"Bison" McLean

It is well known that Randolph County, Missouri was the childhood home of "Bloody Bill" Anderson, and known to a lesser extant that it was the boyhood home of "Wild Bill" Hickman. What most do not know is there was another desperado who not only called Randolph County his boyhood home, but was even born here. Like the other two he had a nickname. Thomas Freeman McLean was also know as "Bison" or "Bise" McLean. He was born near what would become Smithland, Randolph County, Missouri (north of Higbee) in December of 1824. His father was Charles McLean of Randolph County, who was the first Justice of the Peace for Prairie Township in Randolph County. Thomas Freeman McLean was also the nephew of John McLean, a United States Senator of Illinois, and another uncle was Doctor William Byars McLean. Doctor McLean's estate was listed for sale near Smithland in a January 24, 1846 edition of the Boon's Lick Times, a paper out of Fayette, Missouri. Dr. McLean came to Randolph County from Hamilton County, Illinois where McLeansborough was named for him, and it is assumed his brother came with him from there. Both William and Charles came to Randolph County sometime around 1820. According the the History of Randolph and Macon Counties, Missouri Charles first settled near what is now Renick, but then moved near to what is now Higbee. According to this same history, Charles and his wife Mary P. McKinney had five sons and four daughters. A Mary McLean according to the 1876 plat map of Randolph County Missouri owned land not far from where Smithland had been.

Not much is known of Bison's childhood. There are no childhood tales as there are for "Bloody Bill" Anderson and "Wild Bill" Hickman. All that is known is he came from a well respected family, and grew up on a farm about three miles north from what is now Higbee. Going by land patents to his father the farm he grew up on was in the vicinity of Randolph County Road 2525 and State Route A. His brother Finis McLean became a well respected farmer in Randolph County, and eventually owned about 1000 acres near Clifton Hill, but called Huntsville his residence some of the time. Apparently, General William Preble Hall knew Bison's family, if not Bison himself. A letter writer from Huntsville said in a letter to the Saint Louis Republican, "Of Bison I suppose it may be said that his greatest fault was having an ungovernable temper..." That is the only information we have of Bison's childhood.

"Bison" attended the University of Missouri and was recommended for an appointment to West Point by W.W. Hudson Professor of Mathematics as well as University President John Hiram Lathrop. Senator Thomas Hart Benton had a hand in his appointment. He was admitted to West Point on July 1, 1844, and he was dismissed in August 7, 1848 for being "deficient in conduct." The tales about how he was "deficient in conduct" are almost legendary. Bison's tale at West Point start with how he got his nickname. He was coming up from the river at West Point having lost his hat from it being blown off. He headed straight for the barracks, and his hair and beard gave him a shaggy appearance. A cadet seeing him and knowing he was a new cadet yelled at him, and asked him where he was from. McLean responded from Missouri, land of the bison. The cadet responded, "Oh yes, a bison!"

McLean was described as a loner who did not talk much. His first incident started with a minor one. His class was getting ready for summer furlough when Cadet Captain David R. Jones reported him for, "losing step marching to mess hall." It was and still is a minor infraction, but McLean flew into a rage, and proceeded to beat Cadet Captain Jones. He lost his summer furlough, and while his class was away, made friends with cadet William H. Morris of the Class of 1850. McLean and Morris started making trouble around Buttermilk Falls with drinking and womanizing. He was often reported out of quarters at night, but managed to somehow avoid officers and sentries. At one point, McLean was rumored to have ruined a girl by the name of Effie Conklin with promises of marriage. In his final year, he had 258 demerits from numerous offences from previous years and especially his last year. The final straw came from a night of carousing at Buttermilk Falls. He got in a brawl where several were badly injured and himself bruised. He had already graduated, but not yet received his commission. For that incident and many others, he faced a court martial, and was found "deficient in conduct," and denied a commission as an officer. He left West Point at that point and headed for California for the gold fields.

In Galveston, Texas he was reported brawling, but he eventually made it to California. Once there, rumors of him consorting with Indians begin to surface. In 1850, Captain Nathaniel Lyon of Missouri was conducting a punitive expedition against Indians near Clear Lake in California. It was thought at that time he was leading the Indians who had been making the raids. Another encounter had him living with the Gila Apache Indians in 1858. He had been adopted by them, and had one or two wives. At that point he informed the officer that he would never forgive the injustice done him at West Point by the cadets and instructors.

A Colonel John P. Hatch reported encountering him while serving in Texas in 1867 or 1868, "I happened to be in or near the town of Fredericksburg just after a raid by Comanches... and walking up the street I met a man who seemed to be a stranger in the place and we gave each other a quick and steady glance... In an instant, the coarse shock of red hair, the large features and awkward gait, of "Bise" McLean flashed across my mind. There was no mistake, it was he!" Perhaps the most reliable account of an encounter with Bison was one had by Lieutenat Joseph Ives of the Topographical Engineer Corps on a survey of the Colorado River. Ives and his men were camped when Mohave Indians arrived and begin speaking with them in Spanish. Finally, the chief spoke in flawless English and said, "Ives, do you know me?" Ives could not place him, and responded as such. He then asked the chief where he had learned English so well. The chief responded, "Never mind that, but do you know me Ives?" The Lieunteant again said he did not, and again inquired where he had learned such good English. At this point, the chief said it was no wonder he did not now him as he was so changed, and finally said, "I am the Bison; we were together at West Point. I have with this little party been watching you for several days. My band wanted to kill you and your little party, but I told them we better wait and see, try and talk; that we might do better than kill you. I have made them understand that after you have left and gone back trade will spring up, and we can then do better by trading or robbing the boats loaded with goods and supplies of all kinds."

Tales of "Bison" leading Indians and raiding continued to spread all during the period from 1850 to 1872. His death is given variously as being in Arizona in 1870, and in Texas in 1872, the account of his death in Arizona perhaps being the more reliable. At one point after the Battle of Little Big Horn, there was a rumor that "Bison" was Sitting Bull. The assumption was that Sitting Bull was so good at warfare that he must have been trained at West Point. This mixed with tales of a former West Pointer by the name of Bison leading Indians on raiding parties gave rise to the rumor "Bison" was Sitting Bull. This was put to rest by a letter to the editor in the November 28, 1873 issue of the Saint Louis Republican by a citizen of Huntsville who signed his name only "K:"

EDITOR REPUBLICAN: In your issue of 11th inst. you copy an article from the Baltimore Gazette, identifying or attempting to identify Sitting Bull as Bison, a graduate of West Point, and asking for information concerning Bison. The incidents of the life of Bison, whose real name was Thomas Freeman McLean, from the time of his entering West Point up to the time of his interview with Lieut. Ives on the Colorado, as related by the writer of the article, are correct. Bison, as he was known at West Point, was born and raised in this (Randolph) county. He was of highly respectable parentage. A nephew of John McLean, once a U. S. senator from Illinois, and brother of Finis M. McLean, a prominent citizen of this county. He entered West Point about the year 1846, and, I think, graduated in the class of which Stonewall Jackson was a member. He (Bison) was killed by Indians near Tubac, Arizona, about the year 1870. A gentleman then living in Tucson, Arizona, who had formerly lived here, and who knew Bison here and there, informed his relatives of his death, and sent them what money he left. Lieut. Hall of the Fifth cavalry, who was with Crook in Arizona, and now with him, and who is well acquainted with Bison's relatives here, confirms the statements received by his relatives of his death and the manner of his death. Of Bison I suppose it may be said that his greatest fault was that of having an ungovernable temper, which he knew, and which no doubt led him to pass his life beyond the confines of civilization. It was through the influence of Senator Benton that he received the appointment as a cadet to West Point, though his father, Charles McLean, was a zealous Whig. As to who Sitting Bull is, the writer of this does not know. But certain it is that he is not Bison."

As far as is known, McLean never returned to Randolph County after having left West Point. It is not known whether he had corresponded with his family after his death. Perhaps the first they had heard of him in that period was the news of his death. There are no known photographs of him. Randolph County can claim at least three notorious badmen; "Bloody Bill" Anderson, "Wild Bill" Hickman, and ""Bison" McLean. Who knows though, with Randolph County once being the western reaches of settlement in the USA, who else may turn up in the annuals of history?