The Battlefield

The fork of the Arikaree River runs through a shallow valley roughly east-west, then curves away to the west in a southwestward direction. At the bend, a ridge, now called Roman Nose Ridge, dominates the entire battlefield, with a shallow north-south canyon running perpendicular to the river.

The eastern side of the ridge, where the monument stands, descends southeastward to the river in a gradual slope (at left).

The eastern side also offers a slight grade until Squaw Hill (at right). The white triangle is the tepee atop Squaw Hill.

The western side is a steep, almost clifflike drop into the canyon. A set of stairs now cut down from the ridge to the canyon bottom. It was in this canyon that the Indians gathered before launching their assault.

When I visited, virtually 126 years to the days of the battle, the river was little more than a stream, easily fordable anywhere without getting your feet wet. Still, considering the flood of 1935 and the bridge that spans the shallow valley, the river can be quite a bit higher and deeper.

Today, the area is covered with thistle bushes, which drop off seed pods that attach to your clothing like Velcro. In fact, the pods look like little maces--spheres with sharp pointed spines that snag deeply in your pants legs. And when I say sharp, I mean sharp--these are vicious. You must be very careful when extricating them or else your fingertips will act like a pincushion.

The Battle

The current "Beecher's Island" is difficult to imagine. The map shows the river splitting, leaving an area in between wide enough to hold 51 men. The photo at right shows the valley from atop Roman Nose Ridge.

Large Photo of Valley (slow: 160K)

On this island, the citizen scouts under Col. George A. "Sandy" Forsyth, and including Lt. Fred beecher, formed a circle of dead horses, withstood the siege, and repelled charge after charge of the Indians over the course of a nine days.

Roman Nose, who had spent years resisting the encroachment of settlers with a series if raids, figured to overwhelm the small number of defenders. To inspire his troops further, he declared that the first brave that broke into the scouts' circle would be awarded a war bonnet.

The Indians charged out of the canyon, swung left, and attempted to break into the circle and finish off the scouts. The photo at right is taken from Beecher's Island looking west. The canyon is at the right side of the photo, just to the left of the patch of blue flowers.

Large Photo Towards Canyon (slow: 95K)

Yet the fusilade of fire proved too much, and the Indians broke off to regroup time and time again. The days dragged on, the scouts eating horse and mule meat to survive. Top: Looking west towards canyon Middle: Looking east Bottom: Looking south Large Beecher Island photos (extremely slow: 454K)

After the first day of battle, two scouts, Pierre Trudeau and Jack Stillwell, volunteered to go for help. That night, they crawled on their hands and knees past the Indians. Walking "backward" (A reference I don't quite get--RL) in stocking feet, they travelled during the night and hid during the day, aiming for Fort Wallace.

Meanwhile, another pair of scouts, Donovan and Puley, arrived at Fort Donovan on the equivalent of the third night of the siege. Grabbing four troopers, they started to ride back, coming across Col. Carpentier's command at the South Fork of the Republican River. Carpentier led his troops on a 20-mile dash to the north to try and reach Beecher's Island.

Back at the Island, Roman Nose placed himself at the head of his band and led a charge out from the canyon and across the valley. In the exchange of fire, Roman Nose fell, the spot short of the scouts' defensive circle. Medicine Man fell beside him. Once again, the Indians could not crack the position, and they eventually broke off and withdrew from the area.

At 10 a.m. on the ninth day of the siege, Carpentier arrived, about two hours ahead of Col. Bankhead's command with scouts Stillwell and Trudeau.

Battle of Beecher's Island Introduction

Related

Buffalo Soldier Exhibit, Colorado History Museum. Reuben Waller, Co. H, 10th Cav.

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