Medicine Crow’s decision became one of the most revealing moments of his life because it allowed people to see the line he tried to walk.

He was capable of violence.

He chose not to use more than the situation required.

That choice helps explain why later generations called him not only a war chief but a peacemaker and bridge-builder.

The roots of the older man were already visible in the young soldier.

A Public Life Without A Public Persona

Many people who met Medicine Crow late in his life were surprised by how little he behaved like a celebrity.

He had every credential necessary to cultivate fame.

His war story was extraordinary.

His age gave him living links to vanished generations.