The name would be a perfect description for Sitting Bull throughout his life.
In 1847, fifteen year old Sitting Bull displayed great courage in a fight with the Flatheads, an enemy Indian nation. "He galloped past their skirmish line, laughing and taunting them. In spite of the shower of arrows and the hail of Flathead bullets directed against him, Sitting Bull sustained only a minor foot wound. This display convinced [the Sioux nation] that not only was this young man courageous, [but also] his medicine was powerful as well" (7). Such displays in battles enabled Sitting Bull to become a leader of the Strong Heart warrior society as a young man, and, later, a distinguished member of the Silent Eaters, a group concerned with tribal welfare. .
In June of 1863, Sitting Bull saw his encounter with American soldiers, when the army mounted a broad campaign in retaliation for the Santee Rebellion in Minnesota. However, Sitting Bull did not become active in the struggles with the white intruders until the Battle of Killdeer Mountain, the following year. In 1865, he led a siege against the newly established Fort Rice in present-day North Dakota, which was unsuccessful. In 1867 when the Sioux nation began losing respect and faith in the chiefs of its tribe, the need for a new chief to unite the entire Sioux nation surfaced. Four Horns wanted Sitting Bull to be a chief that would restore the honor of the Sioux and rebuild the people's respect. Sitting Bull was widely respected for his bravery and insight; he had a reputation as a peacemaker among his people and his prophecy gift was uncanny. When Sitting Bull was inaugurated head chief of the Sioux nation, Four Horns clearly told him and the entire nation why he was chosen and his duties, when he proclaimed: "Because of your bravery on the battlefield, and your reputation as the bravest warrior in all our bands, we have elected you head chief of the entire Sioux nation, head war chief.
