【美国人物志】威廉·弗雷德里克·科迪 (2/9)

英语自学网

威廉弗雷德里克科迪 (Buffalo Bill Cody) 又名野牛比尔 (Buffalo Bill) ，是一位水牛猎人、美军侦察兵及印第安战士。但他最为人所知的身份可能是蛮荒西部 (Wild West) 的代表人物，他制作了一部名为「野牛比尔的西大荒及世界级驯马师大会」(Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World) 的精彩表演，这场表演享誉全球并为美国西部创造了一个永恒不变的形象。野牛比尔的主要贡献在于创造了美国西部神话，一如好莱坞电影及电视影集所呈现出的蛮荒景象。
Hints:
Kansas
Civil War
Union
United States Army
Seventh Kansas Cavalry
William Cody
Louisa Frederici
Saint Louis
Missouri
Kansas Pacific Railroad
"Buffalo Bill"

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Kansas became a state in 1861. A few weeks later, the Civil War between the states started. Southern states fought to protect the rights of individual states. Northern states fought to keep the country united. During the war, Kansas joined with the North and provided men for the Union army.
William was too young to fight when the Civil War started. At first, he served the Union forces as a scout, or explorer.
In 1864, he joined the United States Army. Cody became a member of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry. His force was sent to nearby southern states during the Civil War.
After the war, William Cody married Louisa Frederici in Saint Louis, Missouri. They were married for more than 50 years and had four children. When they were first married, Cody had many different jobs. For example, he operated a hotel in Kansas. Then he began hunting buffalo for work crews building the Kansas Pacific Railroad. The workers used the wild animals for meat. Cody got the name "Buffalo Bill" by winning a buffalo hunting competition. Reports say he shot and killed more than 4,000 buffalo in just 18 months.