Recently I posted on the Battle of the Washita and posed the question “was it a battle or a massacre?” I think most would agree it was a battle, although one-sided and unfair. A similar question, but with a different response, could be applied to the Sand Creek Massacre. There are several similarities between the two events. In both cases, peaceful Indians suffered the consequences for actions by young warriors who refused to abide by treaties.
In 1861, due mainly to the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, whites insisted in adjusting the Treaty of Fort Laramie to take more Indian land. The Treaty of Fort Wise of 1861 left the Southern Cheyenne and other tribes with 1/13 of their land. The treaty was signed by “peace chiefs” like Black Kettle, but many Indians refused to acknowledge the giving up of sacred land. Young warriors, led by the Dog Soldiers, opened war on white settlers. In the period leading up to the Massacre, 32 documented attacks led to the deaths of 96 whites. Coloradans were inflamed and wanted revenge. Gov. John Evans decided the Indians needed to be punished. He assigned the task to John Chivington, a Methodist preacher who had military pretensions. Chivington was given command of the 3rd Colorado Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. His men had signed on for 100 days and that period of misery and frustration was coming to an end. Taunts of “Bloodless Third” primed the unit for some action that would justify their service. That opportunity came when Chivington was informed that Black Kettle’s village was ripe for the attacking on the banks of Sand Creek. He was informed by Maj. Scott Anthony, the commander of the nearby Fort Lyon. When Black Kettle had come to ask for refuge near the fort (as implied by Gov. Evans), Anthony had urged him to camp on Sand Creek and gave the impression that flying an American flag would provide protection. On November 28, 1864, guided by James Beckwourth, Chivington found the camp. Although some of his officers insisted the village was peaceful, Chivington was determined to wipe it out. (Two company commanders held their units out of the battle.) Chivington had about 700 men. The village consisted on Southern Cheyenne and some Arapaho. There were around 700 Indians, but most of the warriors were away hunting and no Dog Soldiers were associated with the village. The next dawn, Chivington opened the assault with his four howitzers. A frontal charge was repulsed by the warriors that had been rudely awakened by the surprise. However, a subsequent attack forced the Indians to flee the camp. Some dug rifle pits along the creek bank and put up a fight. 24 soldiers were killed in fighting that lasted until 4 P.M., but between 70-163 Indians were killed, most being women and children. Wounded Indians were dispatched. Chivington infamously said “Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice”. The now blooded Third returned in triumph to Denver with their war trophies. These consisted not only of scalps, but other gruesome mutilations, including of women. The sheen was soon off as accounts of the “battle” began to reach the press, especially the eastern newspapers. Chivington went from hero to villain pretty quickly. Although he avoided a court martial by resigning, his reputation was greatly damaged by eye-witness testimony before a congressional committee. The lead witness was the leader of one of the companies that refused to participate in the slaughter. Capt. Silas Soule testified to the wanton killing of women and children in the village. The committee issued a scathing indictment of what it called “a foul and dastardly massacre”. Some of the sensational testimony may have been by anti-Chivington individuals and has been disputed by some historians. For instance, there is some reason to believe that Black Kettle was not flying an American flag (and a white flag in some accounts) outside his tepee. And the mutilating may have been exaggerated. However, it would appear that what happened at Sand Creek was indeed a massacre and deserves mention with My Lai and other horrible events that prove that American History has some bad to go along with all the good.
https://www.historynet.com/sand-creek-massacre
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sand-creek-massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Creek_massacre
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/horrific-sand-creek-massacre-will-be-forgotten-no-more-180953403/
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