The Chivington Massacre of 1864 (aka The Sand Creek Massacre)

The Chivington Massacre, a brutal killing of many Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians in 1864, was a shocking event that destroyed the relationships between whites and Native Americans. After the event initially occured, John M. Chivington (the colonel who was in charge of the murders) claimed that it was a victory against a well prepared opponent, however after some amount of time, testimonies of the true events were brought to light. Because of immigration into the west many Americans came into conflict with Cheyenne territories. in an effort to negotiate peace, the cheif of the Cheyenne, named Black Kettle, took some of his tribe to Fort Lyon in Sand Creek, Colorodo. While waiting for his peace operations to be negotiated, he and his tribe camped out on the grounds of Sand Creek, Colorodo. While defensless and sleeping, and believing that peace was on the way and ensured, Colonel Chivington, along with troops, came and massacred the Sleeping Indians. Men, women, and children were brutally murdered. In order to prevent the Indians from running away, Chivington and his men first murdered their horses, and then trained their guns on the Indians. When he saw them coming, Black Kettled attempted to show peace by waving an American Flag, but Chivington ignored the request. out of the estimated 500 indians there, 200 were killed. This event was significant between the relationships between Indians and Americans because it created much distrust between the two groups, and destroyed all hopes of a peaceful existance.

Below is a picture of Chivington (left) and another man in the Army with members of the Cheyenne tribe, and Black Kettle (sitting in the second row, center) right after the two groups began negotiating peace.

www.buffalosoldier.net/CampWeldMeetingAndSandCreekMassacreL.jpg

information from: www.mycivilwar.com/battles/641129b.htm