The Legend of Hugh Glass: Pipe-Smoking Frontiersman

The Legend of Hugh Glass: Pipe-Smoking Frontiersman | Daily Reader

Geniuses like Einstein, Hubble, Jung, Tolkien, Sartre, and others have contributed to a stereotype of pipe smokers as intellectual and contemplative personalities, puffing gently, developing theories, and achieving art that changes the world. Yet pipe smokers are more varied. They're also adventurers, like Roald Amundsen, Richard Francis Burton, and Ernest Shackleton. They are musical virtuosos like Bach, Oscar Peterson, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and authors like Twain, Thurber, and Wodehouse. However, pipe smokers are not generally known for heroic badassery, though badasses like Adrain Carton di Wiart and Sitting Bull prove otherwise. Perhaps the most legendary pipe-smoking badass of all time was American frontiersman Hugh Glass, who woke from a coma five days after a bear attack, alone in the wilderness without supplies or defense. He crawled 200 miles through the hostile wilderness, his shredded back infested with maggots and his leg broken, driven by the need to exact revenge on the companions who took his rifle and abandoned him to die alone.

He didn't die, at least not for a long while. He was routinely shot and stabbed in skirmishes with Native Americans but he survived until 10 years later when he was ambushed by Arikara warriors as he crossed the frozen Yellowstone River.

He'd already had an eventful life by the time he became a fur trapper and woodsman. Born in 1783 in Pennsylvania, he became a sailor who turned to piracy against his will when the famous pirate Jean Lafitte captured his ship in 1816. All but Glass were killed — Glass had fought so well that Lafitte invited him to join his crew. Given the choice of piracy or immediate death, Glass chose piracy. However, he didn't like that depraved life and watched for an opportunity to escape. It took some time, but after a couple of years, he slipped overboard in the night and swam two miles to the Texas shore.

A companion escaped with him, and they headed north. They made it as far as Kansas before being captured by a band of Pawnee, famous at the time for warring with virtually everyone and for their creative torturing of captives. The capture meant immediate, agonizing execution.

Given the choice of piracy or immediate death, Glass chose piracy

The Pawnee started with Glass' companion so that Glass could observe what would soon happen to him. In his book, The Mountain Men (1988), George Laycock describes the episode:

The jubilant natives hustled their two white captives back to their village in high anticipation of the festive occasion ahead. The ceremony was soon in progress. The Indians chose Glass's companion for their first sacrifice. Instead of simply building a fire and putting him on it, they pushed numerous slivers of dry resinous pine into sensitive parts of his body, and Glass was forced to watch his companion burn slowly. By intermission time, when this first act ended, Glass had a vivid picture of what lay ahead for him. (page 133)

It wasn't a quick death. After his companion expired, Glass was led to the stake, and he accepted that this was his end. Disgusted, he presented a pouch containing vermilion, a highly prized red pigment.

When the Indians turned to seize him, he'd thrust his hand into his hunting shirt and taken out a bag of vermilion he'd brought with him from the pirate ship. Knowing that the Indians prized that blood-red pigment more than nearly anything else, he'd turned to the chief.

"Guess I won't have any use fer this anymore," he heard himself saying to the Pawnee leader. "Here, take it and be damned to ye!" (Laycock 32)

Chief Black Elk was impressed by the gift and by Glass' courage, and he adopted Glass, making him a blood brother. Glass lived with the Pawnee for years, learning their hunting and tracking techniques. In 1823, he traveled with Pawnee leaders to St. Louis on a mission to arrange peace with the U.S. government. While there, he saw an announcement in the St. Louis Missouri Republican:

TO ENTERPRISING YOUNG MEN: The subscriber wishes to engage One Hundred Men to ascend the Missouri River to its source, there to be employed for one, two, or three years. For particulars, enquire of Major Andrew Henry near the lead mines in the county of Washington, who will ascend with, and command the party.

That seemed an attractive offer to Glass, and he decided to leave the tribe and become a trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company.

In late August, 12 men, including Glass, under the supervision of Major Henry, were traveling along the Grand River, moving toward the Yellowstone River to camp for the winter and trap beaver. The night before, Arikaira warriors had slipped past the guards and killed two men as they slept. They were in unwelcome territory and in constant danger.

After his companion expired, Glass was led to the stake, and he accepted that this was his end

Henry sent Glass and two others ahead to look for game, but Glass, as was his custom, moved ahead of his companions to hunt alone. Foraging along the river, he blundered into a mother bear and her two cubs. Mother bears are aggressive when they perceive any danger to their cubs, and this one immediately charged Glass, who managed to get one shot off before the bear was on him.

Bears are generally unimpressed by single bullets, and it began tearing Glass apart, grievously slashing the flesh from his back, breaking one of his legs, lacerating his arms and torso, peeling much of his scalp away from his head, and puncturing his neck near his windpipe. Glass dropped his flintlock rifle but pulled his hunting knife and began plunging it into the bear.

Accounts differ. Some say that Glass killed the bear with his knife and his companions found him with the dead bear on top of his nearly lifeless body. Others say that his friends arrived during the attack and shot the bear. Either way, it ended up on top of the unconscious Glass and it took monumental effort to roll it off of him. Unfortunately, both bear cubs had to be killed because they were aggressive with the rescuers.

Foraging along the river, he blundered into a mother bear and her two cubs

Glass was as dead as a man can be and still breathe. Blood bubbled from his neck wound and his back was deeply lacerated from neck to tailbone. His companions made him as comfortable as they could and carried him for two days, but the effort was too much and too slow. They placed Glass on a bearskin next to the river. Maybe it was the skin from the bear Glass had killed. He couldn't speak or move, but his eyes occasionally cleared as he drifted in and out of consciousness. They waited for him to die.

The Legend of Hugh Glass: Pipe-Smoking Frontiersman | Daily Reader

But Glass was still alive days later, and Henry realized that they could wait no longer. Hostile natives knew they were in the area and were hunting them. Henry offered a reward for two volunteers to stay behind with Glass and bury him when he inevitably died.

The reward was $80, though some accounts say it was $200. In today's money, that would be $2,400-$7,500 — still not a lot for a detail so risky. The volunteers were John Fitzpatrick, an experienced trapper, and 19-year-old Jim Bridger, who would later become a famous mountain man himself. They waited days, staying as hidden as possible, feeding Glass sips of soup and water, but he was barely able to part his lips.

Fitzpatrick became restless after five days. Their lives were in peril and the trapping party was getting farther ahead and difficult to rejoin. He suggested that they leave Glass, who was already as good as dead. They could say that they had waited for him to pass and had given him a Christian burial. Bridger didn't like the idea but was talked into it as the stress of being hunted grew and their position became more dangerous. They took Glass' rifle, knife, hatchet, and cook kit, which he would no longer need, and left him by the side of the river.

When Glass woke, he knew he had been abandoned and his anger became his source of energy. He vowed to find Fitzpatrick and Bridger and exact revenge, and that determination helped him stay alive. He managed to sip some water from the river and more days passed. His back was infested with maggots, which may have saved his life as they ate the dead flesh that could have become gangrene. He ate a root, some insects, and a handful of low hanging chokecherries, still unable to move from his prone position. He had some luck one day and killed a rattlesnake with his hands. He still had his father's straight razor, which he used to skin the animal, and his flint and steel, but he couldn't start a fire because he couldn't move around and gather tinder.

Glass realized that his only recourse was to start crawling and hope he could avoid predators both human and animal. The first day, he managed to move only a couple of yards, and the next day a few more, but it was a maddeningly slow and exhausting ordeal.

Their lives were in peril

After a few days and little progress, he reached the edge of some woods and saw a pair of wolves eating a bison calf. He managed to drive them away and claimed what was left of the carcass. He spent days there, and the food helped his strength. He reset his broken leg and resumed his crawl.

Though there are no recorded reports of it, he probably smoked his pipe, which was still with him and his only source of comfort. Most mountain men smoked pipes. In The Mountain Men: The Dramatic History and Lore of the First Frontiersmen (2015), author George Laycock describes the way frontiersmen like Glass carried their pipes:

The trapper's pipe and twist of tobacco were usually close at hand. The common pipe was the long-stemmed clay pipe used as trade goods with the Indians. These pipes were easily broken but inexpensive enough to be replaced readily. Some trappers carved their pipes from cherry or other wood.... One common method of carrying the pipe was to suspend a carrier for it from the neck. The system varied with the ideas of the trapper. Some pipe carriers had a compartment for tobacco and, if the trapper had an Indian wife, were decorated with fancy beading. This style of pipe bag was cut from a single piece of leather to fit the pipe and allow room for tobacco. It was stitched and, if desired, equipped with a flap that fastened down with a button, then decorated with fringe. Calico was also a popular pipe-bag material when available.... Another plan was to carry the pipe secured by tight leather thongs that held it to a small rawhide heart-shaped disk suspended from the neck. (page 64)

However Glass may have carried his pipe and tobacco, he had them, and was undoubtedly thankful. If they didn't save his life, they saved his sanity. His need for revenge helped, too. He thought constantly of catching the men who had betrayed him and reclaiming his beloved flintlock, which he had named Old Faithful.

Most mountain men smoked pipes

It took Glass six weeks to crawl and stumble 200 miles through the wilderness to Fort Kiowa on the Missouri River, where he purchased supplies on credit and set out to rejoin his group of trappers. They were shocked to see him. He was supposed to be dead and buried. Fitzgerald was no longer with them, having joined the U.S. Army, but young Bridger was there and shaken to see Glass.

"Hugh!" Jim uttered, his voice breaking. He still seemed almost in a state of shock. "Hugh, I sure never expected to see ye alive again, but —but, I'm glad ye are!" he finished with a rush. "I'm glad—even iffen ye do kill me fer what I done. I deserve it, I guess." (Laycock 113)

Thoughts of revenge had driven him to do the impossible, but when he spoke with Bridger, Glass changed his mind. Bridger was only a teenager and had been swayed by Fitzgerald. Glass forgave him, but was determined to find Fitzgerald, who was at Fort Atkinson since joining the Army.

He thought constantly of catching the men who had betrayed him

It was a long way, but Glass finally confronted the man who had abandoned him with no rifle or tools to survive. As much as Glass wanted to kill him, the Army didn't approve of civilians murdering its men. If he killed Fitzgerald, he would be tried and sentenced, so Glass forgave him, too, on the condition that Old Faithful, his rifle, be returned. It was.

Glass continued trapping and battling with various tribes for 10 more years until his death at age 50 at the hands of the Arikara. Few lives have been as adventurous or exciting, and few men so self-reliant, stubborn, and resilient. His legend lives on in such film adaptations as The Revenant and Man in the Wilderness, though they are highly fictionalized. The true story is more engaging, and though we know little about Hugh Glass' pipe smoking, it's encouraging to know that he endured his many adventures while smoking and carrying pipe and tobacco.

The Legend of Hugh Glass: Pipe-Smoking Frontiersman | Daily Reader

Bibliography

  • Gowans, Fred R. Mountain Man & Grizzly (1992)
  • Laycock, George. The Mountain Men (1988)
  • Laycock, GeorgeThe Mountain Men: The Dramatic History and Lore of the First Frontiersmen (2015)
  • McClung, Robert M. Hugh Glass, Mountain Man (1990)
  • Singh, Dharmendra. "Hugh Glass Biography" (2024), TheFamousPeople.com.
  • Tikkanen, Amy. "Hugh Glass Biography""Hugh Glass: American Frontiersman" (2015), Britannica.com.
Category:   Pipe Line
Tagged in:   Famous Pipe Smokers History

Comments

  • Frank P. on January 25, 2025

    I always appreciate your offerings Chuck - thanks for another fascinating read!

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  • Twisted on January 26, 2025

    I know that I don't experience feelings of schadenfreude (often), but there is something about your description of other people's misfortune that really hits my funny bone. The torture, scalp peeling, flesh slashing, broken leg, punctures, maggots, and low crawling in misery for 200 miles had me laughing to myself. I guess I try to imagine how I would hold up in such a situation. Brings to mind the Rembrandt painting "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" but add some pipes and tobacco to their plight, and then it becomes even more bearable (smoking a bowl with Jesus, how peaceful would that be in the middle of a storm?). This story exemplifies true grit, suck it up and drive on. A great story of badassery and perseverance that ties into pipes and tobacco. As always, well done!

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  • Timothy A. on January 26, 2025

    Always enjoy your writing, Chuck. A great read. These mountain men have always fascinated me, definitely a product of their time. Tough.

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  • Joseph Kirkland on January 26, 2025

    One more time, Chuck KUDOS!!

    Great work.

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  • Jason on January 26, 2025

    I live near the location of the attack and have visited the site. A plaque stands on a bluff over looking the beautiful Missouri River. Living in the area for most of my life the story of Hugh Glass has been a common one, but sadly one that is not as known in these days. His story of survival is one of the truly great stories of the west.

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  • Rick Newcombe on January 26, 2025

    Louis L'Amour books about the Old West are fictional but based on composites of real life cowboys and other settlers of America. It is not unusual for his heroes to enjoy a pipe or chewing tobacco when they are sitting camp side at night or enjoying their coffee in the morning. Hugh Glass reminds me of some of those characters. Great Story, Chuck!

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  • Harry F. on January 27, 2025

    Great article 👍👍👍💯

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  • bluecow on January 27, 2025

    Absolutely correct about the image of pipe smokers. Intellectuals fondling their fine pipes, sitting in a wing backed chair and thinking great thought. I grew up around a lot of pipe smokers, Farmers, Lobstermen, Lumbermen, laborers, that owned one or maybe two "basket" pipes, smoked them hard often and yes, they inhaled.
    Glass and John Colter need to be remembered more than they are.

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  • Sam P . on January 27, 2025

    Enjoyed the story Chuck and the artwork

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    • TOUGH GLASS on January 29, 2025

      I agree, Sam The bottom illustration cracks me up, Hugh is depicted holding on to a small tree while being swept up off his feet by a grizzly bear...who do you think will win that tug of war?😂 Also, I can't imagine Hugh Glass (Badass) using the frowny face emoji on these kind of posts. Maybe someone with baby bottom soft hands who never worked a hard day in their life enjoy using that emoji🤣

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