Captain John Boyd (5 October 1818 – 25 September 1847) was an American soldier during the Mexican–American War and Westward Expansion. Despite his combat incompetence, Boyd became a war hero after a counterattack enabled by his involuntary cannibalism; the details of which brought him to Fort Spencer in the Sierra Nevada where he came into contact with the cannibalistic outlaw, Colonel Ives.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
John Boyd was born on the 5th of October 1816, in the United States to a modest rural family before joining the U.S. Army.
Military Career and Mexican–American War[]
Boyd is commissioned into the Army as a second lieutenant during the Mexican–American War. In one of his earliest engagements, his unit was ambushed and nearly annihilated. According to Boyd’s own later account, he survived by feigning death beneath the corpses of fellow soldiers. During this ordeal, blood from the dead seeped into his mouth, providing Boyd with the sustenance necessary to ensure he recovered his strength, enabling him to rise, kill several Mexican soldiers, and seize a command post. This allowed for a counterattack to be mounted.
The Army initially considered him for commendation, but observers noted his disturbed demeanour and erratic testimony. General John Slauson deemed him unsuitable for public celebration and reassigned him to remote duty at Fort Spencer, an isolated frontier outpost in the Sierra Nevada.
Fort Spencer[]
Boyd arrived at Fort Spencer in late 1847, joining the small garrison under Colonel Jeffrey Hart. Shortly thereafter, a ragged stranger identifying himself as “F.W. Colqhoun” arrived, claiming to be the only survivor of a wagon party led astray by a certain Colonel Ives. According to Colqhoun, Ives had turned to cannibalism during a brutal mountain winter.
Boyd joined a rescue party to investigate the claim, accompanied by Private Reich and the fort’s native scout George. Their expedition uncovered a cave strewn with human remains, revealing that “Colqhoun” was in fact Ives himself. In the ensuing ambush, the soldiers were massacred. Boyd escaped by leaping from a cliff, breaking his leg, and surviving only by consuming Reich’s body.
Boyd limped back to Fort Spencer, traumatized and disbelieved. Soon after, Ives openly reappeared at the fort, assuming command under his true name. He began coercing others into cannibalism, invoking the Wendigo myth as justification.
Imprisonment and Resistance[]
During Ives’ ascendancy, Boyd was imprisoned after being accused of insubordination and delusion. While captive, he was forced to eat human flesh to recover from his wounds. Despite this, he resisted Ives’ attempts to convert him fully, instead allying with Colonel Hart, who had himself been compromised by cannibalistic survival.
Together, Boyd and Hart planned to end Ives’ influence. According to some accounts, Hart begged Boyd to kill him, unable to bear his dependency.
Final Confrontation and Death[]
The conflict culminated at Fort Spencer’s stables. Boyd and Ives fought violently, both sustaining mortal wounds but displaying uncanny resilience associated with Wendigo lore. Boyd ultimately trapped Ives in a bear trap and refused to prolong his own life by consuming Ives’ flesh.
He died on 25 September 1847, shortly after Ives succumbed. Martha Running Fox discovered his and Ives' bodies, leaving the scene before General Slauson arrived with reinforcements.
Gallery[]
