History and stories of Nebraska . They knew the countrythrough years of buffalo knew the ways and the camp-ing grounds of their old enemies,the Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapa-hoes. In their memories were theold wars of their fathers, and theblood of friends killed by a cruelfoe. Spurred by these memoriesthey led the way to the hostile camps. They stampeded theenemys ponies, fought bravely in every battle and neverstopped at hunger or hardship in the long hard rides. Thestory of the Pawnee scouts and their service to the people ofNebraska is one never to be forgotten. When the sudden s
History and stories of Nebraska . They knew the countrythrough years of buffalo knew the ways and the camp-ing grounds of their old enemies,the Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapa-hoes. In their memories were theold wars of their fathers, and theblood of friends killed by a cruelfoe. Spurred by these memoriesthey led the way to the hostile camps. They stampeded theenemys ponies, fought bravely in every battle and neverstopped at hunger or hardship in the long hard rides. Thestory of the Pawnee scouts and their service to the people ofNebraska is one never to be forgotten. When the sudden storm of the Sioux and Cheyenne warbroke on the Nebraska border in the summer of 1864, thewhite people were taken by surprise. This was during thewar between the North and the South, when many of thesettlers had enlisted and left, their families without protec-tion. Hundreds of settlers and emigrants were killed,ranches and wagon trains burned, stock run off and butch-ered. As the story of the murders and burnings was brought 122. Major Frank North MAJOR NORTH AND THE PAWNEE SCOUTS 123 in, there was terror in all the settlements. Everywhere theIndians were reported as being just at hand. Many settlersleft their homes and fled to the Missouri River while othersgathered at central ranches and hastily threw up intrench-ments. The few United States soldiers on our frontier were notexperienced in fighting Indians. A call was made for Paw-nee scouts. Frank North was then twenty-four years oldand a clerk at the Pawnee agency in what is now NanceCounty. He had settled at Columbus in 1858, lived amongthe Pawnees, learned their language and gained their confi-dence. He was made first lieutenant of the first company ofPawnee scouts, and soon after became captain, then major andremained their leader until they were mustered out of service. Their first important achievement was in General Con-nors campaign in 1865. On August 22d, Captain Northwith forty scouts struck the trail of twenty-seve
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