Daily Vignette for 29 November -- Sand Creek Massacre
On November 29th 1864, a 700 man strong force of Colorado territorial mounted militia led by Colonel John Chivington massacred at least 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho noncombatants camped at Sand Creek in the Colorado Territory.
The southern Cheyenne and Arapaho would traditionally camp along Sand Creek during the winter, riding out to hunt as necessary. Under the terms of the 1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty they held this land and hunting ground by agreement with the US government. Since 1858, when gold had been discovered at Pike's Peak, there had been mounting pressure from miners and those who supported them to push the Cheyenne and Arapaho people away in order to open the country up for development.
Recognizing this pressure, the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs sought a new treaty. On February 18th 1861, six chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne and four of the Arapaho signed the Treaty of Fort Wise with the United States, in which they ceded most of the lands designated to them by the Fort Laramie treaty, but retained their winter camp and hunting grounds near Sand Creek.
As the US Civil War got underway, US Army forces were moved east out of the territory to prosecute the war against the Confederacy. This left the Colorado territorial militia as the only armed force in the territory. Starting in the spring of 1862, the territorial governor began an undeclared war against the Cheyenne and Arapaho people who remained in eastern Colorado, on the pretense that the Indians had been stealing livestock. In some cases the Colorado territorial militia even pursued Indian hunting bands into Kansas. Tensions increased, and meetings between Colorado militia and native warriors often turned violent.
On November 29th 1864, after a night of drinking in anticipated celebration of the following day's victory, the 1st and 3rd Colorado territorial cavalry regiments attacked the village at Sand Creek. Most of the warriors were away hunting, leaving the village lightly guarded and composed mostly of women and children. An American flag was flying from a flagpole in the middle of the village, and shortly after the bugle call announcing the advance was heard, a white flag of surrender was run up with it. Disregarding the white flag, Colonel John Chivington ordered his subordinate commanders to advance and kill every Indian they could find.
Two of the company commanders, Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, commanding companies D and K of the 1st Colorado Cavalry, refused to attack a flag of surrender and held their companies back. The remaining companies advanced, killing and scalping all they could find.
George Bent, a trader, was in the Cheyenne camp when the massacre began and was able to escape. He quickly spread the word of the atrocity via his own network of friends, including his brother, the governor of the New Mexico territory. Public reaction was swift, and the Colorado militia was widely condemned for the atrocity.
The War Department, and the Congressional joint committee on the conduct of war, both investigated and condemned Colonel Chivington's acts. Chivington was remanded to trial by court martial on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The territorial governor allowed him to resign his commission. The general post Civil War amnesty effectively pardoned him, but he never served in uniform again.
The southern Cheyenne and Arapaho would traditionally camp along Sand Creek during the winter, riding out to hunt as necessary. Under the terms of the 1851 Ft. Laramie Treaty they held this land and hunting ground by agreement with the US government. Since 1858, when gold had been discovered at Pike's Peak, there had been mounting pressure from miners and those who supported them to push the Cheyenne and Arapaho people away in order to open the country up for development.
Recognizing this pressure, the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs sought a new treaty. On February 18th 1861, six chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne and four of the Arapaho signed the Treaty of Fort Wise with the United States, in which they ceded most of the lands designated to them by the Fort Laramie treaty, but retained their winter camp and hunting grounds near Sand Creek.
As the US Civil War got underway, US Army forces were moved east out of the territory to prosecute the war against the Confederacy. This left the Colorado territorial militia as the only armed force in the territory. Starting in the spring of 1862, the territorial governor began an undeclared war against the Cheyenne and Arapaho people who remained in eastern Colorado, on the pretense that the Indians had been stealing livestock. In some cases the Colorado territorial militia even pursued Indian hunting bands into Kansas. Tensions increased, and meetings between Colorado militia and native warriors often turned violent.
On November 29th 1864, after a night of drinking in anticipated celebration of the following day's victory, the 1st and 3rd Colorado territorial cavalry regiments attacked the village at Sand Creek. Most of the warriors were away hunting, leaving the village lightly guarded and composed mostly of women and children. An American flag was flying from a flagpole in the middle of the village, and shortly after the bugle call announcing the advance was heard, a white flag of surrender was run up with it. Disregarding the white flag, Colonel John Chivington ordered his subordinate commanders to advance and kill every Indian they could find.
Two of the company commanders, Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, commanding companies D and K of the 1st Colorado Cavalry, refused to attack a flag of surrender and held their companies back. The remaining companies advanced, killing and scalping all they could find.
George Bent, a trader, was in the Cheyenne camp when the massacre began and was able to escape. He quickly spread the word of the atrocity via his own network of friends, including his brother, the governor of the New Mexico territory. Public reaction was swift, and the Colorado militia was widely condemned for the atrocity.
The War Department, and the Congressional joint committee on the conduct of war, both investigated and condemned Colonel Chivington's acts. Chivington was remanded to trial by court martial on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The territorial governor allowed him to resign his commission. The general post Civil War amnesty effectively pardoned him, but he never served in uniform again.