The Cheyenne and Oglala Sioux Indians were on the warpath in 1868. The continued encroachment of the railroad through their tribal lands, poor living conditions on the reservations, and a series of broken promises by the Federal government led the Indians to hold a council of war at Fort Ellsworth, Colorado, in the spring of that year.

Chief Roman Nose, a 6'- 3" hulking warrior, gave a passionate speech that he concluded by saying that if the railway continued to be built through Indian country he would forever be the white man's enemy.

The construction of the railroad continued, and discontent among the Indians grew steadily. Events came to a head in the summer of 1868 when the government, by treaty stipulation, was to issue guns and ammunition to the Indians for hunting. The government agents, nervous over the rumors of growing unrest, refused to issue the guns or ammunition. The Cheyenne assembled their warriors and marched on the Indian agency. Meanwhile, word of the ensuing battle was sent to Indian hunting parties already afield.

In the face of superior numbers, the government agent relented and issued the guns and ammunition. But, one of the larger Cheyenne hunting parties, in reality on the way to raid a nearby Pawnee village, decided they'd had enough and attacked the first white settlements they came upon. These were on the Saline and Solomon rivers. Fifteen settlers were killed, several ranches burned, and the livestock taken as booty.

Word of the Indian attacks spread quickly, and the Army Commander responsible for the area, General Phil Sheridan, sent word to assemble his widely-dispersed units for a short, vicious, winter campaign. However, it would take several weeks to assemble the necessary troops and supplies and, until then, General Sheridan had to keep an eye on the Indians and try to keep them away from the white settlements and keep the railroad open.

The problem was acute. General Sheridan could send the few troops he had at hand to find the Indians, but they would most likely be overwhelmed and destroyed. However, he could not just abandon the area to the Indians. While General Sheridan pondered the problem, one of his staff officers, Major George A. Forsyth, proposed a radical plan.

Major Forsyth was a wily old combat veteran who had joined the US Army as a private in 1861 and ended the Civil War as a brigadier general. He believed that he could lead a small group of well-trained veteran soldiers out into Indian country, locate the main body of warriors, and shadow them until the Army could assemble a large enough force to take on the Indians in open battle. Major Forsyth's group could alert settlers and even launch small attacks to keep the Indians off balance.

The plan was unusual, to say the least, but Major Forsyth had served with General Sheridan through much of the Civil War and his courage and tactical aplomb were legendary. In addition, it was the only plan, so General Sheridan approved it.

Major Forsyth decided that he only needed fifty men to carry out his mission and called for volunteers. Serving with the major was looked upon as an honor, and he was quickly deluged with applications. He finally picked fifty of the best men then available. The group was made up of hunters, trappers, soldiers, scouts, and a doctor. Those that were not already in the military were enlisted and paid $1 a day for their service. They were a motley group when finally assembled. The only shared commonality among the men was that they all were veterans of the Civil War and all were expert fighters.

The force left Fort Wallace at the terminus of the Kansas Pacific Railroad on September 11, 1868. Each man was equipped with his horse, Spencer repeating rifle, pistol, canteen, blanket, and knife. They each carried 140 rifle rounds, 30 rounds of pistol ammunition, and seven days of rations on the horse. The few items that could not be carried on the horses were loaded on a four-mule train that accompanied the party.

It did not take the party of experienced trackers long to find the trail of the Indians. The soldiers were soon able to determine that the group they were following consisted of about 700 warriors.

Major Forsyth's "rough riders" (as they called themselves) realized that the Indians outnumbered them, but they were convinced that their mobility and experience would keep them from being drawn into any kind of trap. On the evening of the 15th, they camped on flat open plain near the banks of small stream. Major Forsyth was already considering the possibility of an attack during the next few days, and the camp was alive with excitement.

At dawn, Major Forsyth was standing with the picket guarding the farthest portion of the perimeter. The major knew that if the attack came it would be here. As the sun rose it silhouetted the head of an Indian snooping around the perimeter. Major Forsyth fired at the Indian; as he did, another party of unseen Cheyenne charged into the center of the camp and tried to stampede the horses and mules.

The other soldiers were already awake and holding their horses. They too, knew how the Indians fought. Unfortunately, no one was watching the mules, and they ran wildly out onto the plains and into the arms of the Cheyenne.

As the sun rose, the men were suddenly confronted with a horrible sight. All 700 Indian warriors had descended onto the plain and had effectively surrounded the rough riders on three sides. Major Forsyth saw the opening but realized it was a trap. If they retreated that way, they would be surrounded and attacked while on the move.

The only defensible piece of terrain nearby was a small island, 20 yds wide and 60 yds long, in the middle of the river. Although it was lower than the surrounding banks, it allowed the men a barrier against the Indian attack. Any attack would have to negotiate the river before it got to them; and, while the Indians descended the banks and crossed the river, they would be easy targets. Major Forsyth quickly ordered his men across the river, onto the island, and into a tight circular defensive position.

The Indians quickly closed on the hapless men and poured a withering fire into the defensive perimeter. The soldier's horses died first. Unable to find cover, they died standing near their masters and as each horse died, it was immediately dragged in front of a soldier to provide a defensive work. As the Indian fire slackened, the men scooped out shallow pits for protection and fired at the few Indians that were foolish enough to move in plain sight. The battle dragged on through the morning as the Indian rifleman on the banks continued to shoot at the men on the island.

The heavy fire soon took its toll. Several rough riders were killed, and Major Forsyth, the doctor, and several other men were wounded. Despite the losses there was no panic. The men had plenty of ammunition and water and they were sure that they could hold off the Indians for several days.

Suddenly, the soldiers heard the sound of an Army bugle sounding the charge. They knew that no Army unit was close to them and each soldier prepared for what was certain to be an Indian attack. However, despite their readiness, none of the men was prepared for what came next.

As the sound of the bugle grew louder, Chief Roman Nose at the head of a cavalry formation of 500 of his warriors trotted into view from around the bend in the river. The formation was 60 across and 8 deep and it was immediately obvious to the soldiers that Chief Roman Nose intended to ride them down.

Major Forsyth, despite his wounds, rose up from his gun pit to watch the magnificent cavalry formation of the Indians. He ordered the men to hold their fire and then waited for the charge. He did not have wait long. Chief Roman Nose spurred his horse, and with a vicious war cry led the Cheyenne warriors in a charge against the soldiers' position.

When the lead Indians were 50 yds away, Major Forsyth gave the command to fire. Every soldier that could shoot took aim and fired. A vicious volley felled several Indians. The soldiers jacked another round into the chambers of their Spencer repeating rifles and fired again. The air was filled with the hissing thud of bullets as the soldiers unhorsed another dozen Indians. The third volley was delivered at point blank range and Chief Roman Nose and his horse were shot to pieces as the charge swept over, around, and through the defensive position.

The soldiers barely survived the attack. Nineteen men were wounded, nine of them badly, and one was dead. However, the Indians were in even worse shape. The charge cost them 75 dead and 250 seriously wounded. The loss of their leader and many of their warriors left them dispirited and disorganized. Although they maintained a tight perimeter around the island and continued to snipe, they did not want to launch another attack against the ferocious rifle fire of the soldiers.

The Indians placed the island under siege to see how long the soldiers could hold out. The soldiers had come well prepared. During the next week they held their ground, shot at the Indians when they could, ate their dead horses, and calmly waited. After the second day, Major Forsyth dispatched messengers to sneak through the Indian lines and get help. They were able to cover the 90 miles to Fort Wallace; and, on the eighth day of the siege, a relief column drove off the Indians.

The battle did not end the war, but it certainly helped. Major Forsyth and his small band of veteran fighters displayed extraordinary courage in the face of superior odds. In the space of a week they killed one of the top Indian leaders and killed or wounded 325 warriors.

Unfortunately, the Army was not prepared to follow up the victory because they were still assembling their forces. The Cheyenne war continued until July 1869, when the last of the leaders, Chief Tall Bull, was killed in a battle with the 5th Cavalry.