Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-08-25
ESCAPED MASSACRE.

ESCAPED MASSACRE.
Gen. Forsyth's Story of How He Almost
Shared Clusters Terrible Fate.
ut was in the summer and fall of
1868 that the northern Cheyenne and
Sioux carried terror all along the
border, says Gen. G. A Forsyth ''They
killed many settlers and narrowed all
the little settlements into the widest
excitement 1 was then on Maj-Gen.
Sheridan's staff and asked that might
take the field to meet the savages- 1
was given company Of fifty scouts,
having under me Lieut.. Beecher a
nephew of Henry Ward Beecher, and
Brevet Brig.-Gen. Mccall, who acted as
my first sergeant. Most of the men had
seen service in the rebellion and were
good shots and thoroughly to be de-
pended upon.
son September 9 we started from old
Fort Harlzer, worked up to Hayes. to
Sheridan, Kan. and to Fort Wallace. We
started with seven days supplies on
the Indian trail. After following the
trail thirty miles it scattered over the
prairie and we were obliged to circle
for three days before we struck the
trail again. We found where five war
riors slept and soon we came upon
a broad trail, which indicated that
thousands of Indians were ahead OF us
''On the afternoon OF September IA
the party found itself out of supplies
and at 4:30 o'clock went into camp.
The spot chosen was where the Aric-
karee enters the Republican river. In
the middle of the channel was a sandy
island surrounded on all sides by water
three or four inches deep. There were
no river banks to cut off the surround
ing country, which seemed to meet the
sky. on all sides, the surface being a
rolling prairie.
During the night I arose several
times to inspect the guard and be
sure that we should not be taken by
surprise continued the general eve
tethered our horses and mules in a
circle around us, and every man was
directed to dig a hole in the sand as q
defense against the arrows and bullets
OF the savages. At daybreak on the
following morning the trouble began.
a dozen Indians first appeared, with
dried beef and bells tied to the sides of
their horses, making a noise so as to
stampede our animals I took q shot
at the savages and called on the men to
saddle up. Before we could mount the
whole surrounding country seemed to
grow Indians.
They appeared innumerable and
seemed to come from every quarter.
They kept up running fire all day,
killing all our horses but not coming
near enough for US to do much damage
to them. Toward evening, however,
one of our men killed Roman Nose,
their leader. This threw them into
confusion and they withdrew.
The next day the Indians renewed
the attack. but made no more mounted
charges. During the night Gen. For
syth had dispatched two scouts who
were to attempt to reach Fort Wallace,
100 miles away. They crawled out Of
camp in their stocking feet. The sec
ond night another detail of scouts was
sent in the same direction. The party
subsisted on horse and mule meat, but
on the fourth day it began to purify,
and for four long days not a mouthful
of food was found in the camp. From
the action of the Indians it was plain
that they We're preparing for retreat,
but fearing an ambuscade, the party
remained intrenched upon the island.
On the morning of the eighth day the
first column of the relief corps was WIS.,
IDLE on the hills, and never did the eyes
of despairiDg men rest on a more graft
flying sight. -Four troops arrived from
as many different directions within two
hours Gen. Forsyth was carried to
Leavenworth and it was two years be-
fore he recovered from the suTerings of
those dreadful seven days.
at was not until 1871 that I learned
the true strength of the Indians" said
he. 'In my report to the government I
estimated the force at 500, but in Den
yer 1 met Cheyenne chief who carried
bullet in his lungs as memento of the
battle. He said there were 970 warriors
in the Indian camp, and that their loss
during and Immediately after the battle
was seventy-fve men. In his words the
wounded were heaps Had we at
tempted to leave the island, he said, we
would certainly have been destroyed in
an ambush which had been prepared
for us-ChicaGo News