Hugh Glass is a famous American pioneer, trapper and explorer who has gone down in history forever thanks to the miraculous rescue from the very heart of the American taiga and further adventures.
Here's what we know about him …
Before the era of hydrocarbons, when oil and coal became the world's most valuable resources, the fur of fur animals played such a role. For example, the development of all Siberia and the Far East of Russia is connected with the production of furs. In the 16th-17th centuries in Russia, the deposits of silver and gold were practically unknown, but it was necessary to trade with other countries - this is what pushed the Russian people further and further east in search of a liquid currency: valuable sable skins, silver fox and ermine. These valuable skins were called "soft junk" at that time.
The same process took place in the United States. From the very beginning of the development of the North American continent, European colonists began to buy skins from the Indians and get them themselves - this wealth was exported to the Old World in whole ships. The French entered the fur trade in the 16th century; the British, who established trading posts at Hudson's Bay in the territory of modern Canada, and the Dutch in the XVII. By the 19th century, when the industrial development began, an extensive network of trading companies engaged in the extraction and sale of furs had already formed in North America.
For a long time, hunting for fur-bearing animals was one of the pillars of the American economy - long before the gold rush in California and Alaska, thousands of professional hunters flocked to the endless forests of the northwest for furry gold. They were called mountainmen or trappers. They not only disappeared in the forest for years, setting snares and hunting animals with firearms for their own benefit, but also played another important role.
These were the first white people in completely wild and unexplored places.
It was they who, along their way, filled out diaries, maps, made sketches and notes about the rivers along which they sailed, and about the people with whom they happened to meet. Subsequently, many of them began to serve as guides for scientific expeditions, accompany the first caravans of settlers along the Oregon Trail; others set up trading posts along migrant routes or were hired as scouts by the US Army.
During the heyday of the fur trade in the 1820s-1840s, about 3,000 people could call themselves mountainmen. One of them was Hugh Glass, who became a true American legend.
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Glass was born in 1780 to a family of Irish settlers living in Pennsylvania. From his youth, he felt a thirst for adventure, and distant unexplored lands attracted the young man better than any magnet. And it becomes clear why: the era of the famous conquest of the western lands of North America began in the United States, when every day more and more groups of pioneers and explorers went further and further west. Many of them did not return - the arrows of the Indians, diseases, predators and natural elements did their job, but the wealth and mystery of the distant lands did not stop more and more frontiersman.
The name frontiersman comes from the English word frontier. The frontier in the 19th century was the zone between the wild undeveloped western lands and the already annexed eastern lands. The people who lived in this zone were called frontiers. They worked as hunters, guides, builders, explorers, and contactees with various Indian tribes. It was dangerous and hard work, interesting but full of hardships. With the development of wild lands, the frontier shifted east - to the very East coast, until it finally ceased to exist.
Probably, at a young age, Glass left home and went to the frontier in search of adventure and work. Most of the information about his early life is missing, but we know that from 1816 to 1818 he was in command of a pirate ship that attacked merchant ships sailing along rivers and along the seashore. It is unknown if Glass volunteered to join the pirate squad or was captured, leaving no other choice. Be that as it may, after 2 years, during another pirate raid, Glass decided to escape from the ship: he jumped from the ship into the water and swam 4 kilometers to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. With no equipment with him, he walked north day after day, and, in the end, was captured by the Pawnee Indians. Glass was lucky that the tribal chief allowed him to remain in the tribe and provided him with everything he needed. The American lived with the Indians for 3 years, having acquired the skills of survival in the wild and hunting for animals, learned the Pawnee language and even took one of the Pawnee girls as his wife. Three years later, as an ambassador from the Pawnee, he went to meet the American delegation, and after negotiations he decided not to return to the Indians.
In 1822, Glass decided to join the expedition of the famous entrepreneur William Ashley, who planned to explore the tributaries of the Missouri River for hunting grounds for a new fur company, organized by William Ashley himself and his business partner Andrew Henry. The expedition was joined by many famous frontiermen and trappers; decided to try his luck and Hugh Glass. The experience gained and excellent physical data seemed to William Ashley sufficient, and at the beginning of 1823 Glass, together with the detachment, set out on a campaign.
A few weeks later, explorers ascending the Missouri River were ambushed by hostile Arikara Indians. 14 of the squadron were killed and 11, including Glass, were injured. William and Andrew suggested moving on, and as quickly as possible to pass the dangerous section of the river, but most of the detachment believed that large forces of Indians would be waiting for them ahead, and it would be tantamount to suicide to continue along the planned route.
Having sent a boat with their wounded comrades down the river to the nearest fort, the Americans began to wait for reinforcements. Finally, in early August, additional forces approached, which attacked Arikara and threw them back to their settlements. Peace was made with the Indians, and they pledged not to interfere with the group of researchers in the future. After that, the volunteers who came to the rescue went back.
Since the confrontation with the Redskins led to significant delays, William Ashley decided to split his people into two groups and send them along two different routes to catch up and explore the area faster. Moreover, although a non-aggression pact was concluded with Arikara, none of the Americans thought to trust the Indians, preferring to leave the intended route along the Missouri River. Glass was assigned to the second squad, led by Andrew Henry. They had to leave the Missouri River and continue on their way along one of its tributaries - the Grand River. Another detachment floated down the river and began to establish trade relations with the Indians of the Crowe tribe in order to somehow compensate for the losses from the unsuccessful start of the campaign. Both troops were to meet at Fort Henry, located upstream (see map).
Some time after the division of the detachment, the detachment of Andrew Henry began to worry about the Indian wars of the Mandana tribe: along the way, they ambushed the Americans, keeping them in constant tension. The frontiermen managed to avoid deaths, but they were exhausted and wanted to get out of the inhospitable Indian lands as soon as possible.
In early September 1823, Glass and his party were exploring the Grand River. Hugh, who was acting as a hunter, was tracking a deer near the temporary camp, when he suddenly stumbled upon a bear and two cubs. The enraged animal rushed at the man, inflicting many terrible wounds, and only the comrades who came to the screams were able to kill the grizzly, but Glass had already lost consciousness by that time.
After examining the wounded man, everyone came to the conclusion that Glass would hardly last a few days. As luck would have it, it was on these days that the Mandana Indians most strongly annoyed the Americans and literally followed on their heels. Any delay in advance was tantamount to death, and a bleeding Glass would greatly slow down the party's advance. At the general meeting, a difficult decision was made: Hugh was left in place along with two volunteers who would have buried him with all the honors, and then overtook the detachment.
John Fitzgerald (23) and Jim Bridger (19) volunteered to complete the mission. A few hours later, the main detachment withdrew from the camp and continued on their way, while two volunteers remained with the wounded Grasse. They were sure that Hugh would die the very next morning, but the next day, and two, and three days later, he was still alive. After briefly regaining consciousness, Glass fell asleep again, and this continued for several days in a row.
The two volunteers' concerns about being discovered by the Indians grew, and on the fifth day went into a state of panic. Finally, Fitzgerald managed to convince Bridger that the wounded would not survive in any case, and the Mandana Indians could find them at any moment, and the bloody massacre could not be avoided. They left on the morning of the sixth day, leaving the dying man with nothing but a fur cape, and taking his personal belongings … Later they would catch up with their squad and inform Andrew Henry that they had buried Glass after he expired.
Glass woke up the next day, lying under a fur cape from a dead bear. Not seeing two guardians nearby and discovering the loss of personal belongings, he immediately understood what had happened. He had a broken leg, many muscles were torn, the wounds on his back were festering, and every breath was filled with sharp pain. Driven by the desire to live and take revenge on the two fugitives, he decided to get out of the wilderness by all means. The nearest settlement of white people was Fort Kiowa, located at a distance of about 350 km from the place of the bear attack. Having approximately determined the southeast direction, Glass began to slowly crawl towards the intended target.
In the early days, he crawled no more than a kilometer, feeding on roots and wild berries along the way. Sometimes he carried dead fish to the banks of the river, and once he found the carcass of a dead bison, half-eaten by wolves. And although the meat of the animal was a little rotten, it was it that allowed Glass to obtain the energy necessary for the further campaign. By making something like a bandage for his leg and finding a stick that was comfortable to lean on while walking, he was able to increase his speed of movement. Two weeks after starting his journey, the emaciated Hugh met a detachment of friendly Lakota Indians, who treated his wounds with infusions of herbs, gave food and, most importantly, a canoe, with which Glass was eventually able to reach Fort Kiowa. His journey took about 3 weeks.
For several days Hugh Glass came to his senses, healing his terrible wounds. Upon learning that the commandant of the fort decided to send a group of 5 merchants to the Mandana Indian village to restore friendly relations, Glass immediately joined the squad. The Indian village was just upstream of the Missouri, and Hugh hoped that when he reached Fort Henry, he could take revenge on Fitzgerald and Bridger. For six weeks the Americans fought their way through the strong current of the river, and when there was a day's journey left before the settlement of the Indians, Glass decided to leave his fellow travelers, as he considered it more profitable to reach the village on foot, instead of by boats against the current, bend around the large river bend visible in front … Glass realized that the more time he saved, the sooner he would find escaped guardians.
At this very time, the wars of the Arikara tribe were approaching the settlement of Mandana - the Indians constantly fought with each other, and intertribal hatred was often much greater than hatred of the pale-faced invaders. It was this that saved Glass - the warriors of the two tribes noticed the white man at the same time, and it so happened that the first were the Mandana Indians, riding horses. Deciding to annoy their enemies, they saved the American's life and even safely delivered to the nearest trading post of the American Fur Company, located near Fort Tilton.
This is interesting: the merchants accompanying Glass were much less fortunate. They were caught by the Arikara Indians, who killed and scalped all five.
In late November, Hugh Glass began his 38-day hiking trek from Fort Tilton towards Fort Henry. Winter came to these parts unusually early, the river froze, and a cold north wind blew across the prairie and poured snow. The temperature at night could drop below 20 degrees below zero, but the stubborn traveler went to his goal. Finally reaching Fort Henry on New Year's Eve, Glass appeared before the eyes of the astonished members of his party. Fitzgerald left the fort a few weeks ago, but Bridger was still here, and Glass went straight to him with firm confidence to shoot the traitor. But after learning that young Bridger had recently married and his wife was expecting a child, Hugh changed his mind and forgave his former guardian.
For several months Glass stayed at the fort to wait out the cold weather and fulfill the task of the Fur Company - to deliver the skins to the fort, located downstream of the Missouri. The five-man trappers left for the mission at the end of February. One day they saw an Indian chief in the robes of the Pawnee tribe, standing on the banks of the river and friendly inviting them to go ashore and dine in an Indian settlement. Confident that they were indeed Pawnees, who were known for their friendliness towards the pale-faced, the trappers accepted the invitation. The leader did not know that Glass had lived in the Pawnee tribe for a long time and understood Indian dialects, therefore, communicating with his entourage, he spoke in the Arikara language, confident that Americans would not be able to understand the differences. But Glass realized that the reds wanted to outsmart them,and in fact it is Arikara, pretending to be Pawnees, luring them into a trap.
The trappers rushed in different directions, but two of them were immediately killed by the arrows of the Indians. The other two, who ran in the opposite direction from Glass, disappeared into the woods and safely reached the fort, while Hugh himself was once again left alone in the complete danger of the forest, which was combed by the angry Arikara. But the hardened fighter was not so easy for the Indians to catch, and a few days later Glass safely reached the familiar Fort Kiowa, where he had already come, wounded after a bear attack. There he learned that Fitzgerald had joined the US Army and was currently at Fort Atkinson, downstream.
This time Glass decided to focus entirely on revenge on his former comrade, and in June 1824 he reached the fort. Indeed, Fitzgerald was at the fort, but since he was a US Army soldier, Glass was facing the death penalty for his murder. Perhaps this was what stopped Glass from retaliating, perhaps something else, but after a while he gave up his revenge and decided to continue working as a trapper and conductor on the frontier.
A man like Glass simply could not calmly meet his death, lying at home under a warm blanket. The Indian arrow of the warrior Arikar found him nine years later, when he, along with other trappers, went to hunt fur-bearing animals in the vicinity of the Missouri River.
A few months later, a group of Pawnee Indians came to the Americans to establish trade links. One of the Indians, in the presence of the trappers, took a flask from his bag and drank. The trappers saw on the flask a characteristic pattern that Hugh Glass once made on his flask. The Arikara Indians, again trying to pretend to be Pawnee, were shot on the spot.
Based on true events, the filmmakers tell us. But often, making films based on real events, filmmakers are free to use facts. Some events are a little boring and they are neglected, some events are thought out to make the film spectacular and make the plot exciting, intriguing, interesting. The real story of "The Survivor" is not so spectacular, but it also delights in the strength and lust for life of the protagonist. And also, in fact, he forgave everyone.
Was Hugh Glass really a fur hunter?
Yes, a hunter and a pioneer. And this is one of the few facts that are known reliably about him. In 1823 he signed a document according to which he was to participate in the research expedition "Fur Company of the Rocky Mountains" organized by General William Henry Ashley, who advertised the recruitment of members of the expedition in the newspaper "Missouri Gazette & Public Advertiser". It was on this expedition that Glass was attacked by a bear.
Did Hugh Glass really persuade the hunters to abandon their boats and continue along the river?
Not. After the first battle with the Arikara Indians, the expedition organizers General Ashley and Major Henry decided to go through the mountains.
Did Hugh Glass really have a Native American wife?
Little is known about Glass's life before the bear attacked him. A hypothesis is also a marriage with an Indian woman, with whom he allegedly fell in love when he lived in captivity with the Indians. And according to legend, he was taken prisoner after fleeing from the pirate Jean Lafitte. Hugh Glass was an accomplished hunter and explorer. And where and how he acquired these skills, one can only guess.
Was Hugh Glass really attacked by a grizzly bear?
Yes. This happened in the summer of 1823, five months after Glass joined the expedition. The meeting with the beast took place on the Missouri coast. The she-bear was with two cubs and this made her very aggressive. She inflicted tremendous damage on him, including breaking his leg and piercing his throat. Glass colleagues heard his screams, rushed to his aid and drove the bear away with shots.
Is there any documentary evidence of this attack left?
Not. At least they have not been found. Although it is reliably known that Hugh Glass was literate. A letter has survived, which he wrote to the parents of the hunter John Gardner, who died in the attack of the expedition by the Arikara tribe. Some papers among the documents of the organizers of the expedition characterize him as not an ordinary person with a difficult character, but they do not leave us information about the incident. However, there are stories written from the words of eyewitnesses. So, the story of the attack appeared in 1825 in the Philadelphia Literary Journal. It quickly spread throughout the states and became a legend.
Does the real story take place in winter?
No, at least not all. The bear attack took place in the summer.
Did the expedition members really leave Hugh Glass to die alone?
Yes. Assuming that the hunter was mortally wounded, the leaders of the expedition paid the other two hunters to stay with him until the end and to bury him according to Christian customs. They stayed with Glass for several days (the exact number is unknown), and then placed him in a shallow grave, collected all the weapons and supplies, and left to catch up with the expedition.
Did the hunters really kill Hugh Glass's son?
Not. This part of the film is pure fiction. There is no evidence that Glass had children, and even more so that these children were killed in front of him. But revenge for a son is a more interesting plot move than revenge for oneself.
Hugh Glass really slept in animal carcasses?
This is unknown. But sleeping in animal carcasses is not uncommon in various survival tactics. This and other details of Glass's journey emerged from numerous retellings of his eerie adventure.
Did Hugh Glass really crawl 200 miles (320 km)?
Hugh Glass crawled for six weeks. The distance he covered changed and grew from retelling to retelling, and now it is not possible to establish it.
Did Hugh Glass really take revenge on the hunters who left him?
Not. Hugh Glass did catch up with John Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger, but forgave both of them.
What happened to Hugh Glass after this story ended?
Almost nothing is known about this, except that he continued to work as a hunter in the Yellowstone River.
Was Hugh Glass really killed by the Indians?
Yes. According to an article in The Milwaukee Journal, a visitor to Fort Union shared the news of the hunter's death. "Old Glass, with two companions, went to Fort Cass to hunt a bear, and as they crossed the river on the ice, they were shot and scalped by the Arikara Indians." This happened in 1833.
There is also an excellent film called The Man of the Wild Prairie, filmed in 1971 by Richard S. Sarafian.
Hugh Glass was played by the famous actor Richard Harris. One of his last works was the role of Emperor Aurelius in the film "Gladiator".
The film features excellent wildlife photography - majestic snow-covered forests and mountain spurs. The most powerful picture in terms of impact. Great fortitude of the people who conquered the west. Great actors. In addition to Harris, the film also stars John Houston, who won an Oscar as director for The Treasures of the Sierra Madre. The scene of Glass forgiving his companions looks especially strong.