Sand Creek massacre, 29 November 1864

Background. Tensions in Colorado Territory escalated in 1864 following the Hungate massacre and active hostilities by plains tribes. Governor John Evans invited friendly Indians to Fort Lyon for protection. Black Kettle, a Southern Cheyenne leader, complied with a peace parley, moving his band to Fort Lyon. However, Colonel Chivington faced pressure to use the Third Colorado Cavalry before their enlistment expired, creating a political and military context for the attack.

Command and Forces. Colonel John Chivington, appointed colonel of the 1st Colorado Cavalry in April 1862, led the forces involved. His command position was threatened by the expiration of his enlistment and the disbanding of the 3rd Colorado Cavalry. The force involved in the attack is described as a 675-man unit of the Third Colorado Cavalry, though another passage notes 425 men rode to Fort Lyon prior to the event.

Immediate Aftermath. Following the massacre, Chivington was condemned for his role. Sources give conflicting dates for his resignation from the Army: one passage states he resigned in February 1865, while another indicates he had already resigned by June or July of 1865. The disagreement between these dates is preserved rather than reconciled. As a post-event development reported in the sources, the federal government subsequently sent a blue ribbon commission whose members were respected by the Indians, and the Treaty of the Little Arkansas was signed in 1865, with Black Kettle signing on October 14, 1865.