Adolph Metzger bugler Fetterman Massacre Red Cloud custom 12" figure Old West

Description: This is a custom 12" figure commemorating a real American hero of the Old West, Adolph Metzger. Metzger was a bugler under the command of Captain William J. Fetterman, US Army. Fetterman had been assigned under the command of Colonel Henry B. Carrington. In 1866 Carrington was assigned the task of protecting the settlers moving west on the Bozeman trail. Carrington established three forts along the way including his headquarters at Fort Kearney. (near present day Buffalo Wyoming). While building Fort Kearney Carrington's group had experienced about 50 attacks from the tribes of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho (Red Cloud War). These hit and run attacks had killed 20 plus soldiers and civilians assigned to the Fort. Carrington's junior officers felt they should be more aggressive and attack the Indians. This point was pressed further with the arrival of 60+ reinforcements including an infantry Captain named William J. Fetterman. Fetterman had a distinguished war record due to his actions in the Civil War. He was very critical of Carrington's defensive posture with the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. Fetterman boasted, "give me eighty men and i will ride through the whole Sioux Nation. Fetterman was given permission to try a night ambush that the Indians saw through immediately resulting in Fetterman almost getting ambushed himself. Eventually Carrington's superior, General Crooke ordered Carrington to get more aggressive with the marauders. The Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces had used a decoy group to draw soldiers into the open on a couple of occasions. The ploy had worked on a small scale. Finally on December 21st, 1866 the Indian forces decided to try their decoy plan on a much larger scale. To be part of the decoy group was a great honor and very dangerous. The Army had sent a wagon train out to the forest to cut wood for the Fort. Word was sent back to the Fort that the wagons were under attack. Carrington dispatched a group of soldiers to be led by Captain James Powell. Fetterman claimed command by right of seniority. So Fetterman assumed command that day. Part of the group under Fetterman's command was bugler Private Adolph Metzger. Metzger was born in Germany in about 1834. He immigrated to the United States and settled in Philadelphia where he was a laborer. Metzger enlisted in the Army on May 29th,1855 and served until May 29th 1860. Metzger did not really like civilian life all that well so he re-enlisted a few months later. Metzger was involved in several skirmishes throughout the Civil War without incident. He eventually enlisted in the 2nd Cavalry Company C, where he remained throughout the war. Metzger would marry. He and his wife would transfer a few times as you do in the Army but eventually she decided to stay put. Metzger was assigned to Fort Kearney on November 1866. Metzger found himself on December 21, 1866 under Captain Fetterman's command racing to the aid of the woodcutter wagon train that was under attack from a group of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. When Fetterman and his forces arrived he was supposed to rescue the wagon train. The ten decoys raced to the top of a ridge where they stopped and mooned Fetterman and his troops. Fetterman decided to give chase rather than get the wagon train back to safety. Once the decoys got to a certain point they stopped and gave a signal. 1,500-2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors sprang from concealment and attacked. Fetterman and his command, 81 men were wiped out in about the time it might take a hungry man to eat his lunch. Adolph Metzger was one of only two soldiers whose body was not mutilated. By all accounts Adolph Metzger fought till the very end. Once his ammunition was exhausted Metzger used his bugle as a bludgeon fighting until he eventually died. When the soldiers at Fort Kearney investigated the battlefield they found Metzger's body covered in a buffalo hide. Many believed this was a tribute by the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho forces due to Metzger's bravery in battle. Adolph Metzger was definitely one of the bravest characters of the old West. Please note that while this figure does not look exactly like Adolph Metzger, there is a bit of a resemblance. stand included. This would make a nice addition to any collection. sold as is. Please note the following-when a figure is a custom figure that means it is not a licensed product or "official" but something the customizer did by combining figures and accessories from different makers and toy releases to come up with the custom figure or figures. I started customizing figures a few years back because I couldn't find more than a handful of "official" releases and unable to find figures of people I wanted to collect. I checked into the market of custom figures. Most of the custom figures available back then cost several hundred dollars, so, I started doing my own. Because I needed to support my new hobby, I started selling some custom figures. My prices reflect my acquisition cost, time involved, and some profit. Thanks for the look, have fun shopping!Shipping and Handling as follows: Domestic-priority mail- $15.00 1st item, $8.00 each additional item. items are normally shipped out within a day or two of cleared payment.The family

Price: 79.99 USD

Location: Osage City, Kansas

End Time: 2024-09-05T20:15:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15 USD