Wild West Podcast
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Wild West Podcast
The Sand Creek Betrayal: America's Darkest Hour on the Frontier
November 29, 1864 dawned cold on the Colorado plains as Cheyenne and Arapaho families slept peacefully under an American flag—a gift promising protection. By nightfall, over 200 Native Americans lay dead in what would become one of the most shameful episodes in American history.
The Sand Creek Massacre didn't happen in isolation. It grew from a toxic brew of broken treaties, gold rush fever, and political ambition. Once respected Cheyenne and Arapaho territories, recognized in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, were systematically stripped away as miners and settlers poured into Colorado. When tribes resisted this invasion, territorial officials seized their opportunity. Governor John Evans issued proclamations essentially authorizing the killing of any Native Americans, while Colonel John Chivington—a Methodist minister with political aspirations—assembled a regiment specifically to confront the "Indian problem."
What makes this story particularly heartbreaking is that Chief Black Kettle and other peace-seeking leaders had been actively working with authorities, believing they were under military protection at Sand Creek. Instead, Chivington's troops unleashed unspeakable violence: women and children shot as they fled, bodies mutilated, scalps and body parts taken as souvenirs to be displayed in Denver theaters. As one witness testified: "It was hard to see little children on their knees have their brains beat out by men professing to be civilized."
Though three federal investigations condemned the massacre in the strongest terms, justice remained elusive. Chivington escaped punishment by resigning his commission, while brave whistleblowers like Captain Silas Soule paid with their lives for speaking truth. The massacre transformed the American frontier, shattering trust between Native peoples and the government and igniting decades of intensified conflict across the plains.
By exploring this difficult history, we confront uncomfortable truths about our nation's past and the human capacity for both cruelty and courage. Join us for Dr. Jeff Broom's upcoming presentation at the Dodge City Library on October 4th, where he'll examine the complex narratives surrounding this pivotal event through rigorous historical research and primary sources.
The. The story of the American West is often told through vivid images of gunfire and the shine of a sheriff's badge. It is a tale of heroes, outlaws and the relentless march of progress. However, beneath the myth, there are stories marked by blood and betrayal, stories that don't fit neatly into the legend. Today we will explore one of those dark chapters in the history of the American West. American West.
Speaker 2:The date is November 29, 1864. The American Civil War is raging in the east, but here, in the vast, windswept plains of the Colorado Territory, another kind of conflict is brewing territory. Another kind of conflict is brewing Along a bend in the Big Sandy Creek. A village of Cheyenne and Arapaho, people led by the Peace Chief Black Kettle, is camped for the winter. They believed they were safe, having been instructed to be there by the US Army. Above Chief Black Kettle's lodge an American flag flew high, a gift from the government, representing what they thought was peace and protection. However, as the sun rose on that frigid morning, it illuminated not allies but the approach of over 600 US volunteer cavalry soldiers. They were led by Colonel John Chivington, a man who had boldly declared that he was in God's heaven to kill Indians.
Speaker 2:What happened next was not a battle, it was a massacre, an hours-long systematic slaughter of more than 200 people, the vast majority of them women, children and the elderly. This is the story of the Sand Creek Massacre, a tale of broken treaties, political ambition and the brutal hypocrisy of a nation. How did a promise of peace devolve into one of the most horrific atrocities of the American Indian Wars? I'm your host, brad Smalley, and this is Wild West Podcast. The following is a report on how it may have appeared in the Harper's Weekly Journal on Saturday, march 4th 1865. The atrocity committed at Sand Creek was not a spontaneous eruption of violence. Rather, it was the bitter consequence of a long and sorrowful history marked by broken promises, settler encroachment and the calculated campaign of incitement by territorial authorities who aimed to remove Native Americans from their ancestral lands. The foundation of the conflict lies in the cynical manipulation of treaties, which were transformed from instruments of peace into mechanisms of dispossession. The Cheyenne and Arapaho people, who have been cast as villains in the popular press of Denver, once held a legally recognized title to the very lands from which they were violently driven.
Speaker 2:The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, established during a significant council of the Plains tribes, was a solemn pact. Under its terms, the United States government acknowledged a vast territory for the Cheyenne and Arapaho extending between the Arkansas and North Platte rivers, extending between the Arkansas and North Platte Rivers and encompassing much of the Colorado Front Range. In exchange, the tribes guaranteed safe passage for immigrants on the Oregon Trail. Importantly, the treaty did not grant these travelers any authority to settle, mine or claim the land as their own, it was recognized Indian country. This pledge was shattered by the cry of gold. The Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1858 unleashed a flood of miners and settlers into the region, establishing towns and farms in direct violation of the treaty. This mass immigration inevitably led to conflict, as the newcomers competed with the tribes for scarce game and water, while the US Army failed to enforce the treaty and protect the tribe's territory. The conflict created by this invasion was then used as a pretext for a new, far more oppressive agreement. In the fall of 1860, us officials pressured a handful of chiefs into negotiations. Despite the protests of Cheyenne leaders like Black Kettle, who argued that all leaders must be consulted according to tribal law, a new treaty was signed at Fort Wise on February 15, 1861.
Speaker 2:This Treaty of Fort Wise was an act of catastrophic dispossession, stripping the Cheyenne and Arapaho of over 90% of their lands and confining them to a small, arid reservation between the Arkansas River and its tributary, sand Creek. The chiefs who signed it later claimed they did not fully understand its terms, and the vast majority of the tribes, particularly the warrior societies, refused to recognize its legitimacy, viewing it as a profound betrayal. The tension stemming from the fraudulent Treaty of Fort Wise erupted in the spring and summer of 1864, leading to what is known as the Colorado War. This period was marked by a series of raids and counter raids. Us troops launched unprovoked attacks on a Cheyenne village in Cedar Canyon and on a band of dog soldiers, resulting in several deaths. In retaliation, cheyenne warriors targeted wagon trains and ranches.
Speaker 2:The murder of the Hungate family, which occurred just miles from Denver, instilled a wave of terror throughout the settlement and fostered an intense atmosphere of racial hatred that territorial authorities quickly exploited. In this climate of fear, colorado's territorial governor, john Evans, issued two proclamations that set the stage for massacre. In June, he invited all friendly Indians to place themselves under the protection of designated military forts, such as Fort Ly, as standing orders at these same forts commanded soldiers to kill any Indians who approached. Then, on August 11th, evans issued a second shocking edict. It authorized the citizens of Colorado to kill and destroy as enemies of the country, wherever they may be found, all such hostile Indians, leaving the definition of hostile dangerously vague and effectively sanctioning vigilante justice.
Speaker 2:It was evident that Governor Evans and his military commander, colonel John M Chivington, were uninterested in distinguishing between peaceful and hostile groups. Their policy seemed to be one of deliberate provocation aimed at inciting a widespread conflict that would serve as a pretext for the extermination or final removal of all tribes from the territory. This strategy was intended to clear the way for American settlement and commerce. To support this initiative, a new regiment called the 3rd Colorado Cavalry was formed, comprised of volunteers enlisted for a term of just 100 days. This regiment was specifically created to fight indigenous people and was placed under Colonel Shivington's command. As November came to an end, the enlistment of these Hundred Dazers was about to expire, creating immense pressure on Shivington to secure a significant victory before his men returned home.
Speaker 2:While Governor Evans escalated the tensions leading to war, influential chiefs of the Cheyenne and Arapaho were actively working towards peace. The events of autumn 1864 highlight a tragic contrast between the genuine peace efforts of these tribal leaders and the calculated deceit of the Colorado authorities. At the forefront of the peace movement was Southern Cheyenne chief Motavato, known to whites as Black Kettle. He consistently advocated for peaceful coexistence with Americans. In hopes of securing a future for his people, he signed the flawed Treaty of Fort Wise and even traveled to Washington DC where he met President Lincoln. As a symbol of friendship, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs presented him with a large 34-star American flag, assuring him that as long as this flag was displayed, no soldier would harm him or his people. This promise was one Black Kettle took to heart.
Speaker 2:Following Governor Evidence's proclamation, black Kettle contacted Major Edward Wynkoop, the commander of Fort Lyon, who was known for his honor and integrity. On September 28, 1864, major Wynkoop, accompanied a delegation of chiefs, including Black Kettle, the elderly White Antelope, bull Bear and the Arapaho leader Left Hand, to Denver for discussions with Governor Evans and Colonel Chivington. During this meeting at Camp Weld, the chiefs reiterated their desire for peace and, as a gesture of goodwill, arranged to return several white captives. Believing they had been successful, the chiefs were instructed to move their people to the vicinity of Fort Lyon, to camp on Sand Creek while awaiting further orders and provisions, under the impression that they were under the protection of the US Army. This was a fatal misunderstanding. While the chiefs acted in good faith, evans and Chivington had already decided to pursue war. They concealed their true intentions and Governor Evans subsequently informed officials in Washington that the tribes remained hostile, thus creating a justification for the attack he and Chivington were already planning.
Speaker 2:The man who would lead the attack, colonel John M Chivington, is a figure of disturbing contradictions. Before the war, he was a Methodist minister, a man of the cloth, known in the territories as the Fighting Parson. He had earned a hero's reputation in the Union cause for his daring and decisive role in the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico, which effectively ended the Confederate threat in the Far West. Yet the hero of the Republic and preacher of the gospel harbored a virulent and publicly stated hatred for Indians. He was heard to exclaim Damn any man who is in sympathy with the Indians and, in a chilling phrase that reveals a mind bent on extermination, declared that children should not be spared because nits make lice.
Speaker 2:The distortion of moral authority in this situation seems to have been fueled by unrestrained political ambition. Chivington aimed to become Colorado's first congressman seems to have been fueled by unrestrained political ambition. Chivington aimed to become Colorado's first congressman, believing that a decisive military victory against the indigenous peoples would be the most effective way to gain political power. As later concluded by the congressional investigation, it is believed that a desire for political preferment drove him to carry out this cowardly act. He thought that by appealing to the heightened emotions of an agitated population, he could earn their respect and admiration. The peaceful and unsuspecting village at Sand Creek, populated by women, children and elderly men whose warriors were away hunting, provided the ideal defenseless target for the fighting parson to achieve his bloody victory before the enlistments of his hundred dazers expired. What transpired at dawn on November 22, 1864 was not a battle. It was a calculated, cold-blooded slaughter carried out with a level of barbarity that defies civilized description. The following account is drawn directly from the sworn testimony of US Army officers who were present and who had the courage to speak the truth. Of US Army officers who were present and who had the courage to speak the truth.
Speaker 2:On November 28th, colonel Shivington and his command of approximately 700 men comprising the 3rd Colorado Cavalry, along with elements from the 1st, arrived at Fort Lyon. Major Scott Anthony, who had recently taken over from the Honorable Major Wynkoop as commander, not only failed to prevent the attack but actively facilitated it by providing Chivington with guides and troops. That night, under strict guard. To prevent any information from leaking, the command set out on an all-night ride toward Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment. The village they approached consisted of about 130 lodges nestled along a bend in the Big Sandy Creek. It was home to approximately 750 people, the vast majority of whom were women, children and the elderly, as most able-bodied men were away on a hunt. They were there under the orders of the US military and believed they were secure under its protection.
Speaker 2:At dawn, as the soldiers appeared on the horizon, chief Black Kettle, true to his faith in the American promise, quickly raised a large American flag and a smaller white flag of truce above his lodge. Several chiefs, including the 70-year-old White Antelope, walked out to meet the troops, signaling their intention for peace. However, the soldiers responded with a volley of rifle fire. White Antelope, refusing to run or fight, stood his ground with his arms folded, singing his death song Nothing lives long except the earth and the mountains. Until he was shot down. Chiffington's troops, using their four mountain howitzers, then charged into the village and the massacre began.
Speaker 2:The official record of the subsequent investigations is filled with testimony so graphic it shocks the conscience. Captain Silas Sewell of the 1st Colorado Cavalry, an officer of unimpeachable character, provided a chilling account in a letter to Major Wynkoop. Upon learning of Shivington's plan, sewell told fellow officers that any man who would take part in the murders was a low-lived, cowardly son of a bitch. When the attack began, he ordered his men not to participate. I refused to fire. He wrote and swore that none but a coward would. He witnessed the full horror of the ensuing chaos. It was hard to see little children on their knees have their brains beat out by men professing to be civilized. Lieutenant Joseph Kramer, another officer from Fort Lyon, wrote that he was ashamed to own I was in it and declared that the officer in command should be hung. John Smith, a government interpreter who was in the camp, testified before Congress that he saw women and children slaughtered without mercy. I saw the bodies of those lying there cut all to pieces, worse mutilated than any I ever saw before, he stated, with knives scalped, their brains knocked out. Children two or three months old, all ages, lying there, from sucking infants up to warriors. Smith's own son, jack, a young man of mixed blood, was murdered in cold blood by the soldiers.
Speaker 2:After the main fighting had ceased For eight hours, the slaughter continued. Within the first half hour, any semblance of military discipline in the 3rd Regiment dissolved and the attack became what one officer described as a perfect mob. Chivington's order to take no prisoners was followed with savage enthusiasm. Soldiers pursued fleeing women and children for miles, shooting them down as they struggled through the sandy creek bed. The troops committed atrocities that beggar belief. They scalped the dead and the dying, sometimes taking multiple trophies from a single head. They cut off fingers and ears to steal jewelry. In an act of ultimate depravity, they mutilated the bodies, cutting out the private parts of both men and women to be displayed as gruesome souvenirs upon their return to Denver. This was not warfare. It was a frenzy of butchery unleashed by a commander who had deliberately dehumanized his enemy to the point where his men could commit such acts, not only without shame but with celebratory pride.
Speaker 2:The immediate aftermath of the slaughter at Sand Creek is a tale of two cities In Denver, a celebration of heroes. In Washington, a dawning realization of a national crime. In Washington, a dawning realization of a national crime. The legacy of this event is one of unpunished evil, of justice sought but denied, and of a fire of vengeance ignited on the plains that will burn for years to come. Colonel Shivington and his bloody third returned to Denver not as murderers but as conquering heroes. They were met with parades and acclaim, and they proudly displayed their grisly trophies, the scalps and severed body parts of their victims for public viewing at the Apollo Theater and other places in the city.
Speaker 2:But the truth could not be contained. The letters written by Captain Sewell and Lieutenant Kramer to Major Wynkoop made their way to military superiors and to members of Congress. These men, along with interpreter John Smith, became the key witnesses in the investigations that followed their testimony providing an irrefutable account of the massacre. For his courage, captain Sewell paid the ultimate price On April 23, 1865, just months after testifying against his commander, silas Sewell was shot from his horse and murdered in the streets of Denver while on duty as Provost Marshal. Though his assassins were known, they were never brought to justice. His death a clear and chilling act of retaliation for speaking the truth.
Speaker 2:The horrific accounts from Sand Creek prompted three separate federal inquiries a military commission, a special joint committee on Indian affairs and the powerful congressionalional Joint Committee on the Conduct of War. All three came to the same damning conclusion. The language of their reports was unequivocal. The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War condemned Shivington's actions as a foul and dastardly massacre which would have disgraced the veriest savage among those who were victims of his cruelty. They found that he had deliberately planned and executed the attack on a friendly village and held both him and Governor John Evans, who was found to have condoned the action responsible for the atrocity. Yet despite this official condemnation from the highest levels of government, justice was never served. Governor Evans was forced to resign his post but suffered no further penalty. Colonel Shivington, having shrewdly resigned his military commission before the investigations concluded, was beyond the reach of a court-martial. Not a single officer or soldier was ever indicted or punished for the crimes committed at Sand Creek. The government did, in the subsequent Little Arkansas Treaty of 1865, formally express its condemnation of the gross and wanton outrages and promised reparations to the survivors. But most of these reparations have never been paid. Most of these reparations have never been paid.
Speaker 2:The cost of Colonel Chivington's victory cannot be measured merely on the 230 lives extinguished in the most brutal manner imaginable. The true cost is a future of blood and fire on the Great Plains. The Sand Creek Massacre was a profound turning point in the relations between the United States and the Plains tribes. It shattered what little trust remained, discrediting peace chiefs like Black Kettle and empowering the warrior societies who argued that the white man's only promise was betrayal and his only language was violence. This single act of treachery has united the Cheyenne, the Arapaho and their powerful Sioux allies in a war of retribution that is already engulfing the Platte River Road and will likely spread across the plains for years to come. Far from securing the territory, the massacre has ignited a conflict that will cost thousands more lives, both Indian and white, and will require the diversion of thousands of troops and millions of dollars from the National Treasury. The distrust sown at Sand Creek will bear bitter fruit in future conflicts, leading to tragedies yet to come, contributing to the climate of hatred and fear that will define the Indian wars for a generation.
Speaker 2:The slaughter at Sand Creek is therefore more than a territorial tragedy. It is a national one. It stands as a deep and painful wound upon the soul of our republic, a grotesque betrayal of the very ideals of justice and humanity that give moral force to the Union's cause. As we fight to cleanse the nation of the sin ideals of justice and humanity that give moral force to the Union's cause, as we fight to cleanse the nation of the sin of slavery, we must also look inward and confront the sins we commit in the name of progress and civilization. That's it for now.
Speaker 2:Remember to check out our Wild West Podcast shows on iTunes or wildwestpodcastbuzzsproutcom. You can also catch us on Facebook at facebookcom slash wildwestpodcast, or on our YouTube channel at Wild West Podcast Mike King YouTube. So make sure you subscribe to our shows listed at the end of the description text of this podcast to receive notifications on all new episodes. Thank you for listening to our podcast. We encourage you to visit the Western Cattle Trail Association website at westerncattletrailassociationcom to explore our upcoming events, including a special presentation by Dr Jeff Broom on the Sand Creek Massacre.
Speaker 2:I warmly encourage anyone with a keen interest in the historical events surrounding the Sand Creek Massacre to attend Dr Broom's insightful presentation on October 4th at 2 pm in the Dodge City Library. During this thought-provoking session, dr Broome will critically examine and challenge the oversimplified narratives that have often emerged about this tragic event. He will employ a rigorous methodology centered around primary sources, ensuring that the discussion is firmly grounded in empirical evidence. Through his meticulous research, dr Broome aims to shed light on the complexities of the Sand Creek incident, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of its historical significance and the varied perspectives surrounding it. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with a nuanced interpretation of a pivotal moment in American history. If you have any comments or would like to contribute to our series, please contact us at wildwestpodcast at gmailcom. We look forward to hearing your thoughts in future episodes. We'll see you next time.
