The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-12-06

HERMAN GERECkE
til the latter part of April when he was
taken to Cincinnati. He was given a
furlough on June %, 1862.
Ordered to report in Milwaukee in
August Mr.. Gerecke on August 26 was
discharged on account of his wound.
SO in the summer of go he found him
self out of the army and veteran Of
Shiloh. He remained in Wisconsin
until the following summer when he
set out for Nebraska.
Herman Gerecke walked to Nebras-
ka. On that long trip across the coun-
try he rode only five miles. Leaving
Wisconsin during May, 1868, with
neighborng family Gerecke followed
behind the wagon from Hutisford,
Wis, to Burt county, Nebraska. On
July G. 1868, the little party crossed
the Missouri at Omaha. They stopped
at Tekamah.
The first real Nebraska experience
that came to Gerecke was the Indian
war. In December, 1868, he enlisted
in the Seventh Iowa cavalry. The bat
tallion was sent out on the frontier.
Until May of GA headquarters were at
Nebraska City but in the late spring
the cavalrymen were ordered on to
old Fort Kearney and then to Cotton
Wood Springs, afterwards Fort Nc
Pherson, near North Platte.
Tho Indian brolyo out in Tn
1864, when the Indians attacked and
annihiated a mule train. A campaign
against the Indians was carried out
during the summer and fall and in the
winter the troop was sent to Jules
burg, Colo, following the Indian attack
there. Headquarters were maintained
at the old California crossing near
Julesburg until May, 1865, when the
company was ordered to Leavenworth
!, Kan, to be mustered out.
/, 1t is one of the interesting memories
of those Indian war days that Gerecke
, campaigned with Colonel Cody, hailed
! as Buffalo Bill' the world over. Cody
, was the chief guide of an expedition
J that left Mcpherson in December OF
, '65 and took up headquarters in the
: Republican valley. Gerecke was q
member of the expedition and on the
: second morning out volunteered fol
, scouting duty. Buffalo Bill" was also
4 among the little party of five who rode
4 out from camp and who that evening
= slept together on the prairie. The sec
ond day the scouting party was joined
by a party of Pawnee Indians unde
. Lieutenant George Bilden of Fall!
City Riding through the snow tina
/ afternoon the party came across buf
. falO. But no buffalo were gathered il
e for a clash with a small scouting part.
|. of hostile Indians interviewed.
l. Cody and his band pursued the In
p dams for some three miles when tn
Indians crossed a creek and took up
+ position. There was intermittent fiji
:, ing but towards shutdown Cody advise
. a withdrawal as he had reasons 70
thinking that a big body of Indian
h were nearby. Followed by the SiOu
!. the party struck back to join the mali
expedition. That evening they campe
- WITH Sduultu uOlStS anu tI udy VI cd
u struck out again.
A snow came with sunrise and
q became impossible to see more tina
few feet ahead. 1t was then tina
Il the scouting genius of Cody shove
itself Straight ahead the famou
:, scout went with unerring instinct, tai
=. ing the band to the exact spot on tn
/ Republican river that formed their deE
q tination.
d Later, on another expedition, G.
l. recke found that an Indian camp tw
miles long and with probably 1,5O
p Indians had been within a few mile
u of the spot where the clash with tn
# scouting party had taken place.
e Gerecke has never seen Cody sine
n, the Indian war. But if ever Cod
" comes to Norfolk or Gerecke is in
1t town where the famous Wild West
t. on exhibition a meeting between tn
or two is pretty certain to take place.
ut Returning to Tekamah from Wisco
lg sin in September, 1866, Gerecke wor
I'd ed as a carpenter until the summer
IN the following year when he went
d. Omaha to work in the Union Pacif
Id supply yards loading ties and iron
I'd be used on the new road across IL
al continent, In the same gang wit
Gerecke were the late C. W. Braasc
Id Fred Wichman and the late Frar
ch Wichman.
sr. The Norfolk residence of Hernia
IS Gerecke dates from April 30 1876
tn when he came to Norfolk to work {
n the mill asa carpenter and millwrigl