The Colorado Boys were a group of men who were
mustered out of the US military service at the conclusion of the Civil War,
migrated to Lincoln County, and filed for homesteads of 160 acres. All had, at one time, served in the Colorado
Infantry/Cavalry.
The Colorado Boys included Edward E. Johnson, Isaac
DeGraff, James Adams, D. C. Skinner, W. E. Thompson and Richard B. Clark. James
Peate arrived shortly afterwards and lived with them.
They arrived in Lincoln County about Christmas 1865
and camped along the Saline River southeast of future town of Beverly. Early interviews with the men indicated they
hauled drift wood from the river to thaw the ground for the construction of a dugout. No one has located the exact location of the
dugout; however, after visiting with a then living relative of D.C. Skinner, I
believe the dugout was built on the River on land later farmed by my maternal
uncle---southeast of Beverly.
Several other families soon arrived in the Lincoln County
and next door Ottawa Counties in 1866, 1867 and 1868. In 1866 Mr. James Peate of settled in/near
Beverly and in 1868 was asked by General Phil Sheridan (he of Civil War
fame) to recruit local men to help form about 50 “Scouts” assigned to Col. George
Forsyth. This contingent of “frontiersmen”
would be chasing Native Americans who had been raiding Caucasian settlers in
the Lincoln-Ottawa County area. The
Scouts were to remain civilians employed by the U.S. Army. However, Forsyth’s
second-in-command, Lt. Fred Beecher, was regular army but was killed in the
Battle. He was a nephew of Henry Ward Beecher
(of Civil War fame).
Peate immediately recruited locals Thomas Alderdice,
Thomas Boyle, George Clark, George W. Culver, Andrew Eutsler, Hutson Farley,
Lewis Farley, George Green, John Green, John Haley, Frank Herington, Edward E.
Johnson (Colorado Boy), John Lyden, Howard Morton, D.C. Skinner (Colorado Boy), Chalmers
Smith, William Stubbs, Edward Tozier, Richard Tozier, Henry Tucker, Fletcher
Vilott and Eli Zigler.
James Peate, the recruiter, did not die until 1932
and was well known to my mother (born in 1913 and living in Beverly) as the
local banker.
George W. Culver was farming near Tescott (my home
town), about five miles east of Beverly.
I was able to locate his homesteading papers in the Ottawa County courthouse
and noted his farm was at one of my favorite “fishing holes.” Culver was killed in the battle at Beecher
Island.
Andrew Eutsler was the grandfather of one of my
maternal aunts (by marriage) and is buried in the local Tescott Cemetery.
I grew up living in Morton Township---named after
Howard Morton.
Edward E. Johnson was one of the original Colorado
Boys.
Chalmers Smith was the grandfather of one of my
maternal aunts (by marriage).
Not all of the people listed above as Scouts
actually participated in the Battle of Beecher Island. Peate, along with Boyle, John Green, Edward
Johnson, D.C. Skinner, Stubbs, Edward Tozier, and Richard Tozier were later in
getting to Fort Harker and then chased Forsyth and the other Scouts to Fort Hays
and then to Fort Wallace but ended up missing the final march to follow the “hostiles.”
This group was then assigned to Col. Lewis
Carpenter’s 10th Cavalry and participated in locating the battle-weary
remnants of Col. Forsyth’s command trapped at Beecher Island.
The story could go on and on but I need to return to
geology! I have found this Beecher
Island story fascinating due to its connection with the hometowns of my father
(Tescott) and mother (Beverly). Unfortunately
my history classes in grades 1-12 sort of followed the textbook and neglected
to mention any of the local history. I
also have tromped over the homesteads of several of these scouts and do not
want local communities to forget the history associated with both the Scouts
and the Native Americans.