Frank North

Frank Joshua North
Born 10 March 1840
Manhattan, New York United States
Died 15 March 1885 (age 45)
Columbus, Nebraska
Buried Columbus Cemetery, Columbus, Nebraska
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1864 - 1877
Rank Major (USA)
Commands held Pawnee Scouts
Battles/wars
Other work Politician

Frank Joshua North (1840-1885), was an American interpreter, United States Army officer and politician. He is most well known for organizing and leading the Pawnee Scouts from 1865 to 1877 and reached the rank of major. His brother Luther H. North also led the Scouts, and was a captain.

Early life

Frank Joshua North was born in Manhattan, New York on March 10, 1840. He had an older brother James E. North, born in Ohio, where their parents Thomas J. and Jane E. North had moved from their native Tompkins County, New York. His parents returned to Ohio, where his brother Luther H. North was born, followed by two younger sisters.[1] In 1856, at the age of 16, Frank moved to Nebraska and worked as a transporter, moving goods between Omaha, Nebraska and Fort Kearny. During this time, North made contact with the Pawnee Indians, befriended them and learned the Pawnee language. In 1860, North was working as a clerk and interpreter at the Pawnee Agency trading post in Genoa, Nebraska.

Military

In 1864, General Samuel R. Curtis approached Frank North to have him organize a company of Pawnee scouts. In 1865, North organized and commanded the Pawnee Scouts. He was appointed the rank of First Lieutenant and then Captain. While commanding the Pawnee Scouts, Captain Frank North fought in the Battle of Crazy Woman's Fork, Battle of the Powder River and the Battle of Tongue River, all of which took place in August 1865 in Dakota Territory. On July 11, 1869, Frank North fought with his scouts at the Battle of Summit Springs in Colorado. After the battle, North claimed to have shot and killed the Cheyenne chief Tall Bull. He participated in the Dull Knife Fight.[2] Frank North was promoted to the rank of Major and mustered out of the Army.

Later life

Frank North served one term in the Nebraska State Legislature from 1871 to 1872. He was then a ranching partner with William F. Cody in a cattle ranch in western Nebraska on the Dismal River. He disposed of his interest in 1882, and then joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West as manager of the American Indians.[3] He sustained serious injuries (including seven broken ribs) in a horse accident in Hartford, Connecticut in 1884.[4] As a result of his injuries and following illness, Frank Joshua North died on March 15, 1885, in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska.[5][6]

References

  1. ↑ George Bird Grinnell, Two Great Scouts and Their Pawnee Battalion, Arthur H. Clark and Co., 1928
  2. ↑ Bourke, John (1966). Mackenzie's Last Fight with the Cheyennes. Argonaut Press Ltd. p. 7.
  3. ↑ "Death of Major Frank J. North". The Democrat. (Columbus, Nebraska). 21 March 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2016. (transcription at NEGenWeb Project Resource Center, part of usgennet.org)
  4. ↑ Personography: North, Frank Joshua, 1840-1885. William F. Cody Archive. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  5. ↑ Ruby Esther Wilson, Frank J. North, Pawnee Scout Commander and Pioneer (first edition, 1940s?/paperback edition, 1984)
  6. ↑ Frank Joshua North, 1840-1885, Nebraska State Historical Society
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