]

And all this fighting on us soil against US citizens and native Americans, the first citizens of the soil.

[@JBJ29567]

Changes in the country and level of technology had to be dizzying for Lee Herron to think about.

[@odysseusrex5908]

I missed something, where in that did it say the captain conducting the interview had been a pilot? They said he fought in WWI, but I just assumed he was in the infantry.

[@JBJ29567]

@@odysseusrex5908 Eddie Rickenbacker was a WWI ace.

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@JBJ29567 Yes, somebody further down said it was Rickenbacker, and I certainly know who he was but, again, where was that stated in the video?

[@heeroyuy298]

It's worth noting that he is being interviewed by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, America's highest scoring ace in ww1, who himself won the medal of honor.

[@theawesome1rjc]

We need to stop holding unconscious people who were duped into murder in high regard.

[@edhenn9934]

Well also, we should consider. That they handed out The Medal of Honor. Like candy back then. Not saying anything against the fella. But. It was no hard task getting that Medal way back when. The tough task was just surviving.

[@greyscout01]

@@edhenn9934 Not true. There were two incidents where it was openly used as a cover-up. It wasn't the norm.

[@edhenn9934]

@@greyscout01 took me a second. But I think I figured what ya mean. Ops they knew would get lots deceased. But they did it. And thus awarded them medals of honor, as well as the surviving folks. Is that what you’re referring to?

[@Gatsu_Gambino]

Warren... how bout you be more original and not copy others comments?

[@fcukyou2_]

love how he starts off..."back in the 60s..." first time I've heard anyone say "the 60s" and not mean the 1960s

[@vincentwaldenrivera1297]

I was looking for this comment.

[@ransakreject5221]

I’m much more interested in the adults in the 1860’s than the children of Woodstock that I have to hear about all the time

[@fcukyou2_]

Me too I'm in my mid 30s and I was into the 1960s and 70s when I was a teen and first started smoking weed and eating some like shrooms... but for the last 15years I'd say I'm obsessed more pre 1900 and really Roman and pre Roman times... it fascinates me about how the most powerful civilization ever known who stretched damn bear the whole known world at the time.. and they still collapsed and i can't help but see the similarities with America in today's ag but to think we only been the power sinc ethe turn of 20th century and already we falling apart while Rome and Egypt ruled for thousands of years before they fell... just so interesting

[@djmixin1]

And right now we’re living in the 20s

[@botiemaster3356]

@@djmixin1 in a way, feels bad, man. lol we think we have it so good right now, imagine what tech and lives people in 2090 will have...

[@laserbeam002]

It truly is amazong that here we are in 2022 and can listen to a man tell about his life in the old west during the indian wars only three years after the civil war.

[@2vintage68]

They were not wars....they were genocide.

[@paulcallicoat7597]

@@2vintage68 BS. You get in the way of progress you get plowed under.

[@d.l.austin2379]

In 1930...62 years later.

[@jelly7310]

@@2vintage68 have you moved out of this country in shame yet? Tell us where you ended up and how that country came to be.

[@patrickt6642]

One of the few good things about internet

[@thomasklugh4345]

I can also say I remember 62 years ago. Even 65 years. Even 70. I remember one of my earliest experiences being out in front of our house in Pennsylvania riding my tricycle, hearing a plane flying overhead and looking up into the clear blue sky trying see the plane. I remember we had a small Black & White TV and it was a cabinet floor model. I remember it had only one (yes, just one) station at the time, and after the evening news at 11:30pm, the station would shut down. It would then play the U.S. national anthem while showing the U.S. flag waving, and at the end of the anthem the channel would just stop. No movies, no Cable, nothing, accept the X-ray radiation logo and a dial tone until 6:30 am the next morning, at which time the morning news would begin. I remember on Friday and Saturday evenings there would be a late movie, The Late Show after the news, but then, too, the TV would be shut off the way I described above. I remember having two mail deliveries each day - one in the morning, and one in mid afternoon. I remember saying the pledge-of-allegiance to the American flag every morning at our public school. We would place our right hand across our heart while saying it. It was a requirement, and we were proud to do it. I remember paying only 25 cents to go see a movie on Saturdays. Sometimes it was 35 cents but then it was a double feature. Imagine spending all day at the movie theater, sitting in the ground floor seats, then maybe going up to the balcony, then down again. You could stay all day if you wanted to. You didn't have to leave when the movie ended. You could stay and watch the movie again, if you wished. And, I remember a movie theater back then was palatial in design. I remember being out with my friends all day on a Saturday, wandering, sometimes hiking as much as 3 miles in one direction, sometimes up in the woods; sometimes just following RR tracks, and then walking the 3 miles back, AND making it back home in time for dinner - and the amazing thing about it was that none of us had a watch. We just knew when to start back by the sun in the sky, or by the light in the air. We just knew. I remember so many things, so many... and I do miss it so.

[@gabbyhayes1568]

You just described my childhood to a tee. I seldom think about these memories anymore. Seems like a hundred years ago. Thanks for sharing.

[@gimpygunner7327]

Good stuff.👍

[@TaigiTWeseFormosanDiplomat]

:0

[@charlesharper9546]

Sadly, those days are gone forever and no American Youth will live them again. America today is totally different and not for the better.

[@kathryncarter6143]

All true, except I never saw 2 mail deliveries in my area.

[@pspillow]

Thank God for these recorded historical interviews. What a gift from days gone by.

[@douglaslucas7612]

All my democrat friends says he is a racist

[@seandardis]

Amen! Definitely a gift!

[@HicSvntDracones]

See, not all taxes are a waste :) This is actually from the US National Archives... they do this with ALL generations in 200 years someone will be listening to someone talk about fighting in Iraq

[@jeffdaniel1000]

Listening to this reminds me that our country really isn't that old.

[@sbad8612]

It's not your country!

[@MorteWulfe]

@@sbad8612 Oh trust me it is and always will be. Molon labe.

[@68majortom]

@@MorteWulfe are you of Native Indian descent?

[@alexanderbankowski5617]

@@68majortom right of conquest

[@MorteWulfe]

@@68majortom No, not by the required percentage of blood legally. I don't care what you may have to say about "oh this people and oh that people." This is my land now and anyone that tries to take it from me will pay the butcher's bill.

[@michellezevenaar]

So glad someone thought to interview these people and record it!

[@victorhopper6774]

lot of accounts in allen ekerts books came from someone interviewing old people around 1850 or so. ''dark and bloody river'' has a lot of stories about not so famous people in the 1760's

[@SStupendous]

Audio or written? The point is that this is actually audible@@victorhopper6774

[@artisaprimus6306]

It's chilling to hear the voice of a man who lived in the 1800s. Not just a store clerk or accountant, but a man of heroic deeds Amazing!

[@seanohare5488]

Yes so true

[@thayspamacheno628]

"Heroic deeds" -- genocide of native people. Right, sure.

[@RogerWilcoSnr]

I’m from the UK but I’m fascinated by US history and in particular the Indian Wars. I’ve read widely on the subject but this interview is incredible! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@harshrajsinhjhala6281]

The oppression & sad times caused by the brits which was very hard times for my forefathers.

[@RogerWilcoSnr]

@@harshrajsinhjhala6281 Yes, I agree. The British Empire had a very real dark side to it. Half of my family are American and we often discuss UK/ US history.

[@conspiracyscholor7866]

@@RogerWilcoSnr I despise the english for what they did to my people. Don't ever apologize for your people's past. They did what they had to do and did it better than anybody else.

[@BWFCLVAREY]

@@harshrajsinhjhala6281 I’m sure that must be really painful for you. I still haven’t forgiven the Romans for making my forefathers slaves 2000 years ago 🤡

[@rebekahlikesmusic2723]

That's awesome

[@frankwinter3895]

My great grandfather was building a house in north central Minnesota in 1868 which they had a Indian up rising then. The Indians only stoled their horses but did not attacked them. It was in the history that there was a Indian up rising until the union soldiers showed up. My Great Grand Father also father also fought in the Civil War and my dad got to see him before my Great Grandfather died in 1904. My dad was born in 1895 died in 1996. He was 52 when I was born.

[@brendanjobe6895]

Seems strange that no one from the 1800's is alive today. I knew lots of them, as I'm sure you did.

[@SiggyMe]

@@brendanjobe6895 Time waits for no one and so such we pass in our turn.

[@brendanjobe6895]

@@SiggyMe You got that right. My great grandmother knew a few people from the 1700's.

[@chevinbarghest8453]

"stoled" ? My grandad was born in 1862...He died of excitement on my parents wedding day... The Germans shot my other granddad in May 1917

[@redtobertshateshandles]

@@chevinbarghest8453 it's American.

[@richardrose9943]

The two men speaking are national treasures

[@nehuge]

They all had that rehearsed speaking voice then it’s funny

[@michelemcneill3652]

What a wonderful surprise to run across this amazing interview.

[@WildcatWarrior15]

This is literally a 100 year old podcast between two war heros....

[@SStupendous]

And it's amazing!

[@indigenous1684]

War criminals

[@plinkfuture2557]

Yes - that was a different time. For 99.999% of human history -slavery and genocide have been an integral and accepted part of every human culture. And still today with russian and israeli and chinese genocide against their weaker neighbors we see this evil continue as are many other genocides in africa from one ethnic group to another still perpetrated. 😢

[@paulhuval]

And to just think that this was not that long ago in time. Amazing how things have changed

[@rafaelmauricio8000]

@Francisco Bernardes C. Your theory sounds more legit than the idea that America wanted to be a "melting pot" legitamally.

[@jesusramos1440]

America is a Melting Pot, has always been a Melting Pot, but not in present times , ITS IN MELTDOWN POT STAGE.POT AS IN ROLL IT UP MY FRIEND, WE CAN SMOKE TOGETHER..LIVE TOGETHER AND STAY TOGETHER.LETS GET TOGETHER LIKE THE "BYRDS " SAID IN 1965..RIGHT NOW.

[@JRobbySh]

The older one gets, the more he/she realizes how close we are to the the events of the Revolutionary War. Just three long human lifetimes. Further how short a human lifetime really is. and how much things change.

[@paulhuval]

@@JRobbySh very true 👍

[@robbiegarnz7732]

Wow! This guy is very sharp! Has perfect recollection of the battle and the other details. I’ll say it again we are blessed to have gotten this on record before he passed away! This should be required listening for all high school history classes!

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Life harrowing events burn more deeply in our memories.

[@lawrenceklein3524]

Today's date, March 26, 2023. I am 71 years and 6 months old. This is such an amazing interview! Most fellas my age are so familiar with Capt. Rickenbacher's exploits, and Civil War history! My wife thinks it is humorous to poke fun at these historical facts so many of us grew up with. But then, she's 18 years my junior! Thank you very much for making this available to us! 🇺🇲❤️👍

[@jamezkpal2361]

You're a dawg!😅

[@steffanmaximum]

You must have plenty of stamina.

[@thommysides4616]

I thought you were going to say she's 18..... ha ha! You old Coot!!!

[@terrysigmon3119]

I love how when he talks about the 60s he means the 1860s. If someone talked about the 60s today they would think 1960s. I was born in the 70s and I always heard about the turn of the century meaning 1900 and today turn of the century would make you think of 2000. How time flies. Great video.

[@farmerbobross]

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace, was the one asking the questions. The whole interview was just amazing to me. Listening to people that lived 100 years ago and talking about 150 years ago.

[@JRobbySh]

The grandfather of that soldier was a grown man when Washington was President.

[@SRVandDtrouble]

And the shame we collectively will bear from our graves as our future selves will watch the TicTok videos of the youth today.

[@elaineewalt8137]

Isn't it, tho? So very surreal; "living" history, as it is, just, well...indiscribable..to hear this first hand account...then the interviewer telling him, how, in just the span of his lifetime, DOUBLED the size of this country! Just..WOW!!! 🗽🇺🇲🪖✝️🙏🕊

[@elaineewalt8137]

​@@SRVandDtrouble Hopefully, future generations will have actually LEARNED from those stupid tic toc videos of just how NOT BE/ACT, especially in public. 🤨

[@texaswayz2289]

Flying ace..lol..

[@InimitaPaul]

65 year’s he prepared that moment, countless telling’s, countless dramatic pauses. Nailed it!

[@magmasunburst9331]

I watch mostly movies before the 1960s. I've watched over 150 silent films, all of them on youtube. Really helps to see people more in a level-headed way because the values I think had been very similar for thousands of years up until recently.

[@glennlariva6896]

What a treat! To hear actual living history. I am grateful.

[@MsTugg]

imagine being a dude famous for flying a plane and shooting down other planes with a machine gun and interviewing another dude who faced archers with a muzzleloader in a wagon.

[@finddeniro]

Eddie had a Quad ( 4 ) Machine Gun set up..and Study each Bullet in the Belt.. Details ..

[@MsTugg]

@@finddeniro bro. you wanna play the details game? My comment was overly simplified for the reader's consumption. I am well aware of the ordnance issued to Army avaitors during the great war. thanks tho.

[@SStupendous]

You don't know he had a muzzleloader. Who knows, maybe he had a Henry, Sharps, Spencer? The latter two they made hundreds of thousands of during the War. Perhaps he had a pinfire shotgun? Who knows.

[@MsTugg]

@@SStupendous He also could have been dual wielding 2 volcanic arms lever action pistol and Gatling gun on a carriage...if you wanna play the What If game. The odds of a Frontier Soldier in Kansas in 1868 carrying a Springfield 1861 or 1863 58Cal rifled musket are high. Don't be a dick over a simple comment.

[@spence7985]

Or maybe he’s a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude

[@srnordli]

Amazing! Two incredibly famous heroes in American history from over 100+ years ago. So cool!

[@durkashurpala]

When a society loses its respect for history there's chance it becomes too relaxed and weak. At this point lethargy takes place and evil reigns.

[@80sfreak42]

Society has lost respect for itself...history and knowledge was there for us to attain.. instead they attained tik tok...as a historian I agree with you

[@stevemiller4885]

Like now!!!

[@tom7471]

Like the history that white man has always white washed and claimed to respect the original natives and their history. This is a tainted history that bolsters the collective ego of an always corrupt society.

[@ml5955]

The horrific leftist in this country is proactively subverting the history of our country. They are the worst enemy this country has ever faced.

[@finddeniro]

Hollywood Egos. .Easy Self Grandiosity ..

[@Cam_88]

Metal detecting the Santa Fe trail here in Kansas is my life's obsession. Thank you so much for your videos! 🤘

[@jeffsnider7842]

What are you finding sir? I am a relic hunter as well. Fascinated by your comment.

[@calebroberts08]

I love metal detecting!

[@oldArmyVet]

I metal detect so much my left forearm looks bigger than right. I'm left handed

[@diggingthewest7981]

I've detected the Santa fe and Fort wise along the Santa fe a few times (Colorado section). Been heavily digging the overland trail for over 20 years now.

[@oldArmyVet]

@@jeffsnider7842 old coins, tokens, jewelry. Whatever I can find. Usually hunt old houses and one room schools

[@davidd6171]

This was recorded in 1930 and both men talk about WWI. Little do they know that a few short years later there would be WWII. :(

[@ToddSauve]

There were people who knew another war was on the horizon. Ulysses S. Grant "knew" there would almost certainly be a war between the US and Japan and he died in the 1880s.

[@spudgunson]

My grandfather was born in 1885 and told me about going to see Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show when it visited the UK. It alway makes me pause when I think my GF who died in 1983 lived through the Wright brothers era, lived through two world wars, fought in one of them, read about the first human to human heart transplant and saw man walk on the moon. What witness to man’s modern history.

[@ToddSauve]

@@spudgunson One of the Lakota, upon meeting Queen Victoria and who had been with Sitting Bull in Canada, said that Victoria told them if they were among the people she ruled, she would not allow them to be taken around and displayed like a carnival act. In thinking upon that the Lakota man said that maybe if the "Grandmother" had been their ruler things would have turned out better for his people. He also said he thought she was a jolly fat old lady! IIRC, one of the Lakota members of the Wild West Show died while in England and was buried there. They exhumed him in the recent past and returned his body to his band's reservation in either North or South Dakota.

[@billp4]

Little do we know what is coming in a few short years given what we have just seen.

[@ToddSauve]

@@billp4 Yes, it is hard to know if this was before or after Wounded Knee ...

[@kenholloway631]

My Grandfather fought in World War I. He was British and was in Australia when the war broke out, and enlisted there. He was wounded in Turkey and France, earning a commission. He survived the war, thankfully. When I mention that my Grandparents were born in the 19th century, people are usually surprised. 🇬🇧❤️

[@yeslol9303]

You’re very lucky being Serbian we have no records at all of pre ww2 service the most we have are tombstones. So idk whether my ancestors died or lived in ww1

[@MoominJude]

My grandfathers were born in 1882 and 1886, one of my great grandfathers was born in 1828

[@jessdelacruz5157]

My grandfather was born in 1893 and I'm 52 years old he served in Pancho villas army

[@zigzag2211]

All of my grandparents were born in the late 1880's too. I'm the youngest in my entire family and when I tell people that my grandparents were born in the 1880's they often don't believe me. I remember my dad's father telling me that they had Indians that would travel across their farm in Minnesota leading a horse pulling a travois, and the Indian women often had a papoose strapped on their back. They were very poor and hungry and my grandmother would take food out to them wrapped in a flour sack.

[@alialanssari3998]

​@@jessdelacruz5157 mi abuela murió a los 102 en 2019.y conoció ancianos qye vivieron en tiempos de que Texas aún era México. 😢

[@pegrathwol]

That's him in the photo from 1:20 to 2:00? That is a very famous photo. That shot was taken in May of 64. It's US Grant meeting with his Corps and Division commanders. They were planning the overland campaign, I believe it was after the battle of the Wilderness but they were on the march to the next battle against Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Spotsylvania Courthouse. Grant is the guy sitting on the bench facing the camera with his legs crossed. This gentleman was right in the middle of a real slice of American history there. Pretty awesome when you think about it.

[@allanbeamer7110]

I find it so very interesting that this man was at Ft Dodge just a handful of years before my great grandpa was. His name was Peter Walter Beamer. He had been a First Sgt. in Sherman's army during the Civil War. He was in Dodge City in the '70's and early '80's as a black smith. He was also sheriff for a very short period of time. He met Wyatt Earp while there too. I am a trucker by trade. A few years ago, I worked on a wind farm project south of town for several months and during a big ice storm, found the local historical society and found out so much about my great grandpa. I figure this man speaking was born about 1844. Peter Walter in 1842. He died about 1923, right about when my dad was born. Such a big wide world and yet so small at times. Very nice to hear this. Thanks!

[@LaGrandeBayou]

Not trying to start an argument But The Yankees never created a bigger coward then Sherman. Fascinating story nonetheless

[@rbee22]

@@LaGrandeBayou he burned down slavery lovers' cities so he's alright in my book

[@LaGrandeBayou]

"Slavery lovers" ? Tell me your a 15 year old Without telling me your a 15 yr old

[@RandyHopeUSARet]

@@rbee22 Did he burn down Black Slave owners home too? Check the history books, there were quite a few Black Slave Owners. The first slave owner in the US was Black.

[@mafiosino]

@@rbee22 You’re ignorant. You’re going to judge men at a time when land was survival and life was conquer or be conquered. Let me guess you would have asked where the gender neutral bathroom was located in the mid 1800.

[@fun2916]

Imagine both your combat deployments were within the United States, and you receive the Medal of Honor in a battle that took place within our borders. Unreal and amazing at the same time

[@joycebowen8958]

I agree I think it's also fascinating that many of these soldiers particularly the civil war one were children and grandchildren of the Revolutionary war soldiers I often wonder how those elders felt watching the country they created split in two. Must've really been something.

[@farewelljupiter]

That’s when we actually fought too. Now we fight ten football fields away never seeing an enemy we come back and demand a service poodle. We have lost the guts and ability to fight in a war so we shouldn’t even bother

[@fluffy1931]

@@farewelljupiter More soldiers died from disease & sickness than in combat during the Civil War era dude. pls gtfoh

[@victorhopper6774]

@@joycebowen8958 lot of years between 1776 and 1860. very few people fought in one and saw the other. more likely great greatgrand kids in the civil. although my great grandfather fougy in the civil and i was in viet nam in 70. but my grandfather was born when his dad was 60

[@SStupendous]

@@joycebowen8958 You do realize the VERY LAST veterans of the Revolutionary war were dying in the 1860s. There were very few of them to see the war. The sort of people who were the children and grandchildren of Revolutionary war veterans were people like Robert E. Lee, who was nearly 60 by then.

[@nathanielotto258]

I’m surprised by how polite and kind they were. I guess from movies or even imagination I had thought a frontier soldier would be a rougher person. That’s really cool.

[@jamesm.3967]

This is an official broadcast. Lots of pride in achievements.

[@russell3380]

When I was 7 or 8, I met Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker on Key Biscayne, Miami Fl. We sat on a bench as house keeping cleaned his bungalow. They booted him out and told him to go sit on the bench that I was sent to by my Grandmother, the head of Housekeeping. I recall telling him the causeway was named after him (as if he didn't know) and I remember shanking his hand when he was told he could go back inside.

[@dunruden9720]

Did his hand need stitches after the shanking?

[@That90sShow]

​@@dunruden9720 😂😂😂😂

[@Paladin1873]

Folks, you don't win the Medal of honor; you earn it. It's not a competition. As an aside, my Dad once met Eddie Rickenbacker and when he asked him how old he was, he replied, "I am 74 years young."

[@LittleLouieLagazza]

Yes, and--it should be understood that the MOH was the only bravery medal available at the time. It doesnt compare to modern rewuirements

[@jamesc8259]

I found a bunch of WWI pictures in the trash one day and one of them was Eddie Rickenbacker. Pretty sure they’re old, they are all stamped Western Union Telegraph Co or something like that

[@Paladin1873]

@@jamesc8259 I hope you kept them.

[@seanohare5488]

So true

[@johnevanichiii2509]

Mr Herron is wearing the 1904 Gillespie model MOH in his portrait. He may have been awarded his MOH around that time (which was not uncommon back then). All past MOH winners were always allowed to update their medals when a new style was issued....Thanks for posting this audio!

[@Gutslinger]

They're awards, not rewards. So they're recipients, not winners.

[@Spazzmatazzz]

Can you imagine a small boy in the 1930s listening to this on the radio? Guess what he and his buddies will be playing out in the yard? :)

[@jamesburns2232]

They be playing Cowboys and Indians! 🤠🏇

[@seansimms8503]

Most folks my age parents were born in the 1930s...hell, my dad's grandmother described to him the day she left the plantation outside Vicksburg in 1872, i started school in the 1970s, we had Spanish American War vets come in and speak to us, all of the male teachers back then were either WWII, WWII or vets of Korea, I remember one Nam vets teaching my 7th grade year.

[@bartholomewesperanza3442]

An old fashioned game of grab ass

[@billp4]

no

[@Spazzmatazzz]

@@seansimms8503 My parents were born in the 20s and mama's family were sharecroppers in SE NM. Dad quit school in 9th grade to mine lead and zinc with his father near Joplin, Mo.. He went on to serve and be decorated in the OSS in WW2. He retired from American Airlines in his 60s. Me? I started kindergarten in 1960. :)

[@brigham2250]

As I have commented elsewhere, the most interesting 100 years in the history of life on earth just may be from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. For instance, if you were born in 1870 and lived until 1970, you were born in a time when people traveled by train to man traveling to the moon. From horse and buggy to personally owned cars & world travel by airplanes. A world with no computers to a world with computers. A world with no radio or TV or movies to a world with all of those things. The world you were born into literally changed like no other time in history that I can think of.

[@corygriffiths4394]

Keep in mind this man was born almost 20 years before the Civil War he was born in 1846.

[@truthmarshal6627]

I’m amazed at just how crazy life is in general for some. 85 years old at time of interview. Lived through Indians battles and civil war to retire in Nebraska.

[@glorbohoh7864]

I have seen Lee's grave countless times, and growing up I had heard about this man. He was certainly a brave man.

[@samsum3738]

Absolutely marvellous . He even mentoned Custer 's wife was still living in New York as late as 1930 .

[@dmannevada5981]

Libby Custer, and amazing person in American history. Very few know her story.

[@steven2212]

Just a blink of the eye in time measurement. Not long ago in the great scheme of things. Great stuff. Rickenbacker! Another great American! This is a treasure.

[@TheUnknownCountry]

My great great grandfather was a wagon freighter back in the Wild West days up through Idaho, Montana and into Canada. He was born in 1857 in the back of a wagon and was on the road during the 1876 Nez Perce war. I read that they had to “circle the wagons” quite a few times. Once they got stuck in Idaho for the winter and that had to camp out in a cave they dug in to the bank of the Snake River. I also read about one story when he was a young boy and was fishing by a river. A Native crept up behind him and grabbed his hair and was about to kill him when he stopped and said, “I know you, your mother gave me food. I will not kill you.” And so he lived. So the story goes…

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Similar to my g-g-grandfather. He started a farm along a creek run that the natives used as a local route. He often fed them a meal when they came through. That is what a life insurance policy was back then.

[@TheUnknownCountry]

@@wisconsinfarmer4742 yes I suppose that was the life insurance policy back then.

[@forsakenlife4873]

Those Indians were savages. They killed the white man every chance they had.

[@npc77107]

Just an amazing and awesome interview by a WW1 legend of a Indian War legend.

[@TITAN-yu9ul]

Man I can't help but love and respect the souls of these men, great stuff to listen too.

[@kenholloway631]

This man was truly courageous and received the MOH. Tough as they come, glad to hear his story.

[@jerryleejohnsonjr1377]

What a priceless piece of audio, thanks for sharing it.

[@BillNeilan]

Great clip! I have to remark on how funny it is to hear an interviewee saying a line like “back in the 60s” and he actually means the 1860s!!!

[@georgewilkie3580]

My sincere Thank You to the producers of this outstanding video. Both the interviewer, and the guest are remarkable men that helped form and shape America to be the great Nation it has become. It was my distinct pleasure to meet the great WW1 American Ace Pilot, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Capt. Rickenbacker was the #1 American Ace Pilot of WW1. Later in his life, Capt. Rickenbacker founded the International Airline Company, "EASTERN AIRLINES". I found Capt Rickenbacker to be a kind and gracious gentleman. I was a young US Army 82nd Airborne Division Staff Sergeant (E-6). I had read Capt. Rickenbacker's amazing Autobiography. This volume left a deep impression on me. In the last chapter Capt. Rickenbacker describes how at the very last moments of the "Great War", he actually flew over a large section of the Front Line trenches. He wanted to see what would take place at the, 11th Day, of the 11th Month, at the 11th Hour. This was the agreed upon time ALL sides would cease fire, and this Horrendous War would finally come to its END. As his military watch struck 11AM, Capt. Rickenbacker observed literally thousands of Troops slowly come out of their Trenches, stand up, and slowly approach each other. The British in their Brown combat uniforms. The Germans wearing their dark Green uniforms, the French wearing their Blue uniforms, the Americans were not within Capt. Rickenbackers view, but for sure they were wearing their Brown combat uniforms. As Capt. Rickenbacker viewed this Huge mass of Military Men and Women (There were Military medical units on All sides up at the front ready to transport wounded troops to Field Hospitals in the rear. Hundreds of brave female Nurses were among them.). Capt. Rickenbacker's tears streamed down his war weathered face as he watched these courageous Soldiers from All sides shake hands, embrace one another, share cigarettes, show each other family photos, and those that had a bottle of Gin, or Wine, or any kind of spirits used it to toast to each other. Capt. Rickenbacker was deeply moved be this display of Military courtesy, but even more moved by the knowledge that just several minutes before 11AM, these disciplined, courageous, and galant Troops would very likely kill each other. How profoundly Sad. These moving moments had stayed in Capt. Rickenbackers mind for the rest of his life. He was haunted by these few minutes of Human Beings being caught up in an event that is like non other in the Human experience, WAR. WAR changes everybody's Life it touches, whether they are a combatant or not. Being a Vietnam (1968) combat Veteran, I can vouch for Capt. Rickenbackers words. Though I am proud to have served, at the same time I pray that someday there will be an end to War of any kind. Some will call me naive or uninformed, but I believe that some blessed Day, we will find another Way.

[@freedomforever6718]

A hard life was had by all.

[@clarkhull7546]

very true

[@Ksoism]

Not least by the Indians...

[@ORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR13]

The guys grandma was born in the 1700's thats absolutely crazy but whoever recorded this.. Thank you 👍

[@libertylady1952]

Wonderful piece of history. Thanks for sharing it.

[@miketalas7998]

Darn! I was ready to hear of Capt Eddie Rickenbacker's Tale of the War to End All Wars. Oh Well, Some other time maybe. Being Full Blooded Indian and a member of Federally recognized Tribes, Both were Peace seeking Tribes and Held some Honor among the Army/Cavalry for doing so, but I can understand the animosity of the Tribes that did fight, and wished they might have faired better. But My Father tells me that "ALL RACES, IN HISTORY, HAVE EXPERIENCED, BEING CONQUERED, AND HELD IN SLAVERY!" So We are not so special in that regard!

[@derrickwhipp1613]

Y’all weren’t conquered though, y’all were blatantly eliminated, then those who eliminated y’all have the balls to say that the borders should be closed. Natives were never slaves, y’all were brutally hunted and exterminated

[@nicholaswolstencroft9263]

not every race or culture has faced extinction and assimilation though

[@markj2305]

I remember talking to my dad about our native ancestors being overrun by the Europeans. His response "It was our fault", i.e. the tribes and nations were busy fighting one another, not recognizing outside threats. May we learn. We are our greatest threat if we cannot overcome our divisions.

[@darrellborland119]

This is really neat! A connection, audio, to the Civil War, completion of Manifest Destiny, thru building of Transcon RR., at Promontory Summit, UT. Thank you.

[@betweentwomillennium5057]

My great grandfather was in the Mexican American war about fifteen years before the Civil War that my other great grandfather and two great uncles were in. My father was in WWII. My two great uncles died fighting for the North to free the slaves. I guess my grandchildren will be in the second Civil War, the second Mexican American war and WWIII to free the slaves.

[@castelodomar846]

Anyone still living in the US is an economic slave that needs to be freed from the tyranny of a corrupt system.

[@SRVandDtrouble]

Prophetic

[@morrisdennis]

Correct

[@cba4389]

Your great uncles fought to end state's rights and giving us the situation we have today.

[@seanohare5488]

Good point you have to keep your proud legacy going

[@ryanshaw4250]

Although his story about the Indian wars is definitely pretty thrilling and a terrifying experience for most human beings, what he didn't mention was probably a magnitude scarier having survived the battles of the civil war.

[@seanohare5488]

Yes so true

[@goodolzimm5827]

Our history isn't that far behind us. When my grandmother was a girl they moved to Nebraska in a covered wagon. She said the grass was as tall as wheat and would juat about make you sea sick when the wind blew. Now, the grass is short and the buffalo no longer roam free.I don't know what year that was. But in my mind's eye I can still see the sturdy stock of people my grandparents and great aunts and uncles were. Not like us today. Great presentation, thank you.

[@SStupendous]

This man fought in the Civil War AND Indian Wars and we got audio of him. When you think of it, it's not just the interviews with Julius Franklin Howell and obvious Civil War vets, but even the earliest presidents recorded that are the voices of Civil War veterans. It's amazing to have it.

[@robertshawiv1513]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Lifeinthe1800s]

My pleasure! Thank you.

[@ElusiveMasquerade]

An absolute hero this man is. Brave men like him are rare in America today.

[@mochiebellina8190]

Yes we are doomed as a country.

[@chevinbarghest8453]

That's coz there is nobody's land to steal now,

[@ElusiveMasquerade]

@@chevinbarghest8453 The weak people unable to create a meaningful society have almost all been removed. Survival of the fittest and the superior race will always win. Back then playing the victim card was not a winning strategy for being weak was always looked down upon.

[@bigcrackrock]

@@chevinbarghest8453 Uhhh there's plenty of land to steal. We're just at a place in society where there would be a ton of backlash if it was made obvious. Even back then they had to false flag their way into taking California and other expansion campaigns were propagandized. Many natives got the shaft for sure but many also weren't the peace loving hippies people like to make them out to be now days. They initiated plenty of their own territorial disputes between settlers and other natives. The Europeans just weren't split into a ton of tribes and being united gave them the numbers to come out on top.

[@chevinbarghest8453]

@@ElusiveMasquerade Well that's a fine Nazi Aryan übermench philosophy but it isn't so...The Nazis lost and were either hung or killed themselves.. The elites have stopped breeding and the underclass are breeding like rabbits... Evolution is in reverse.

[@stephenhess9680]

Awesome interview. Thank you.

[@th.burggraf7814]

...and it is even more worthwhile for Americans of today's generations to pause and consider the hardships of the soldiers, pioneers and Indian scouts, who within a single lifetime have doubled the size of our country through winning of the West. 🤝🇺🇲

[@redtube8667]

It's also important to remember that the west was won through genocide and broken treaties. Those soldiers and pioneers shed more than enough innocent blood to deserve nothing but scorn.

[@th.burggraf7814]

@@redtube8667 Well.., that's, plain and simple, the way territories are conquered. ...by every race and since the dawn of humanity, I might add.

[@redtube8667]

@@th.burggraf7814 other people doing evil shit doesn't justify doing evil shit. Is it okay to praise Hitler for his conquests since he's hardly the first genocidal maniac?

[@MediquestDiabetic]

excellent insight, history and perspective by first hand soldier. Note the tone was of those who wanted their future Americans to remember this part of our history to learn from.

[@songsmith31a]

An invaluable time-capsule that brings the past to life.

[@douglasolomon5191]

Incredible that he was recorded for future generations

[@timothywitt4864]

I remember as a kid watching the TV show "What's My Line" when the guest was an old man who had witnessed, as a young boy, President Lincoln getting assassinated at Ford's Theater. Talk about living history.

[@racerx4152]

This is on u-tube, I watched it a few months ago.

[@katinabotten]

I’m speechless, this is beyond fascinating

[@rosesperfumelace]

Thank God recordings like this were made. So interesting to hear them. Even this recoeding was old. Around the 1920's.

[@rhenderson9234]

Your first photo with 2 people circled in red are of General U.S. Grant seated with his officers near the end of the Civil War.

[@Lifeinthe1800s]

Good call. That is Herron circled in red. Photo taken May 21, 1864 at Massaponax Church in Hanover County, Virginia.

[@ToddSauve]

@@Lifeinthe1800s That is fascinating! How did you find out it was Mr. Herron in the civil war picture?

[@jameskash1306]

That was fantastic and it brought you right there when he was waiting to get annihilated by the Indians. If not for people like him this country would be very much less fortunate to what we have.

[@seanohare5488]

Yes so true

[@kimberH1005]

Listening to a man born in 1845 is surreal.

[@seanohare5488]

I wondered if his fellow scout Boyle who made the brave dash to the fort who was pivitol in the rescue receive the medal of honor too

[@atlanticantiquesltd7372]

Outstanding! You can not place a price on retrained history such as this.

[@elchicano187]

I love your channel ! Who ever you are thank you for blessing us with such beautiful memories and knowledge of the past

[@odysseusrex5908]

Wow! That was fantastic. That story should have been made into a movie. For that matter, it still should. This sounds like an episode of an old radio show. Man, I'd like to hear more.

[@painmt651]

I think it was.

[@SuperGaleford]

Back in the ‘60s That’s the 1860’s. Crazy

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Remembering, honoring history, is vital for any world culture 🌎

[@danbuchner28]

This was amazing to hear a piece of history first hand!

[@BigDave641]

would be interesting to hear a Native American’s experience of those times

[@nomadpi1]

Fabulous interview, even though scripted. Corporal Herron, interviewed by Eddie Rickenbaker, who also had both WWI and WWII stories of perseverance, is a gem of that rare breed, the 19th century U.S. Cavalry soldier. It wasn't a pleasant time for American soldiers. In the 19th century, post-Civil War soldiers were looked down upon, denigrated, and perceived as too lazy to work. They pretty much rec'd the same treatment as Viet Nam soldiers a century later.

[@seanohare5488]

Sad but true

[@1LSWilliam]

It is just possible this man knew my great great granduncle, a Second Lieutenant with the (Michigan) 7th Cavalry, who served until Gettysburg, where he contracted pneumonia and returned home to die.

[@toddwilliams1380]

When is the last time u have hrd someone talking about back in the 60’s?? As in the 1860’s!?!? Haha. Wow, this is awesome! Thank u so much for sharing!!

[@robertruff4391]

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

[@tomcaldwell5750]

A true American hero in spite of the modern day disbelief.

[@deatralocklear17]

So would you consider any of the the tribal chiefs American heroes during his time?

[@SStupendous]

@@deatralocklear17 I would. Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse as the two most famous examples.

[@marktodd4479]

Amazing. Thank you for these.

[@lpdog82]

like reaching back in time to get to know this man, amazing

[@AustinHollingerOfficial]

It's crazy how in just a little bit of time the audio quality of recording equipment increased so far. The late 1880s had recording equipment that you could almost understand basically nothing. The 1920s had audio equipment that with a little bit of enhancement sounds just fine

[@williammartin2842]

I have read the wonderful autobiography of Eddie Richenbacker but this is the first time hearing his voice. Salute to these hero's.

[@kessilrun6754]

My buddy’s family’s house, in Pennsylvania, had the famous story of an Indian on the run having climbed through the window and ran straight out the front door. Presumably running from soldiers. More than likely the Indian would have undoubtedly been of either Blackhawk, or Mohawk, since both occupied the region, and almost every farmer has some sort of arrowhead collection and many people still tend to find them by the creeks. Anyway, sometime around 1999, when they re-insulated the house, they discovered the place had originally been insulated using pre-Civil War era newspapers lol.

[@c.r.5106]

"Back in the 60's"....1860's!!!!

[@johnness2457]

Wow 2 brave men talking story. It's amazing listening to someone who lived during that time. To hear his voice instead of reading it in an article. Great stuff

[@stanhutchins6592]

Just hearing him talk about the history in real detail about the past is absolutely incredible

[@frankgordon8829]

I saw an old episode of "I've Got A Secret" where this old man was on & said he actually saw Lincoln get killed. He was about 5 yrs. old. When he "told his secret," it was put on the screen & everyone in the audience gasped.

[@kimfleury]

I have one living uncle who was alive when this was recorded. He's the oldest son of 16 children. All but the youngest son have died, and they were all born after 1930. The oldest daughter just died of covid in January this year, aged 92. There are only 2 daughters alive, the 85 year old and the youngest daughter of the family. They all grew up in the shadow of this history. My Dad and his brothers used to trap foxes for their tails during the coonskin cap craze of the 1950s. The fox tails would be dyed to look like raccoon tails. I don't know why the merchants didn't want actual raccoons, maybe the fur is too coarse.

[@danielcadwell9812]

They were probably willing to use both.

[@rockingroby6060]

I recall as a kid in the mid 60s meeting an old fellow who called himself an old rail roader. Rail roads were the aviation and space race of the 1800s, high tech for its time

[@hepcat620]

As someone interested in linguistics, I find it fascinating that Americans born in the first half of the 19th century sound very similar to American speakers today. Because the British English accent changed during the 1800s, I think that American English must sound like what British English used to sound like in the 1700s.

[@MrSloika]

There were numerous dialects spoken in Britain during the American colonial period. American English, the way it's spoken in the Northeast, was fairly similar to the way most English speakers from the MIdlands talked. Most of the English immigrants to the colonies were from that part of England. What we think of today as a modern English accent existed at the time, it was an upper class accent. Eventually that manner of speaking was adopted by most people in Britain because they wanted to sound 'posh', just like the rich people. BTW, if you want to hear what English sounded like during Shakespeare's time, listen to a performance done in original pronunciation. You'll be shocked, It sounds like a blend of American English and Irish English.

[@susanhall9871]

I am English and to me the speech of both of those Americans sounds very different from modern Americans. They speak with some modern American vowel sounds and both are rhotic accents - in other words they fully pronounce all their ‘R’ sounds, like modern Americans, but the rhythm, cadence and tonal quality of their voices are markedly different. You can also hear this in other old recordings of Americans. There has never been a ‘British’ accent. Britain is England, Scotland and Wales with Northern Ireland included in the United Kingdom. All these nations have accents that can be put into separate categories. The accent most people are familiar with is called Received Pronunciation and is mainly spoken in the south of England. Across England there is a vast range of different accents. All English and American accents evolved from earlier accents. Accents in Britain did not change more quickly, there was no reason for them to do so. American accents evolved from a mixing and levelling of various English, Scottish, Irish and other non English speaking accents. Accents in Britain and America are constantly evolving as they are elsewhere.

[@m.wallace2705]

​@@MrSloikaThe English of Shakespeare's time always reminds me of the stereotypical pirate accent, or "Jack Sparrow talk" as I put it when I was younger.