Fred Gerard

Who was Fred Gerard?

Fredrick Frances Gerard was a frontiersman, army scout, and civilian interpreter for George Armstrong Custer's 7th U.S. Cavalry during the Little Bighorn Campaign.

Fred Gerard was a trader at Fort Berthold in the Dakota Territory and was for a time married to an Indian woman, the sister of a warrior named Whistling Bear. Gerard was hired by Lieutenant Colonel Custer to serve at Fort Abraham Lincoln as an interpreter for his Arikara "Ree" scouts, as he was very familiar with the language from his years as a trader. He had lived in Indian country for 31 years at the time and had been involved in several battles.

About dawn on the morning of June 25, 1876, Gerard accompanied Custer and the scouts to a high bluff known as the “Crow's Nest” to view the Little Bighorn River valley below. The scouts could see dust kicked up by an immense pony herd, and claimed to see hundreds of lodges, indicating the presence of thousands of Indians. Custer was unable to see what they were describing and was unwilling to listen to their cautions. Not long afterwards, Gerard rode to a small knoll and saw 40 Indians riding off at the gallop.