Battle of Beecher Island
Part of the American Indian Wars
Beecher Island by Robert Lindneux, 1926
Date: September 17–19, 1868 Location: Yuma County, Colorado Result: U.S. victory
Combatants
United States of America	Arapaho Northern Cheyenne Brulé and Oglala Sioux
Commanders
Major George A. Forsyth	War Chief Roman Nose
Strength
51	600–750 (estimated)
Casualties
5 killed, 17 wounded	75 killed, many wounded

The Battle of Beecher Island (September 17–September 19, 1868), also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several of the Plains Indian tribes. Beecher Island on the Arikaree River, Colorado was named for Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher (nephew of Henry Ward Beecher, a veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg), one of the key leaders of the engagement who was killed during the battle. Combatants Native Americans USA Indian Wars is the name used by historians in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between the United States and Native American peoples (Indians) of North America. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Yuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Scabby Bull, Arapaho 1806 Arapaho camp, ca. ... The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains. ... Part of indian genealogy tree (more informations at http://www. ... Eddie Plenty Holes, a Sioux Indian photographed about 1899. ... Roman Nose, aka Arched Nose (real name Woo-ka-nay or Woqini) (c. ... The Comanche Campaign (1867–1875) was a series of conflicts which took place throughout the border regions of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas, between the Arapaho, Comanche, Kiowa, and Northern Cheyenne tribes of Native Americans and the United States Army and settlers. ... Combatants United States Cheyenne Commanders George A. Custer Black Kettle† Strength 7th U.S. Cavalry unknown Casualties 23(19 killed in engagement away from the camp, remaining 4 killed) 11 warchiefs and headmen, 117 warriors and 25 women and children killed. ... The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon was a significant U.S. victory that brought about the end of the Red River War. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Plains Indians were the Native American tribes who lived in the Great Plains region of North America. ... The Arikaree River is a tributary of the North Fork of the Republican River that flows mostly in eastern Colorado in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher in Columbus Park, Brooklyn, New York, 2003 Full statue Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 - March 8, 1887) was a theologically liberal American Congregationalist clergyman and reformer, and author who was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, the eighth of nine children of Lyman Beecher by... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) The Battle of...

Background

Throughout 1868, in response to American colonization activities, a band of Cheyenne Indians conducted raids against American settlements throughout the Great Plains of Kansas. In August of that year, General Philip Sheridan, in command of the Department of Missouri, was asked by acting Governor Frank Hall of Colorado for assistance. In response, Sheridan ordered Major George Alexander Forsyth, a Civil War veteran, to raise a company of scouts from the 9th Cavalry Regiment (known as the "Buffalo Soldiers") to seek out and engage the marauders. Forsyth hand-picked fifty men, all armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Forsyth's executive officer was Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher of the Third U.S. Infantry, also a decorated war hero. The expedition reached Fort Wallace the night of September 5 without finding any trace of Indians. The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada, covering all or parts of the U.S. states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota and the... Official language(s) English Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and one of the great generals in the American Civil War. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258... The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army, 1st Cavalry Division, which in turn is a component of the Third Corps. ... Buffalo Soldiers was the name given by the Plains Indians to the United States Army regiments composed of African-American soldiers that served on the American frontier after the Civil War. ... The Spencer repeating rifle was a falling block, repeating rifle fed from a removable magazine. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ...

The engagement

September 10

A photographic reproduction of a drawing of the Beecher Island battle site.

Forsyth (elevated to the rank of Brevet Colonel) and his group departed Fort Wallace with orders to counter a raid on the Kansas Pacific railhead near Sheridan, Kansas some 13 miles east. In the US military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank. ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... The Kansas Pacific main line shown on an 1869 map. ... A Railhead is a terminus of a railway line that interfaces with another tranport mode, for example shipping. ...

September 11–16

The scouts trailed the Indian raiding party from Sheridan into Colorado; signs indicated that the opposing force was of a size to indicate that the soldiers were considerably outnumbered 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 Arikaree River) and made camp on the south bank. Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

September 17–19

Come dawn on the 17th, Forsyth (sensing trouble) spotted the silhouette of a feathered head against the skyline. He fired his weapon, instantly killing the Indian warrior. Simultaneously, other Indians that had moved nearer to where the troops' horses were tied up attempted to stampede them, but the scouts immediately responded the sound of Forsyth's gunshot and only the pack mules were lost. Roman Nose, war leader of the Cheyenne, had planned a dawn raid to overrun the camp of fifty U.S. soldiers, but the element of surprise was lost when a few eager warriors rushed the camp before the order to attack was given. Roman Nose, aka Arched Nose (real name Woo-ka-nay or Woqini) (c. ...

Forsyth gave orders to saddle the horses. Surmising that no escape route was open, he directed his men to take cover on a sand bar in the middle of the Arikaree. Wave after wave of Indians were repelled by the soldiers' superior firepower. Roman Nose and many other warriors would fall, while four of the Army troops (including Beecher, Acting Surgeon J.H. Mooers, George W. Culver, and William Wilson) were killed. 17 soldiers were wounded, including Colonel Forsyth who received a head wound, a broken leg, and a gunshot wound in the other thigh. In geography, a bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ...

Defending the Island One soldier and three horses have fallen, while others continue to wage the battle.

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.

Chief Roman Nose Roman Nose, on horseback, taunts the U.S. soldiers as a group of spectators on horseback cheer him on.

The Rescue A soldier offers aid to his wounded comrade after the Battle of Beecher Island.

September 20–24

Forsyth and his men sustained themselves on muddy river water and spoiling horse meat.

September 25–27

Elements of the 10th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Carpenter arrive to relieve Forsyth's unit. The following day, a fifth scout dies of his wounds and is buried on the battlefield with the other four scouts. On the September 27 the "Forsyth Scouts" depart for Fort Wallace escorted by the 10th Cavalry. In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 95 days remaining. ...

Aftermath

The "Forsyth Scouts" arrived back at Fort Wallace on September 30. General George Custer 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." The location of the battle became a National Historic Site in 1976. September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 - June 25, 1876) was an American cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars who is best remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Native American tribes, led by... National Historic Site is a designation for a protected area of historic significance. ...

Historic designations

• National Register of Historic Places #NPS–76000569 — "Beecher Island Battleground Memorial" site
• Colorado State Register Property

A map of the Republican River and its tributaries, with the location of Beecher Island highlighted in red.

A "Buffalo Soldier."

The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ... Buffalo Soldier This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Buffalo Soldier This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

References

• Battle of Arickaree. Pioneer History of Kansas. Retrieved on November 29, 2005.
• The Battle of Arickaree Fork or Beecher Island. History and Stories of Nebraska. Retrieved on December 9, 2005.
• The Battle at Beecher’s Island, 1868, Parts 1–4. The Great Plains. Retrieved on December 9, 2005.
• Battle of Beecher's Island, 1868. Fort Tours. Retrieved on November 29, 2005.
• Beecher Island Battle. Beecher Island. Retrieved on December 7, 2005.
• History of the Regiment. Campaigning with the Buffalo Soldiers. Retrieved on December 7, 2005.
• Yenne, Bill (2005). Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Westholme, Yardley, PA. ISBN 1594160163.

November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Dixon, David (1994). Hero of Beecher Island: The Life and Military Career of George A. Forsyth. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. ISBN 0803217005.

External links

• Beecher's Island Battlefield Monument
• Carpenter's Recollections, 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.
• Maps and aerial photos · Coordinates: 39.87429° -102.20246°
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  • Topographic map from TopoZone
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