The Battle of Beecher Island, also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between several of the Plains Native American tribes and Forsyth's Scouts, a company of selected civilian frontiersmen, recruited and commanded by Brevet-Colonel George Alexander Forsyth. The battle occurred in late September 1868 with Forsyth and the scouts making a stand at

Beecher Island Beecher Island is a sandbar located along the lower course of the Arikaree River, a tributary of the North Fork of the Republican River near Wray in Yuma County, Colorado. The site is notable for having been the scene of an 1868 armed conflic ...

, on the

Arikaree River The Arikaree River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. It lies mostly in the United States, American state of Colorado, draining land between the North and South Forks of the Republican River, and it flows into the North F ...

, then known as part of the North Fork of the

Republican River The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, rising in the High Plains of eastern Colorado and flowing east U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map acce ...

, near present-day

Wray, Colorado Wray () is the List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of Yuma County, Colorado, Yuma County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,358 at the 2020 United States census ...

, named afterwards for Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher, Forsyth's executive officer killed during the battle.

Background

In the summer and fall of 1868, continuing their annual seasonal raiding activities between the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

s in what was also the region of their best buffalo hunting, bands of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

and

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

Indians conducted raids against whites throughout the western

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. In addition, they found incentive in the warfare that had been waged specifically against their clans by the military in 1867 and by memories of such atrocities as the

Sand Creek massacre The Sand Creek massacre (also known as the Chivington massacre, the battle of Sand Creek or the massacre of Cheyenne Indians) was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army in the American Indian Genocide that occurred on No ...

. Finally, the westward movement of the

transcontinental railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

had stretched all the way across Kansas, bringing with it many permanent white settlements. During the period 1867–1868, the Cheyenne were in schism, with those advocating peace (possibly a majority) retreating south out of Kansas and the younger, intractable warrior societies continuing to raid. The latter during the summer of 1867 had successfully avoided a large expedition commanded by Maj. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock and in the process had garnered sympathy from Americans in the East who supported peaceful negotiations after Hancock attempted to force the Cheyenne to submit and burned their abandoned villages when they did not. In August 1868, General

Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-i ...

replaced Hancock in command of the

Department of the Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successful ...

and was asked by acting Governor Frank Hall of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

for assistance after 79 settlers were killed in repeated attacks on farms, ranches, way stations, and travel routes. Sheridan's main effort was to be made south of the Arkansas during a winter campaign in the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, but he remained active in Kansas during the warmer weather, patrolling the Arkansas with the 7th Cavalry and the area between the Republican and

Smoky Hill River The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through Colorado and Kansas. Names The Smoky Hill is named from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows. American Indians li ...

s using the 10th Cavalry.

Unit formation

As the Indians fought dispersed battles composed of small bands of warriors all over the frontier, U.S. Army troops and units were at a premium. General Sheridan decided to try an unusual tactic. He ordered his aide, Major George Alexander Forsyth of the

9th Cavalry The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat d ...

, a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran, to raise a company of "fifty first-class hardy frontiersmen, to be used as scouts against the hostile Indians." They were to seek out and engage the marauders using their tactics, rather than those of the traditional Army. As the scouts were civilians, Forsyth's orders authorized him to "enter into such articles of agreement with these men as will compel obedience." At Fort Harker,

Fort Hays Fort Hays, originally named Fort Fletcher, was a United States Army fort near Hays, Kansas. Active from 1865 to 1889 it was an important American Frontier, frontier post during the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century. Reopened as a ...

, and Fort Wallace, Forsyth recruited over 50 civilian scouts, "selected from the best marksmen and hunters on the plains," and armed them with

Spencer repeating rifle The Spencer repeating rifle was a 19th-century American lever-action firearm invented by Christopher Spencer. The Spencer carbine was a shorter and lighter version designed for the cavalry. The Spencer was the world's first military metallic-c ...

s. Forsyth's executive officer was Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher of the 3rd Infantry, a decorated veteran of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. Also attached was Acting Assistant Surgeon J. H. Mooers, a civilian contract surgeon with a practice in Hays City. Forsyth's company rode northwest nearly to Nebraska, then turned southwest and reached Fort Wallace the night of 5 September without finding any trace of Indians.

The engagement

During the morning of 10 September, the troops at Fort Wallace received information that Indians had attacked a freighter's train east of Ft. Wallace, near the railhead (at that time) of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, which was the since-abandoned town of Sheridan in

Logan County, Kansas Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Oakley. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,762. The county was named for John Logan, a general during the American Civil ...

. Brevet

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Forsyth and his group of scouts departed Fort Wallace with orders to counter the raid. Col. Forsyth took his command to investigate. They learned that a force of about 25 Indians had taken part in the attack. They followed their trail into what is now

Yuma County, Colorado Yuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,988. The county seat is Wray. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and ...

. The trail was heavily beaten, indicating that the opposing force considerably outnumbered the scouts, but the unit nonetheless pressed on. Around dusk on the 16th, Forsyth and his men arrived in the vicinity of the "Dry Fork of the Republican River" (reported at the time as "Delaware Creek"—now the

) and made camp on the south bank. They camped only downstream from a large encampment of two Lakota villages, one of

Dog Soldiers The Dog Soldiers or Dog Men (Cheyenne: ''Hotamétaneo'o'') are historically one of six Cheyenne military societies. Beginning in the late 1830s, this society evolved into a separate, militaristic band that played a dominant role in Cheyenne r ...

(led by

Roman Nose An aquiline nose is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word ''aquiline'' comes from the Latin word ' ("eagle-like"), an allusion to the curved beak of an eagle. While some have ...

) and a few lodges of

. A group of Sioux warriors soon announced the arrival of Forsyth's men.

Indian surprise thwarted

By the morning of the 17th, hundreds of Indians (variously estimated to number 200, 600, or 1,000) had positioned themselves among the bluffs around Forsyth's camp. A group of eight tried to stampede the soldiers' horses, and Forsyth heard their war cries. Soldiers thwarted them, while the rest mounted their horses. Dozens of Indians galloped towards Forsyth on the riverbed opposite the way he and his men had entered it. These were driven back and Forsyth directed his men to cross the river's shallows to a sandbar, where they tied their horses to bushes to form a barricade. The initial assault by the Indians was cut down by the accurate, quick-firing Spencer rifles. The combined force of

Oglala Sioux The Oglala (pronounced , meaning 'to scatter one's own' in Lakota) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live on the P ...

and Cheyenne Indians were surprised and changed their tactics. During the early morning of the first day of battle, small parties of Indians dashed up to the sand bar on horseback several times, but they did little damage to the scouts. The scouts killed their horses for breastworks and dug pits into the soft sand behind them. When the scouts opened fire, the Indians attacked the island on both sides. Later they crawled through the grass and shot through the grass. Several scouts who were killed or wounded were hit by the Indian snipers hidden in the grass. The Indians surrounded the island and repeatedly attacked the scouts. Three scouts hidden in hole on the riverbank shot several Indians from the shore. The death of Roman Nose

Roman Nose initially abstained from the battle, believing he would die if he fought that day because he had violated a protective taboo. After another Indian accused him of cowardice, he decided to lead the next attack. When Forsyth saw the charge coming, he ordered his men to hold their fire until the Indians were 50 yards away. After several volleys, Roman Nose was shot in the back on the riverbank at the west end of the sand bar. He jumped back into the grass where other warriors retrieved him. He died at 10 pm that night. Many other warriors fell, while four of the scouts including Beecher, Acting Surgeon J.H. Mooers, George W. Culver, and William Wilson were killed. Another 15 scouts were wounded, including Colonel Forsyth. Forsyth had received three gunshot wounds: one glancing his head, another shattering his left shin, and a ball was lodged against his right

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the femoral triangle. It enters ...

Scouts sent for relief

Before dawn on the second day, Forsyth said, "Some one must go to Wallace for assistance." Sharp Grover, who was chief of scouts, said "It is impossible to get out." Then Stilwell came forward and said, "Let me choose the man to go with me and I will go." Grover said, "Jack is too young and inexperienced, he can't get through." Ft. Wallace was about to the south east. But Forsyth tore off the fly leaf out of his daybook, wrote a note to Col. Bankhead at Ft. Wallace, and gave it to Simpson "Jack" Stilwell. Stilwell chose Pierre Trudeau to come with him. They crawled for the first day before they took cover in the daylight. They were forced to evade Indians for four days during their journey. They had only horse meat for food and when it spoiled they got sick. Trudeau was so weak he could only stand with assistance, but after resting and traveling for four days they reached Fort Wallace. Two nights after Stilwell and Trudeau left, Scouts John J. Donovan and Allison J. Pliley left the island to seek relief. It was unknown if Scouts Stilwell and Trudeau had made it through the Indian lines. On the fourth day of the battle, Forsyth asked his men to extract the bullet; when they refused, he used his own razor to remove it. Others thought Forsyth would die of his wounds before they would be rescued. File:The Battle of Beecher Island.jpg, ''Defending the Island''
One soldier and three horses have fallen, while others continue to wage the battle. File:U. S. Cavalry soldiers during the Battle of Beecher Island.jpg, ''In the pits''
An officer hands a wounded soldier water as another man drinks from a pool, while a third prepares to fire his rifle. File:Roman Nose.jpg, ''Chief Roman Nose''
Roman Nose, on horseback, taunts the U.S. soldiers as a group of spectators on horseback cheer him on. File:The Rescue.jpg, ''The Rescue''
A soldier offers aid to his wounded comrade after the Battle of Beecher Island. The Harper's article states that this is Bvt. Col. Louis H. Carpenter greeting Lt. Col. G. A. Forsyth who was twice wounded. Notice officer shoulder boards.

Relieved

Three rescue parties departed following different routes due to the uncertainty of the Scout's location. The first was Lieutenant Colonel Louis H. Carpenter leading Troop H & I of the

10th Cavalry Regiment The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original " Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–Civil War Regular Army. It served in combat during ...

( Buffalo Soldiers) with Captain Baldwin. Major Brisbin in command of two troops of the 2nd Cavalry took another route. Captain Bankhead, went from Fort Wallace with about 100 men of the 5th Infantry, took a third route. Letter written in 1912 from Carpenter to Mr. George Martin of the Kansas State Historical Society. About daybreak on 25 September, Lt.Col. Carpenter's Troops H & I were intercepted on the plains by Scout John Donovan and four riders he had recruited after reaching Fort Wallace and starting back for the battlefield. They were the first to arrive and relieve Forsyth's unit. Carpenter later received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his relief of Forsyth's command and for his actions during the battle on Beaver Creek. Over fifty dead horses greeted them with their putrid smell. Forsyth's command had been out of rations and forced to survive on the decaying horse flesh. The air around Forsyth was completely filled with a great stench and was swarming with black flies feasting on the rotting defensive line of dead horses. The square sandy hole, where Forsyth was lying was half encircled by dead mounts and would have become his grave if help had not arrived when it did. Other gun pits, interconnected, contained the living and the dead of his unit. Carpenter immediately secured the area and pitched a number of tents up wind nearby. The wounded men were carefully carried there for more healthy air and the dead men were buried to reduce the stench and possibility of disease. Twenty-six hours later, Carpenter sent a detachment to look for Bankhead's unit. They found Stilwell and Trudeau several miles in advance of Bankhead. Captain Bankhead followed bringing with him the two troops of the 2nd Cavalry. The following day, a fifth scout died of his wounds and was buried on the battlefield with the other four scouts. Walter Armstrong died in a hospital later. Beecher, Culver, Farley, Wilson and Doctor Mooers were buried on the island. Sixteen others were wounded. On 27 September, the Forsyth Scouts departed for Fort Wallace, escorted by the 10th Cavalry.

Aftermath

The "Forsyth Scouts" arrived back at Fort Wallace on 30 September. General

George Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Poin ...

later proclaimed that the Arickaree fight was "…the greatest battle on the plains." To the Cheyenne, the engagement would be remembered as "The Fight when Roman Nose was Killed." Only nine Indians were confirmed killed, but the U.S. soldiers claimed to have slain hundreds. Years later Forsyth had a chance encounter with a Brule Lakota warrior who was at the battle. Through an interpreter this warrior recounted that the natives had suffered 75 dead and numerous more wounded. The fight's significance as a tactical model for combating the Indians was largely ignored. The location of the battle was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1976. The next spring Captain Brown returned to retrieve the bodies. He found Culver and Farley's remains, but Beecher, Wilson and Doctor Mooers' graves were empty, apparently removed by Indians. Culver and Farley were re-buried at Ft. Wallace. A monument was erected by the states of Colorado and Kansas at the site of the battle.

Historic designations

br>#NPS–76000569
— "Beecher Island Battleground Memorial" site

References

Sources

External links

Beecher's Island Battlefield Monument

an eyewitness account written in 1912 by L. H. Carpenter, Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Retired), leader of the 10th United States Cavalry rescue party. {{Authority control 1868 in the United States

African-American history of the United States military

Native American history of Colorado Military history of Kansas Pre-statehood history of Colorado

1868 in Colorado Territory September 1868

Beecher Beecher may refer to:__NOTOC__ People *Beecher (surname) Places United States *Beecher, Illinois * Beecher, Michigan, a census-designated place and unincorporated community near Flint * Beecher, Wisconsin, a town * Beecher (community), Wisconsin, ...