James Ray Stewart's summary of the book "The Battle of Beecher Island," of which Andrew Jackson Eutsler was a scout with General Forsyth:

On a modern map of eastern Colorado just south of Wray is found an area called Beecher Island Battleground. It marks the place where a fight between Native Americans and white settlers took place. There is little documentation of A.J. Eutsler in the battle because the documentation of the battle did not occur until about 30 years later and he had died by that time.

At the end of the Civil War there was a Major George A. Forsyth who was left with no men to command in the field so he was given a desk job. He wanted field action but the regular army did not have enough men to give him a command. Since the Indians were causing the settlers on the Western Frontier so much trouble by killing entire families, it was decided that Major Forsyth would be allowed to organize a group of scouts (volunteer frontier men) to stop the Indian attacks on the settlements. He recruited 50 men, among which was A.J. Eutsler. The scouts set out to find the Indians causing the trouble and soon the signs they were following began showing that they were near a great number of Indians, they decided to camp for the night on the banks of the Arikaree River. The next morning September 17, 1868, the scouts were attacked by many Indians. Estimates run between 750 to over 2000 and it was later learned that four tribes, led by Roman Nose, had banded together to make a sweep of eastern Colorado and western Kansas to wipe out all the settlers. The scouts were successful in defending themselves with only 5 killed and 12 wounded. Estimates of Indian deaths run from 75 to several hundred.

The interesting part of the story is that several of the scouts were asked to write their recollections of the battle. They lived in diverse parts of the country by this time and had not communicated with each other but most of them had a common thread in their story. Quoting from the account as told by scout John Hurst: “General Forsyth called out and wanted to know if anyone could pray, for he said, ‘We are beyond human aid, and if God does not help us there is no help for us.’ But no one responded. I have thought since in the light of subsequent events what an awe inspiring thing it would have been if a man of God had broken out in loud appeal to the Great Spirit for help. This thought came from the answer that the wife of Roman Nose made when taken prisoner, about a year after, and asked why they did not rush in and kill all? ‘Oh’ she said, ‘We thought the Great Spirit was protecting you and we were afraid.’” Scout Lawrence Gifford’s account included: “The Indians could well have said, ‘ Did we not see fifty-one enter the island? Lo, we see fifty-two, and the fifty-second is like the Great Spirit’”.

Scout John Hurst ended his account of the battle with these words: “And now, my dear comrades, and all who read these lines, I wish to add a few words to what I have already written, about God having a hand in the battle of the Arickaree. At the time of the battle I was like Samuel, the judge in Israel, when a boy. I did not know the Lord, but the Lord knew me and knew that I would believe and be saved, as I hope He knew a great many more of my comrades would believe and be saved, therefore He interposed and save us from the Indians.

“And now, my dear comrades, while I would love to meet with you and all the good people who meet there to commemorate the battle, circumstances will not permit, and while we may never meet again on earth, I hope through the atoning merits of Jesus Christ to meet you all where parting will be no more.”

Andrew Eutzler