One of the most successful groups of Indian auxiliary troops employed on the frontier was organized in 1864 to protect settlers on the plains of Kansas and Nebraska. This was mainly due to the absence of regular soldiers because of the civil war.

In August 1864 Major General Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Kansas Department, ordered the recruitment of 77 Pawnee warriors to be led by Captain Joseph McFadden, to join the expedition against hostile Sioux war bands.

The Pawnee were the hereditary enemy of the Sioux and Cheyenne. In order to avoid being mistaken for hostiles, the Pawnee scouts were issued with army uniforms which combined with elements of Pawnee dress, would give them a “distinct and graphic appearance”.

The scouts were used to protect workmen building the Union Pacific Railroad across Nebraska into Wyoming, and after completion continued to guard and patrol the Union Pacific Railroad, making it possible to run regular trains to the Pacific Ocean.

In the wake of the Custer defeat at Little Bighorn,  Major Frank North raised 100 scouts who helped the US Army defeat the Sioux and Cheyenne, and were mustered out on May 1st 1877.

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