People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-10-28
Survivors of the Arickaree Fight to
Hold a Reunion.

reunion Of the survivors Of what is
known as the Arickaree Indian fight,
which occurred on fork of the Re
publican river, September Is, 1868.
Tom Murphy, county commissioner
of this county, and ThOS. Alderdice
0: Milan, are survivors of the massa-
Gre. They will attend the reunion,
which is to be held sometime in the
future at place yet to be designated.
The other known survivors are Ii. H.
Tucker of Minneapolis; Howard Nor
ton, TescOtt; Chalmers Smith, Bev-
erly; Fletcher VilOtt, MankatO; J. J.
Piatt, Beverly; Frank Harrington,
Oakdale, OF; Jack Stillwell, Ana
darkO, OF; Sam Schlessinger, Cleve-
land, 0. Stillwell is now United
States commissioner at AnadarkO,
aud is one Of the men who was sent
through the Indian lines to Fort Wal
lace for help,
The Arickaree fight was one of the
most desperate ever entered into be-
tween white men aud Indians, and it
deserves place at the head Of the
list of great battles on the frontier.
The story Of the fight, taken from
an article published by Gen. George
A. Forsyth, who was 10 command Of
the scouts, published in Harper'S
Magazine for June, 1895, is as fol-
lows:
In Jhe latter part IF August, 1868,
General George A. Forsyth Of the
regular army received orders from
General Sheridan TO employ fifty
scouts to be used against the hostile
Indians who were committing depre-
datiOnS ia the northwest. The Ouly
regular officer in the party besides
Forsyth was Fred H. BeeCher, a first
lieutenant in the Third infantry. He
was rephew of Henry Ward Beecher
andwas killed early ia the AriCkarce
fight.
On the morning Of August 20, 1868,
thepArty of scouts left Fort Hayes for
the head waters of the Solomon river.
At Wallace, General Forsyth found a
message from Governor Samuel 7.
Crawford of Kansas, urging him to
push on into what was known as Bison
Basin, tOprOtect settlers. The scouts
did not 90 to the Basin, however, fol-
they struck an Indian trail leading
toward the Republican and followed
it. 1t soon became evident that they
were not far from large war party,
and as Forsyth had started out with
the determination Of getting up q
fight, the scouts all began to feel that
they would have a mixing with the
Indians in very short time. Some
of the scouts pointed out to the gen
eral the danger which would lie in the
Indians masSing several tribes against
the little band, but the argument ha(
no weight. Forsyth declared his in
tentiOn of finding and attacking thu
Indians, regardless of the odds.
On the afternoon of September l6
the scouts went into camp on til,
bank Of The AriCkaree. Up to tina
time they hadn't seen any Indians
but they knew by the trail that the!
were close to them. Every man fel
that there would be a clash within
twenty-four hours. They slept yer!
little that night for they expected tn,
Indians every minute, but the drear,
hours passed without a sound.
At daybTeak next morning thouS
and warriors seemed to rise out of tht
ground and start for the party with /
yell which fairly made the eartl
trem6le. The scouts were up anC
ready for them, and when Severa
braves tumbled from their horses as
result of tie excellent markSmanshu
of the little band, the advancing line
gave way, and all was confusion
This gave the scouts an OppOrtunit,
to make a dash for small island il
the middle of the river bed and 10.
trench themselves by throwing up tn,
sand. They had no time to spare. TO
the Indians soon rallied and renewed
the attack. The Indians were Sioul
and Northern CheyenneS, and wei
armed. They promptly killed all tn,
horses belonging to the scoutin.
party, and while the scouts wer,
making breaStwOIkS out Of the deaf
animals several of their number wer
wounded and one killed. Genera
Forsyth was shot through the righ
thigh, and afterwards was shot 10 tn
arm and head.
Up 10 this time Roman Nose, tn
Cheyenne chief, had not taken an
part in the fight. He sat on hurS
on a hill out Of rifle range. and ar
peared to be Sulking. About /
O'Clock in the forenoon delegatio