The real story of hunter Hugh Glass, who was played in the "Survivor" by DiCaprio

The film "Survivor", directed by Alejandro Inarritu, for the main role in which Leonardo DiCaprio received the long-awaited Oscar, seems to be a fictional heroic epic. But its plot was not invented by the screenwriters. This is the real story of a man named Hugh Glass, who lived at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Moreover, Glass's life is even more incredible than the plot of the famous movie.

The exact date of Hugh Glass's birth is unknown. Biographers most often call 1783, but there are other options. The hero's parents were Irish immigrants who arrived in the United States in search of a better life. The family settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Hugh spent his childhood.

Hugh's family was poor and as a teenager he began working part-time at the port, helping longshoremen. Later, he managed to get a job on a merchant ship as a cabin boy. For several years he sailed the Atlantic Ocean, turning into a real salted sea wolf. At the beginning of the 19th century, the profession of a sailor was difficult and dangerous. In 1816, Glass's ship was captured by a gang of pirate and smuggler Jean Lafitte.

There was no one to pay the ransom for Glass and he had to choose between death and the profession of a sea robber. Hugh became one of the members of the Lafite team and sailed the seas and oceans for two years under the "Jolly Roger". But the daring pirate fishing did not attract the man, and he decided to escape. One day, when the ship was passing off the coast of Texas, Glass jumped overboard. He reached the shore safely, but almost died on a deserted unfamiliar shore from hunger and thirst.

But the fugitive was lucky and he, exhausted and sick, was picked up by the Pawnee Indians. The tribe did not quarrel with white people and willingly sheltered Glass. He became a full member of it and soon learned to live in the wild as well as Indians. Hugh liked living in the tribe, but he really missed his past life. Therefore, when a delegation of Indian chiefs went to St. Louis for negotiations, the Irishman joined them and stayed in the city.

In St. Louis, Glass had a hard time - he could not find a job for a long time and even starved. But in 1822, a newspaper caught his eye with an ad that changed his life. The Rocky Mountain Fur Company was looking for skilled and desperate guys to organize a fur business on the rocky banks of the Missouri River. Hugh was young, full of energy, knew how to handle weapons and was not afraid of difficulties. He was hired, and soon he went on his first expedition.

The profession of St. John's wort at that time was one of the most dangerous. During their campaigns, these people were waylaid by warlike Indians, predatory animals and other delights of wild, almost unexplored lands. It is also worth noting that many of the men involved in this trade were notorious scoundrels and most had problems with the law. They treated their own and other people's lives simply, without fuss, and their main goal was profit.

One day Glass left his companions by the Grand River to hunt. Unfortunately for him, there was a bear with cubs nearby. The single-shot flintlock musket with which Hugh was armed gave him almost no advantage over the predator. Having failed to defeat the beast from the first shot, the hunter entered into an unequal hand-to-hand fight with one knife.

At Glass's screams, his comrades came running and finished off the bear. But the hunter suffered greatly from claws and fangs. Hugh's companions examined his wounds and decided that he was not a tenant. They decided to leave two people with him, Fitzgerald and Bridger, to wait for his death and bury the body. And the main group went further, because they were afraid of an attack by the Arikara Indians.

The two who remained with the dying man were not eager to fall into the clutches of the Redskins. They left Glass alone after robbing him. The scoundrels caught up with the group and reported that the wounded man had died and they read a prayer over him and buried him in the forest. After that, everyone moved on with a clear conscience, not remembering any more about the unfortunate colleague.

So Hugh Glass was left completely alone in the forest without the slightest hope of salvation. His hip was broken, and there were deep wounds on his chest, back and neck. But the hunter did not plan to die and decided to fight to the last. Glass didn't have a map, but he knew that if he followed the river downstream of the Missouri, he would get to Fort Kiowa.

It was 300 km to the fort, which not every healthy man could overcome. The river banks were rocky and covered with dense forest. Glass didn't have not only a gun with him, but even an ordinary knife. Hugh began his journey by crawling, pulling himself up on his hands and pushing off with his good leg. After a few days, he found a suitable stick and, using it as a crutch, began to move a little faster.

Glass could not hunt, so he supported his strength with wild berries and roots. One day he was lucky enough to find the carcass of a bison that was picked up by wolves. The man managed to drive away the animals with a stick and ate his fill for the first time in many days. Near the end of the way, the wounded hunter met friendly Indians. They took him to their camp, where Hugh spent several weeks.

An Indian medicine man sewed up his wounds, put a splint on the fracture and cured a severe cold with a decoction of herbs. The hospitable hosts offered Glass to stay, but he decided to continue his journey. He was driven by a thirst for revenge. When he reached Fort Kiowa, the hunter did not find his companions there, as they moved on. They were to be found at Fort Henry, on the Yellowstone River. That's where Glass went, already fully equipped and armed.

But he was too late this time. Fort Henry was empty, but Glass found the note. It said that his group headed for the Bighorn River. There Hugh overtook his comrades, who were stunned when they saw him. There was only one of the villains in the camp—Bridger. The hunter forgave him, because he was still very young.

From trappers, he learned that his second abuser, Fitzgerald, signed a contract with the US Army and became a soldier. He found him at Fort Atkinson, in the barracks. But Glass could not take revenge. According to the law, an attack on a serviceman was punishable by death. So Hugh, taking his gun, which Fitzgerald had appropriated, went home.

Hugh Glass continued hunting and got a job in the supply of Fort Union in North Dakota. He was killed during a skirmish with the Arikara Indians on the banks of the Yellowstone River in 1833. Now at this place you can see a monument on which the amazing story of the hero is briefly outlined.