Amos Chapman Amos Chapman ( 1839 – 1925 ) was a civilian scout who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallentry whilst in service of the United States Army during the Indian Wars . His medal was later revoked before he died as he was a civilian , but was reinstated in 1989 . He was of mixed white and Native American ancestry , and married a Cheyenne woman , maintaining Native American customs throughout his life . In 2012 , he was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame . Biography . Chapman was born in 1837 in Michigan , to white and Native American parents . He began acting as a scout for the U . S . Army and settlers in the 1860s . In 1868 he moved to Oklahoma , and was attached to the Seventh Cavalry during General Alfred Sully ' s actions against the Cheyenne out of Fort Dodge . Subsequently , Camp Supply was set up and Chapman worked there as an interpreter . He married Mary Longneck , the daughter of the Cheyenne Chief Stone Calf , and had six children with her . He lived for a time with her tribe . In July 1874 , he volunteered to scout for the U . S . Army once more , and scouted for Lt . Frank Baldwin . On 12 September , he was involved in an action which would earn him a Medal of Honor . Chapman , fellow civilian Billy Dixon and four soldiers were confronted with a force of over a hundred Comanches and Kiowas . At Battle of Buffalo wallow , as it became known , the small group made its way to a defensive position in a buffalo wallow , where it held out until the weather caused the Native American force to break off their attack . What happened during the battle is disputed . At one point either Dixon or Chapman was injured and stranded outside of the wallow and the other ventured out to retrieve his fellow scout . Chapman ' s story goes that he pulled Dixon up onto his back , and had to stop on his return several times to eliminate the Native Americans who were attempting to shoot him and Dixon . With a quarter of a mile to go before they reached the wallow , Chapman was shot in shin on his right leg , which shattered the bone . He continued to drag himself and Dixon the rest of the way back to the wallow , whilst under fire . However , Dixon ' s story is that Chapman was already injured and Dixon retrieved him and pulled him back to the wallow . Lieutenant General Nelson A . Miles would later say of Chapman ' s actions that they were " one of the bravest deeds in the annals of the army . " Chapman ' s leg was amputated by a surgeon at Camp Supply , and all the survivors were awarded a Medal of Honor . Chapman subsequently wore a prosthetic leg , and continued to serve as camp interpreter during the commotion following the Dull Knife Fight in 1879 . The Native Americans referred to him as Tam - e - yukh - tah , which translated as " the man with the cut off leg " . He later retired from service and settled with his wife and family near Seiling , Oklahoma . He reportedly still slept on occasion in a teepee . Chapman would visit Miles annually in Washington . He died on 18 July 1925 as a result of injuries suffered from a wagon accident . He was due to speak as part of the lyceum circuit at the time of his death . He was buried in Brumfield Cemetery , Dewey County , Oklahoma . Medal of Honor and legacy . Chapman ' s medal was revoked in a review which took place in 1916 - 17 , along with several other awards made to civilian scouts . It was restored in 1989 . His citation reads " The President of the United States of America , in the name of Congress , takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Civilian Scout Amos Chapman , a United States Civilian , for gallantry in action on 12 September 1874 , while serving as an Indian Scout with the 6th U . S . Cavalry , at Washita River , Texas . " He was admitted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame as one of the 2012 inductees .