George (Ho-my-ike) was born on July 7 1843, son to William Bent and Owl Woman(Cheyenne). William was founder of the trading post at Bent’s Fort. George was raised up in both the Cheyenne and white worlds and was also exposed to other nationalities passing through the fort. His father sent him to boarding school to gain an education in Missouri. Once the civil war broke out he enlisted with the Missouri Stare Guard with the Confederate army. He fought at various battles including, Battle of Wilson’s Creek, First Battle of Lexington and The Battle of Pea Ridge.
He was captured with 200 other rebels near Memphis and was marched to Gratiot Street prison, St Louis. Luck was on his side as an old school friend recognised him, word got around to one of his brothers Robert who informed his legal guardian at the time, Robert Campbell who had contacts with union officers, he was released the next day but had to sign his allegiance to the union.
He returned to his father’s ranch in Colorado but anti- confederate views were tense and he was in danger if people found out that he fought in the Confederate army so he went to live with his mother’s people. He was with Black Kettle’s band at the Sand Creek massacre after this it changed him and went to fight with the dog soldiers alongside his half brother Charley and was part of the attacks on Julesburg. He continued to fight with the Cheyenne dog soldiers. He took a Cheyenne wife, Magpie who was Black Kettle’s niece.
George was an interpreter at the Medicine Lodge Treaty in October 1867. The U.S army was impressed with him and then offered him a job as interpreter. He tried to stem hostilities between both parties and continued to live on the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation. He felt that he was always caught in both worlds which affected him somewhat. Once alcohol came into his life, he was fired from his job and lost respect from the Cheyenne.
He associated himself with George Bird Grimell and George Hyde giving information of the Cheyenne way of life. It was his dream to have some oral history written about The Cheyenne and was instrumental in this. George Bird Grimell’s books “The Fighting Cheyenne’s” and “The Cheyenne Indians- History and Lifeways”. It is stated the George Bent wrote 340 letters to George Hyde who mostly did a lot of the writing for the book as George Bent was worried that Grimell was too slow and needed a back up so the book could be published. George Hyde came up with the idea to create a book with the letters. He was rejected at first but in 1968 it was published. “Life of George Bent: Written From His Letters.” George Bent died on May 19 1918.
