Blue Coat was born in 1846 to Sans Arc parents. When Blue Coat came of age, he was selected by Sans Arc Chief Spotted Eagle to join the special warrior society, The Miwatani. The society was responsible for protecting, counseling and caring for the needs of the head chief of the Sans Arc. The members of the society usually never married and were also responsible for the any children of the chief.

Blue Coat fought in the Indian Wars beside Chief Spotted Eagle and they followed Sitting Bull into Canada. Spotted Eagle decided to surrender in the spring of 1880 but he sent Blue Coat and some of the Miwatani warriors back to the Cheyenne River Agency with instructions to cache some weapons and bring some horses as well. Blue Coat set up the Sans Arc camp on the Cheyenne River just downstream from White Bull, Sitting Bull's nephew on the north side of the river.

Spotted Eagle and his band of 495 members surrendered on October 30, 1880, at Fort Keogh. They were transferred to the Standing Rock Agency in June 1881 and, after their arrival at Fort Yates, Spotted Eagle sent a message to Blue Coat to talk to the Indian Agent at the Cheyenne River Agency who was Spotted Eagle's friend to request that Spotted Eagle and the Sans Arc be permitted to leave the Standing Rock Agency and return home to the Cheyenne River Agency. It was not long before the Sans Arc moved from Standing Rock and returned to the Cheyenne River Agency and the Blue Coat and Spotted Eagle lived in peace. They hunted with White Bull along the Cheyenne River. I was told this history by David Bald Eagle, the grandson of White Bull.

Wendell Grangaard
The Guns of History, Inc.
May 16, 2022