"Lakota" Bob Smith (born 1810) was an American cowboy, soldier, scout, "Indian" fighter, explorer, gunfighter, rancher, businessman, and lawman, among other trades, who operated in the Wild West era.
Biography[]
Bob Smith was born somewhere in the Ohio River Valley to a Southern plantation owning Jeffersonian family from Virginia. Like his family, Bob Smith was a staunch, diehard supporter of Jeffersonian democracy and later the Jacksonian Democrats and its leader, Andrew Jackson. Bob was a staunch believer in Social Darwinism, and was sympathetic of the Ku Klux Klan, despite not actually being a member of the group initially, though he eventually joined. Smith, like his family, was pro-Slavery, but unlike most slave owners, he supported eventual, gradual emancipation for slaves once they reach a certain age. He was given the nickname "Lakota" Bob, because he spent 5–10 years living with the Lakota Sioux Native Americans. Smith walked many paths of life and was present at many historical events in the United States and around the world, such as the Anglo-Zulu War and the Satsuma Rebellion, among other events during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Smith lived over 100 years; despite his age, he was still very active and fought with criminals. At one point he became an outlaw, but due to his accumulated wealth, he bought off lawmen every time they pursued him. Towards the end of the 19th Century, Smith became an outspoken proponent of the Neo-Confederatism and he helped to support veterans organizations for both sides of the American Civil War, including Sons of Confederate Veterans. Smith also supported the infamous New York draft riots because he was growing more opposed to the Northern cause during the American Civil War. Smith supported William M. Tweed, and Bill the Butcher. In 1864, Smith endorsed George B. McClellan for President of the United States over Abraham Lincoln, because he felt that McClellan was better suited to ending the war. Before the American Civil War, Smith fought in the skirmishes out west known as Bleeding Kansas on the side of the Border Ruffians, and viewed John Brown as a "personal enemy". He was enemies of many of the supporters of Abolitionism and many of the social movements that were sprouting up around this time. He was involved in stopping the Raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, calling it "dangerous that an armed mob would dare rise up against the government that was chosen by the people" and was happy that John Brown was arrested, saying that "it couldn't have happened sooner or to a nicer guy" based on what he saw out in Kansas. Later he would strongly support the Conservative Southern Democrats, by supporting the Southern Democratic Party in the 1860 United States presidential election, though he would ultimately favor the Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis. He defended John Wilkes Booth as a "national hero" after he shot Abraham Lincoln. He was a proponent of White supremacism, Right-wing populism and Nativism, and was a member of the Southern Red Shirts, White League, and was an opponent of Reconstruction.
He was a scout for his good friend, General George Armstrong Custer and his US 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of Washita River and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, during the Black Hills War in 1876, where he was severely wounded. Smith later served as a scout for several regiments during Plains Indian Wars. He was a guide and scout during the Wapiti War, and he would befriend several members of the Van der Linde Gang, namely Arthur Morgan and John Marston. Bob Smith was a staunch conservative Jacksonian. Bob Smith served as a civilian scout with Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War at the old age of 88. He fought as a mercenary in the Australian frontier wars, and was great friends with the sharpshooter, Matthew Quigley, despite the two being on opposite sides in that conflict. In 1864, Smith was a scout for the US Army in the Colorado War.
Smith became friends with Wyatt Earp, Landon Ricketts, Cord McNally, John Bernard Books, among others, like Sanford Smithers, Angel Eyes, Ray McCall, Marquis Warren, Benjamin Cameron, mobster Angelo Bronte and James Dutton amongst others. He is the great-great-grandfather of "Cowboy" Bob Smith. He was also best friends with Colonel Henry Favours and Captain Howard Jones and Lieutenants Willie Newport and Matthew Parker. He is related to Captain Allan T. Smith. Smith was responsible for introducing Leviticus Cornwall to Colonel Henry Favours.
Bob Smith served a lawman for decades across the American West. In 1897, he got into a gunfight with Micah Bell after Smith caught him robbing Herbert Moon's general store, but Micah escaped before Smith could arrest him.
Bob Smith supported Alberto Fussar during the Guarman Revolution because of his financial ties to the sugarcane trade in Guarma. Smith also had a deep prejudice towards the people of Guarma, viewing their revolution as an "affront to everything decent and good in the world.". He also blamed the Socialists for the uprising, seeing as they were in favor of it in America. Smith believed that the United States should prepare the army to go fight against Hercule Fontaine and Leon Fuentes, whom Bob Smith viewed as evil. Smith also supported both the United States and Spain during the Spanish-American War because he was making lots of money regardless of the winner.
Bob Smith also fought several battles against the Renegade Indians. In 1899, Bob also partook in the Blackwater massacre, fighting on the side of the Blackwater law enforcement, Pinkertons, and his good friends Landon Ricketts, Robert L. Jenkins (Blackwater Police), Leigh Johnson, Edgar Ross, Nigel West Dickens, and Herbert Moon.
In 1834, Smith fought as a Militia member in the Second Seminole War, before heading out to the frontier of Texas, where he fought at, and survived the Battle of the Alamo by faking his death, getting captured, and overpowering the guards along with stealing a fast horse to get away.
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