Sand Creek Massacre (1864)
Tue Nov 29, 1864
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On this day in 1864, the Sand Creek Massacre began when the U.S. Army attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in Colorado, mutilating and killing hundreds of indigenous people, 2/3rds of whom were women and children.
The attack began when a 675-man force of the Third Colorado Cavalry descended on the village in southeastern Colorado Territory, indiscriminately killing all present. This violence took place despite the fact that Black Kettle, a chief known for advocating peace, was flying a U.S. and white flag over his lodge to forestall any possible attack.
Two officers of the attacking forces, Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, refused to obey the order to attack the camp. The rest of the soldiers complied, killing all present, regardless of age. They murdered children and took trophies, cutting off the fingers, ears, noses, and testicles of the fallen as keepsakes.
Chief Ochinee (One-Eye) managed to escape from the camp, but, seeing the massacre unfolding, returned to die with his people. A survivor of the massacre, a 24-year old woman named Mochni, became a warrior afterward, participating in raids against colonizers until her incarceration and death.
Many people who had previously supported peace with the United States joined the "Dog Soldiers", an indigenous group that engaged against guerilla warfare against the state and would-be settlers on their land.
- Date: 1864-11-29
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.smithsonianmag.com.
- Tags: #Indigenous, #Massacre.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org