Nebraskaland

October 2023 • Nebraskaland 35 Scouts relied on their own tactics, which utilized the element of surprise and disguise. They also practiced their own war-related ceremonies and customs while in the field. Attempts by some white officers to drill scouts like soldiers were resisted by both the scouts and North. Individual Pawnees continued to serve as scouts at times when the battalion was inactive. They did more than guide troops through enemy territory — the scouts also spearheaded attacks against enemy encampments, carried dispatches, protected railroad workers and, on several occasions, saved military troops from disaster on the battlefield. Not For Everyone However, not all government officials were happy to see Pawnees in uniforms. Quaker agents believed military service hindered their efforts to create peace between Indian tribes and attempts to assimilate the Pawnees. When the battalion was not re-activated between 1870 and 1875, the Pawnees' enemies enacted revenge. On Aug. 5, 1873, Brule and Oglala Lakota warriors surprised nearly 400 Pawnee hunters under former Pawnee scout Ti-ra-wa-hut Re-sa-ru, or Sky Chief, near present- day Trenton. The Pawnee warriors were greatly outnumbered, and after several hours of relentless fighting, at least 69 Pawnees lay dead. According to one account, Sky Chief killed his infant son so the baby wouldn't be killed and mutilated by the Sioux. Sky Chief died while defending his people, and other victims at Massacre Canyon included Fox Chief's wife and daughter. Despite desiring revenge, Fox Chief did not sign up for the 1876 campaign that culminated in the "Dull Knife Fight," during which the Pawnee Scouts and their U.S. allies inflicted a decisive defeat on the Cheyennes. Perhaps he wished to enlist, but Major North rejected him due to his advanced age. Disbanded When the Pawnee Battalion was disbanded in 1877, the United States soon forgot the scouts' sacrifices. Many scouts struggled to get government pensions for their military service. That included Fox Chief, whose name was changed after moving to Oklahoma in 1873. People began calling him Ruling His Sun; by 1928, Ruling His Sun couldn't remember who gave him that name and, by then, most Pawnees called him Osage. The name confusion frustrated his attempt to secure a military pension. It took a special act from Congress to grant him a $20-a-month pension in 1924. The rate increased to $50 shortly before he died on Oct. 4, 1928, at nearly 100 years old. Ruling His Sun remained fiercely proud of his Pawnee and scout heritage. In 1925, despite his age, he had to be restrained from fighting several Lakota delegates at the anniversary of the tragedy at Massacre Canyon. Today, the Pawnee people remember him and fellow raaripákusu' as the first Pawnee-American patriots. N Mark van de Logt is an associate professor of history at Texas A&M University at Qatar and author of "War Party in Blue, Pawnee Scouts in the U.S. Army." On Oct. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fort Kearny State Historical Park and Fort Kearny State Recreation Area will host the "Share the History, Share the Harvest" event honoring the estimated 1,000 Pawnees who served as U.S. military allies from 1864-1877. There is no admission fee, but a Nebraska State Park entry permit is required at both sites. A portrait of Pawnee military scouts, known as the North Brothers' Boys for their service with the North Brothers (Frank and Luther North). From left: Roam Chief, Knife Chief, Charley Brave Chief and Young Chief, 1869. HERBERT CODY BLAKE, RG2065

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