The man who survived being scalped by Native American warriors, 1864

The man who survived being scalped by Native American warriors, 1864

Robert McGee was an American man who was attacked by Native Americans when he was delivering supplies to an American army fort and survived to tell the tale. This event is classically seen as a brutal time in American history, as white Americans began to push into native American territory, which saw fierce fighting as the Natives defended land that was their home territory. Here is his story: Robert McGee was a 14-year-old boy in 1864. His family decided to migrate west to the American Frontier. The America Frontier was a border or event, which saw Americans migrate west from their original settlements on the Eastern coast next to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the trail, McGee lost both his parents and became an orphan. He then tried to join the army but was too young, so he joined a supply team who were taking supplies to Fort Union in New Mexico. These types of jobs were dangerous, as they usually involved several men operating a wagon train, a slow-moving vehicle, that was a common target for ambush attacks from the Natives. The threat level was so high, that McGee's supply team was escorted by armed members of the US army. On July 18, the group made camp at Walnut Creek near Fort Zarah, in what is now Great Bend in Kansas. The team felt protected, as the fort was nearby, but their armed escort team was a mile behind as they thought the supply train was safe from attack. At 5 that afternoon, 150 warriors from the Sioux tribe attacked the team with bows and arrows, muskets, and tomahawk axes. McGee was then scalped (when the skin of the top of the head is cut off). 8-14 members of the supply team died, with McGee and another boy surviving. McGee was taken to Fort Larned where he was treated for his wounds. The photo above was taken 25 years after the attack..... Read story McGee is not the only man to have survived being scalped, as there is a legend to say that he is. Scalping was popular among some Native American tribes, as a scalp belonging to the enemy was seen as a trophy.

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