William Sloan Tough

William Sloan Tough aka "Captain Tough", "Tufts" or "Tuff" (May 19, 1840 – May 24, 1904) was a member of the guerrilla or irregular forces called the Kansas Red Legs.[1][2] The Kansas Red Legs fought on the Kansas-Missouri Border during the American Civil War in support of the Union.[3]

William Sloan Tough

Early life

Tough was born on May 19, 1840 in Baltimore, Maryland and at the age of 19 he settled in St. Joseph, Missouri. He journeyed to Colorado during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush but returned to Missouri when his prospecting activity was unsuccessful. Tough is also credited as being a pony express rider and some reports list him as engaging in horse trading before the American Civil War in 1861.[4][5][2]

Civil War years

Tough joined the "Red Legs" guerrilla forces fighting on the Kansas-Missouri Border leading up to the Civil War. He became a civilian scout for the Union Army serving as chief of scouts for General James G. Blunt as part of the Army of the Frontier.[1][6] The group of scouts he led were called the "Buckskin Scouts" and this group included former members of the "Red Legs".[6] One of the scouts working under Tough during this time was sixteen year old William Frederick Cody who would later become known as Buffalo Bill.[1][7][8]

On July 23, 1863, while at Fort Scott, Kansas, Tough was involved in a disagreement with a Union cavalry soldier named William Gardner. It was reported that Gardner had followed Tough after the initial dispute and Tough shot Gardner killing him. Tough was arrested for the act but was released following an investigation.[2] On another occasion Tough was part of a small group of survivors following an attack by Quantrill's Raiders on a military column that he was with.[5]

Later life

Following the Civil War Tough married and settled with his wife at Leavenworth, Kansas and began operating a livery stable.[9] He was appointed a United States Marshall for Kansas on March 23, 1873 and held the position until some time in 1876.[5][10] During this time period he was also elected to the Kansas House of Representatives from the Leavenworth district.[9] Tough then returned to horse trading operating his business at the Kansas City Stockyards and it was reported that he sold a number of animals that were used during the Boer War.[5]

William Sloan Tough died on May 24, 1904 in Kansas City, Missouri following a long illness.[6]

See also

References
  1. Gilmore, Donald L. (2005). Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border. Gretna, LA: Pelican. ISBN 9781455602308.
  2. Schofield, Arnold W. (15 April 2011). "Battlefield Dispatches No. 261: 'Tuff was Tough'". Fort Scott Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  3. Lindberg, Kip; Matt Matthews (May 1, 2002). "Better off in Hell: The Evolution of the Kansas Red Legs". North & South Magazine. 5 (4): 20–32. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  4. "Pony Express Riders". ponyexpress.org. Pony Express Museum – St. Joseph, MO. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. Thrapp, Dan L. (1991). Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography: P-Z. U of Nebraska Press. p. 1437. ISBN 0803294204. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  6. Rosa, Joseph G. (1994). The West of Wild Bill Hickok. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 53. ISBN 9780806126807. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  7. Rea, Tom (September 8, 2015). "Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express: Fame, Truth and Inventing the West". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  8. Smith, Ronald D. (2008). Thomas Ewing Jr.: Frontier Lawyer and Civil War General. University of Missouri Press. p. 186. ISBN 9780826266668. Retrieved 12 March 2018. Buffalo Bill cody red legs.
  9. Graves, Leon B. "Kansas Bankruptcy Court – Territorial Times to 1978" (PDF). Tenth Circuit Historical Society. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  10. "[MC 617, Sec. 3] Civil War (1861–65) – State Archives". www.kshs.org. Kansas Historical Society.


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