Roman Nose
Roman Nose was a prominent Cheyenne warrior and leader known for his fierce opposition to the encroachment of railroad construction on Indigenous lands during the mid-19th century. Standing at six feet three inches, he was recognized not only for his physical stature but also for his symbolic war bonnet, believed to offer him protection in battle, which was crafted by a medicine man named Ice. His notable actions included a strong protest against the Union Pacific Railroad during a council in Fort Ellsworth, Kansas, where he pledged to resist its advancement on traditional hunting grounds.
Roman Nose led his warriors in various confrontations against railroad workers from 1864 to 1868, most notably during the conflicts leading up to the Battle of Beecher Island in 1868. The night before this critical battle, a significant incident occurred involving a metal fork that disrupted the sacred power of his war bonnet, a breach of protocol that some accounts suggest may have foreshadowed his fate. During the ensuing combat, Roman Nose reportedly declared his own death as he engaged, and he was soon struck down by gunfire, marking a poignant moment in his legacy as a warrior committed to defending his people's rights and lands. The battle itself endured for eight days, symbolizing the fierce resistance faced by Native American tribes amid the expansion of American infrastructure.
Subject Terms
Roman Nose
- Born: c. 1830
- Birthplace: Unknown
- Died: September 17, 1868
- Place of death: Beecher's Island, Colorado
Tribal affiliation: Southern Cheyenne
Significance: Roman Nose was a fearless leader, though not a chief, during battles with white settlers and Union Pacific Railroad workers in the 1860’s
Though some accounts of the story may vary, it was generally believed that a protective war bonnet, made for Roman Nose by a medicine man named Ice, could protect him against bullets and arrows in battle. His six-foot, three-inch bonneted frame led his warriors into many battles against railroad gangs laying rails along the Kansas frontier between 1864 and 1868. In 1866, at a council in Fort Ellsworth, Kansas, Roman Nose distinguished himself in his protestations against the Union Pacific Railroad on Indian hunting grounds. He vowed to stop the railroad. As the attacks against the railroad heightened, the government sent Major George A. Forsyth and fifty special scouts against the Cheyenne. Forsyth’s forces tracked the Cheyennes to the Arickaree Fork of the Republican River, where Beecher Island is located.
Legend recounts that the night before the battle, as a guest in the home of a Sioux family, Roman Nose was served food lifted with a metal fork. This violated one of the laws that dictated the power of the bonnet. A purification ceremony would have restored the “medicine” to his bonnet, but his warriors called for him and he responded. Roman Nose announced his own death upon riding into the battle, and moments later he was struck down by gunfire. The battle went on for eight days.