Fred Louth

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Fred Louth
1839-1917
Section: E3


    Fred Louth served thirty years in the United States Military from 1861 to 1891. He started his career in the army at the start of the Civil War. He enlisted May 7th, 1861 at the age of twenty-two. He served in the war from start to finish. He was likely involved in the First and Second Battle of Bull run, as well as  the Battle of Yorktown. By the time he mustered out he was a seasoned veteran. 
    Fred wasn't ready to put away the uniform at the end of the war. He reenlisted  December 10, 1866 in St. Louis, Missouri. The war may have been over, but tensions were still high in the South. His job was peacekeeping in hostile territory. He would also have been tasked with protecting freedmen, policing, and making sure the government maintained control. 
    Fred's next assignment out west was during the Indian Wars. Fred was serving at Fort Buford in 1881 when Sitting Bull and Lakota families came in with their women, children, and wagons. They'd been forced into surrender through starvation and lack of support. The men knew who Sitting Bull was. Many had faced him or heard the stories of what had happened at the Battle of Little Big Horn. They knew how important this moment was. He and his Tribe came in under the white flag of surrender, but the men did not trust that and would have been watching closely for signs of trouble. 
    Fred would tell the story of going to the circus in later years and when all the Native American Chiefs were riding by him on horses they stopped to greet him. He claimed they remembered him from his days out West. He served another ten years in the military retiring in 1891 at the age of 52. 




Sources: Historical Society of The Tonawandas, Newspapers.com, Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com
Fultonhistory.com

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