William "Billy" Dixon scouted the Texas Panhandle for the Army, hunted buffalo

American Bison

The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...

 for the train companies, defended the Adobe Walls settlement against Indian attack with his legendary buffalo rifle

Buffalo rifle

Buffalo rifle generally refers to large-calibre, generally single-shot black powder cartridge firearms which were used to hunt the American Bison to near-extinction in the late-19th Century. Three types of rifles in particular were used by professional buffalo hunters, namely the Springfield...

, and was one of eight civilians in the history of the U.S. to receive the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

.
Dixon was born in Ohio County, West Virginia

Ohio County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,427 people, 19,733 households, and 12,155 families residing in the county. The population density was 447 people per square mile . There were 22,166 housing units at an average density of 209 per square mile...

 on September 25, 1850. Of European

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and Native American

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 ancestry he was orphaned at age 12 and lived with an uncle in Missouri for a year before setting out on his own.