Staff Sergeant Sylvester Chahuska Long-Lance

1. Private (Army).
2. Corporal (Army).
3. Sergeant (Army).
4. Staff Sergeant (Army).
5. Private, 38th Battalion, Infantry (Army).
6. Sergeant, Royal Canadian Regiment (Army).

Long-Lance claimed to be of Native-American ancestry however this claim was investigated in the early 1930's when he was starring in a silent film. Evidence was produced to prove that he was primarily of African-American ancestry. Died Los Angeles, California, suicide, gun-shot wound to the head

An article in the Illustrated War Weekly can be found here . The story, incorrectly,states that he was a member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Historian Steve Newman provides the following details (Originally posted in the CEF Study Group under the topic Native American Officer in PPCLI: Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006

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Long-Lance did not serve in the PPCLI. He also failed entry into West Point. There is an interesting book called:
Long Lance - The true story of an Imposter by Donald B. Smith (1982)
The information has been culled from that source.

Long Lance enlisted in the 237th Bn CEF He transferred to the 97thBn CEF, crossing the Atlantic on the troopship Olympic (25 Sep 1916) to Shorncliffe training camp. He was promoted to Cpl October 6th and then Sgt 22 October 1916. However, he injured himself with a sprained right knee in training. While in hospital he wrote a poem which he sent back to friends in a Xmas card. In the poem he promoted himself to Lieutenant and talked about life in the trenches . The poem made it into the American papers as "American Indian is Fighting for Allies." (New York Sun 12 Feb 1917)

When he was released from hospital he was posted to the RCR/PPCLI Depot at Seaford. He dropped the rank of Sergeant when he crossed over to France with a 38th Battalion draft which was the same day the paper article came out in the US. He joined the 38th Bn in the field as a private in 1917 and would spend 4 months in France. He took part in the assault on Vimy Ridge and survived without injury. He was slightly wounded in the trenches 22 May 1917 by a piece of shrapnel to the head. He was wounded a second time late June with shrapnel to both thighs. Private (Long) Lance was struck off unit strength shortly thereafter. He would not return to the front. There is also an interesting photograph of him in 1917 wearing a 38th Bn uniform with a Sam Browne and medal(s) that I can’t make out.. .although it looks suspiciously like a possible MC (need a bigger picture)

While he was in hospital recovering, the second article which started this topic thread came out. After his release he was posted to Overseas Military Forces of Canada in London as a clerk. He was appointed as an acting Staff Sergeant from Apr 1918 to April 1919 in the Intelligence Section in London. He returned to Canada in July 1919 and asked to be discharged in Alberta.

His real name was Sylvester Long - born 1 December 1890 in Winston, North Carolina. His mother, Saillie, was born into slavery, although she had a white grandfather ( a son of the plantation owner), and her father was another white man who became a US senator . His father, Joe Long, also appears to be mixed blood.

Sylvester fell in with a traveling Wild West show where he became enamoured with the Indians and could masquerade as one. It was a turning point in an incredible life where he championed Indian causes as a "full blooded Blackfoot Chief", trained with Olympian Jim Thorpe and sparred with heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, plus experienced many other amazing moments as a journalist, aviator and actor. He published an autobiography in 1928 called Long Lance. The Glenbow Museum in Calgary has some of his papers.

He committed suicide in 1932 and was buried by members of the British Benevolent Society in the British Empire War Veterans section of Inglewood Cemetery, Los Angeles.

An interesting man, … an interesting story …