The Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre

In the 1960s, a majority of the American public considered the natives as savage beings. However, studies show that many were sympathetic of their ill treatment by the government. Sand Creek Massacre is a classical instance of US government’s mistreatment of the minority natives. As the relationship worsened between the state and the Indians, the American public grew increasingly outraged how the government handled the conflict. According to Perry (2011), “The Sand Creek Massacre occurred in Fort Lyon, South Eastern Colorado in November 1864”. The conflict started when a militia group from Colorado under the leadership of Colonel Chivington John attacked Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians. The Sand Creek Massacre is one of the most horrific tragedies in American history because the US government committed terrible war crimes.

Colonel Chivington, a prominent figure of the massacre, commanded the Colorado Militia. He was born in 1821 and ministered from the year 1844 as a Methodist. His messages were mainly based on the abolition of slavery (Hutton and Durwood 151). Chivington signed for a fighting commission at the start of Civil War. His courage and leadership skills propelled him up the ladder to become a Major Commander in a Colorado Volunteer Regiment by the year 1862. He became a war hero after he exhibited extraordinary military skills in the battle of Glorietta Pass.

The tensions between the natives and the white Americans soared when Chivington’s political career took shape. As a prominent leader, he strongly opposed propositions of peace talks with the red Indians. He once declared that he came to massacre Indians because it was an honorable and a right way to create a peaceful America. During August 1964, Chivington (as a militia leader) declared that it was necessary to wipe out Indians and establish a civilized society free of savages. In fact, he encouraged the members of the militia to shoot natives on sight.

 In November 1864, a 750-strong Colorado Militia under the leadership of Chivington launched an attack on a peaceful Arapaho and Cheyenne Indian reservation that had nearly 500 children, women, and men. During a later interview, the militia leader stated that there were more than 1000 warriors in the camp and a few children and women. More than 105 children and women and 30 men were killed during the ambush. According to the militia, the demonstration of aggressiveness of the American Indians towards the white Americans was a major cause of the conflict that provoked the war. When questioned by the Congress committee on the atrocities, the militia leader stated that the occupants of the reservation were part of a wider network of Kettle’s Cheyenne Indians that murdered dozens of whites and destroyed millions worth of property in Arkansas and Plate rivers during 1964.

Black Kettle served as a Chief of the South Cheyenne Indians. His land area spanned from Eastern Colorado to Western Kansas. As a result, the resident Indians were rightfully entitled to sign the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty. The agreement defined each tribe's territorial boundaries to solve constant inter-tribal conflicts. In turn, the treaty allowed a free movement of railroad workers and travelers to Platte River Road.

The discovery of large reserves of gold at Pikes Peak in the year 1859 led to a violation of the treaty. While the US government was supposed to evict unlawful settlers in the area, Southern Cheyenne was forced to sign a new treaty to forfeit a large part of their lands except Sand Creek reservation. Notably, Sand Creek reservation was infertile and unfit for agricultural activities. Besides, the land was tens of miles away from the nearest buffalo herds. Black Kettle signed the treaty because he feared the government’s military and the extreme consequences of a boycott and non-cooperation.

Indians lacked supplies and food. Resultantly, young male Indians raided wagon trains and settlers for provisions. The move provoked Colorado Militia group to attack peaceful Cheyenne Indians in the spring of the year 1864. The outcome of the incident was horrific, thus sparking Indian uprisings in the Great Plains. Black Kettle was aware that the fight was futile given the military superiority and use of sophisticated weapons by the whites. Therefore, Black Kettle made a journey to Fort Weed in Colorado where the militia promised the safety of his tribe if they minimized their movement and activity within the Sand Creek reservation.

Despite the agreement and promises, Colonel Chivington continued his assault on the Indians in Sand Creek reservation. Fortunately, Black Kettle survived a string of attacks at the reservations. The US government later moved the survivors including Black Kettle to another reservation, where he continued his advocacy for peace with the government. Eventually, Black Kettle participated in the signing of 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty that moved Indians to two reservations in Oklahoma. In 1868, Lieutenant Colonel Cluster led an attack on an Indian village that led to the death of Black Kettle.

The Sand Creek Battle

            As Colonel Chivington and his militia approached Sand Creek reservation, peaceful Indians tried to surrender.  A handful of Indian men were instructed to look for an interpreter and a special Indian agent to facilitate the talks between the two conflicting parties. Black Kettle raised an American flag with a white flag on top of his lodge to demonstrate the need for peace and reconciliation between the militia and the Indians. Despite this gesture, the soldiers attacked ferociously and mercilessly, killing women, children, and men. They hunted for the fleeing women and children with an aim of eradicating the entire community. Within six hours, nearly a third of all the Indians in the reservation were dead. In total, three children were taken by the soldiers as prisoners. On the other hand, only 12 militiamen were killed in the battle, mostly by a friendly fire. However, Chivington offered conflicting information, stating that a total of four hundred savages escaped unharmed.

            The atrocities committed in the Sand Creek Massacre were numerous. Indeed, more children and women were killed as compared to Indian warriors. Up to 70 bodies of women and children and only 30 Indian men lay dead. In addition, the militia mutilated the corpses to instill fear on the survivors. The soldiers used scalps and knives to carve out the brains of the children as others used axes to cut the bodies of women into pieces. 

The US Congress held two hearings to determine the cause and war crimes committed during the conflict. The witnesses of the Sand Creek massacre recorded testimonies and accounts of events as they unfolded. Eventually, the Committee on Conduct of Sand Creek war concluded that Chivington maliciously and deliberately planned, facilitated, and executed heinous crimes in the country's history. It was clear that the war was foul and dastard because it dehumanized the Americans Indians. Still, the congress experienced difficulty in determining the exact nature and extent of the conflict as the testimony offered was contradictory. While several witnesses stated that Black Kettle flew a US flag on his lodge, others strongly differed by stating that neither a white nor US flag was sighted. Some of the former soldiers stated that Black Kettle led the offensive and encouraged Indian women to join the fight. Either way, the Indians suffered a heavy blow.

The Repercussions of the Massacre

Following the merciless killing of peaceful Indians, the US government was forced to reconsider its relationship with and the perception of the natives. Following the recommendations of the investigative team, the Congress looked into the sources of conflict to re-evaluate the mistreatment of Indian minorities. The government encouraged the settlers to treat Indians with humanity. In addition, the congress enacted laws that inhibited use of force against the Indians by the Wanton railroad employees to maintain peace with the native community. The government reiterated a need for the whites to treat Indians as equal American citizens with the right to ownership and freedom of association. After the Creek Sand battle, other conflicts that arose between the US government and native Indian communities included the Wounded Knee War and the Little Big Horn Massacre.

Today, the majority of the American population is unaware that the Sand Creek Massacre marked a turning point on how the government viewed and treated the Native Americans. Today, experts argue that the mistreatment of natives was due to the Civil War that took a full swing in the 1960s and dominated the government’s agenda. Patricia Limerick, a historian, argues that even in the modern times, “Chivington and Sand Creek are like a haunting memory you cannot put away.” (Hutton and Durwood 168)

Work Cited

Hutton, Paul A, and Durwood Ball. Soldiers West: Biographies from the Military Frontier. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013: 149-173. Internet resource.

Perry, Phyllis J. Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Colorado History. Guilford, Conn: Globe Pequot Press, 2011: 15-26. Internet resource.