subject: Sand Creek Massacre :one Of The Best Historical Events [print this page] The Sand Creek Massacre is an event of the Indian wars in the United States that occurred November 29, 1864, when Colorado Territory militia attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho installed on the eastern plains.
Colonel John Chivington and his 700 troopers attacked the Indian camp which had 500 people, but also women warriors, old men and children. At the end of fighting, nearly 270 Indians were massacred, against 15 killed and 50 wounded American soldiers. The violence of the massacre led to a questioning of U.S. policy of extermination of Native Americans.
Under the terms of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 between the U.S. and Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, we recognized them the ownership of a vast territory including the land between the North Platte and Arkansas rivers and located east of the Rocky Mountains to western Kansas. This area included, which now forms the southern Wyoming, southwestern Nebraska, eastern Colorado and extreme western Kansas. However, the discovery of gold in November 1858 Rocky Mountains of Colorado (then located in western Kansas Territory) led to a gold rush of white emigrants on tribal lands. The representatives of the Territory of Colorado lobbied the federal government should be redefined so that the boundaries of Indian land, and in the autumn of 1860 AB Greenwood, Commissioner of Indian Affairs arrived at Bent's New Fort, to negotiate a new treaty.
On February 18, 1861, six heads and four Southern Cheyenne Arapaho signed the Treaty of Fort Wise with the United States, by which they ceded most of their land had been granted by the Treaty of Fort Laramie. The Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle had, White Antelope, Lean Bear, Little Wolf, Tall Bear and Left Hand; Arapaho Little Raven, Storm, Shave-Head, and Big Mouth.
The new reserve, which was less than one thirteenth of that granted in 1851 was located in eastern Colorado between the rivers Arkansas River and Sand Creek. Some groups of Cheyennes, whose Dog Soldiers, a gang member of the Cheyenne and Lakota, disgruntled leaders who signed this treaty and disavowing it, refused to comply with its constraints. They continued to live and hunt on the rich pastures of buffalo ' eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
They proved progressively more aggressive towards white immigrants who crossed their territory, particularly in the area of the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, through which passed a new trail to the goldfields.The Cheyenne opposed to the treaty claimed that it was signed by a small minority of landlords without the consent or approval of other tribes, that the signatories did not understand what they signed, and they had been corrupted by a broad distribution of gifts. The whites instead saw the treaty as a "solemn duty" and saw the Indians who refused to be hostile and war-mongers.
The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 led to a reorganization of military forces on the territory of Colorado. In March 1862, troops from Colorado defeated the Confederates from Texas during the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico. After the battle, the 1st Colorado Volunteer Regiment, under the command of Colonel John Chivington returned home to serve as a guard. Chivington and territorial governor, John Evans, adopted a hard line against the Indians, the settlers accused of stealing cattle.
The conflict between whites and Indians during spring 1864 is materialized by the capture and destruction of the Cheyenne encampments. On May 16, 1864, a detachment commanded by Lt. George S. Eayrs visiting Kansas met in Cheyenne on their bison hunting camp near the Smoky Hill River. The Cheyenne chiefs Lean Bear and Star went to meet serving soldiers for their peaceful intentions, but were slaughtered by men Eayrs. This incident sparked raids on the Cheyenne vengeful settlers of Kansas.
As the conflict between Indians and settlers backed by the soldiers continued in Colorado, many Cheyenne and Arapaho (including groups led by chiefs Black Kettle and White Antelope, who had sought to maintain peace despite attacks by settlers ) were resigned to negotiate peace. In September 1864, they met the Governor Evans and Colonel Chivington at Camp Weld , near Denver, and deduced, probably wrongly, that a peace agreement was acquired.
After several years of conflict between whites and Indians in Colorado, a band of 800 Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and travel to Fort Lyon to negotiate a peace agreement. Accompanied by Arapaho Indians led by Chief HandIls Left, then they settle in a camp at Sand Creek, less than 40 miles north of the fort. The warriors called "Dog Soldiers", which had been very active during the conflict, are not present in this camp. Assured by the government's promises of peace from the United States, Black Kettle sends most of his warriors to hunt. About sixty men remained in camp, most are too young or too old to hunt. The U.S. flag flies over the camp as it is promised that "as long as he would fly the American flag, he and his people would not be disturbed by the soldiers.
