Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre was a major mistake of Colonel Chivington and the rest of his troops who weren't only army men.

Most of the wars and fighting between Indians and Whites started when the White men found, in 1858-1859, that gold was in the Indian Territory. So they started invading the Indian's land and hunting grounds.. to prevent some of the fighting, the government wanted the Indians to go and live on reservations so told them to, they refused, this was in 1862.

Black Kettle

Two of the Southern Cheyenne chiefs, Black Kettle and White Antelope met with Colorado's Governor John Evans, Colonel Chivington, and even President Abraham Lincoln, so that their camp and people would be safe and not be attacked by the army, or anyone else. President Lincoln gave Black Kettle an American flag and a white peace flag, so that the soldiers would know not to attack them. He also gave White Antelope a peace medal. And even though they got peace, it didn't last. On the day of their peace meeting with Governor John Evans, Chivington received a telegram from Samuel Curtis saying "I want no peace till the Indians suffer more. No peace must be made without my directions. Black Kettle was told that he could camp on Sand Creek, which is in the Colorado territory, under the promised protection of Fort Lyon, so he went back south to Sand Creek, while the others, who opposed the peace agreement joined the Sioux up North.

at dawn on November 29,1864, Chivington and his men (volunteers and regular troops, from Fort Lyon) were told to take no prisoners and descended onto the Sand Creek camp. Black Kettle believed that there was no danger when he saw the soldiers galloping towards him and his camp, so he calmly raised his American flag and his white peace flag, both from President Abraham Lincoln, to reassure his people. White Antelope could tell that they meant harm and yelled, "Stop! Stop!" in English so they could understand him, but they didn't stop. So he folded his arms and sang his death song, "Nothing live long, except the earth and the mountains", he refused to fight. And then, as a response, the troops began shooting at them. Most of the Indians fled to the sandy banks of the dry creek and frantically began digging pits for protection. the warriors, that had been capable of grabbing their weapons fought back in a desperate defense, they killed only 8 and wounded only 38 of the attackers.

The Indians were killed no matter what they were did; flee, surrender, plead for mercy, fight back, or even stand there and do nothing. Groups of women were shot trying to surrender, children were shot and/or clubbed to death, some women were pleading for mercy. Over 150 Indians were killed, men and mostly women, children. including White Antelope, by the soldiers. Most of the bodies were mutilated, and part of White Antelope was cut off and used as a tobacco pouch, according to Congressional testimony. Black Kettle's wife miraculously survived the attack, she was shot 9 times. The men finally ended their attack and killed all the Indians they found wounded that were not quite dead yet. They also scalped and mutilated the dead men, women, children, even pregnant women and babies.

Before returning to their camp, the men took all of the items they found, that they wanted, from the tipis and divided up the several hundred horses amongst themselves. Lastly the burnt down the camp. The troops committed many atrocities in their assault. One Lieutenant killed and scalped three women and 5 children who were screaming for mercy. White Antelope was killed while singing his death song, he stood in front of his tipi, wearing his peace medal from President Lincoln, refusing to fight.

The Cheyenne Dog Warriors camp, on the Smoky Hill River, wqs were most or the survivors sought refuge. Most of those that survived were wounded.

When the Colorado volunteers went back to Denver they showed off their scalps and recieved a hero's welcome! The Congress decided the crimes to be a "sedulously and carefully planned massacre", but not much justice was ever brought for it. The House of Representatives and the Joint Committee investigated the attack. they decided to charge Chivington of deliberately planning a "foul anddastardly massacre" and executing it. The massacre was officially recognized by the US government as "gross and wanton outrage" against the Indians

To try and make it up to the Cheyenne and Arapaho the government made a treaty with them in 1865. Many cheifs, including Black Kettle were given peices of land. This is what the treaty said :

Article VI The US being desious to express its condemnation of, and, as far as maybe, repudated the gross and wanton outrages perpetrated against certain bands of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians by Colonel J.M. Chivington, in command of US troops, on the 21st of november, AD 1864, at sand creek, in Colorado Territory, while the said indians were at peace with the US, and under its flag, whose protection they had by lawfully authority been promised and indused to seek, and the government being desirous to make some suitable reparation for the injuries then done, will grant 320 acres of land by patent to each of the following named cheifs of said bands, viz: Moke-ta-ve-to, or Black Kettle

Almost four years later, on november 27, 1868 the US cavalry's 7th regiment, being cammanded by Colonel Goerge Armstrong Custer, attacked Black Kettle's band again. This time it was on the Washita River, in the Indian Territory, in Oklahoma, a hundred miles from Fort Cobb.

When will the fighting ever stop? No one knows

here is one Quote from Black Kettle: "We went to take the good tidings home to our people, that they may sleep in peace I won't oyu to give all the chiefs of the soldiers here to understand that we are for peace, and that we have made peace, that we may not be mistaken by them for enemies."

Bibliography

Sand Creek Massacre_<http://homepages.tesco.net/~ricard.alonzo/Events/sandcreek.htm>_5-9-05

Washita_<http://www.dickshovel.com/was.html>_5-9-05

Sand Creek Massacre_<http://homepages.tesco.net/~ricard.alonzo/Quotes/screek.htm>_5-9-05

Sand Creek Massacre: A New Look_<http://www.buffalosoldier.net/SandCreekMassacre.htm>_5-9-05

The Sand Creek Massacre Southern Cheyenne November 29_<http://waroffice.us/sandcreek.htm>_5-13-05

Sand Creek Massacre: A Closer Look_<http://www.buffalosoldier.net/sandcreekmassacre.htm>_5-13-05

Kristina Cook

8th History

2005 Project