Stan Hoig (1924–2009)

An older book (1961); given that date I might have expected apology or justification for the massacre; however, if anything this account makes Colonel Chivington and the Third Regiment of the Colorado Volunteer Cavalry look even worse. Author Stan Hoig gives a lot of background; the actual massacre account is almost an anticlimax, not described until the last chapter.

Relations between the Cheyenne/Arapahoe and white settlers in Colorado had always been problematic; with neither side understanding the other. Regular army soldiers were withdrawn from the frontier, with locals expected to take up the slack; unfortunately, they did this with more enthusiasm than judgement. There was a gradual escalation by both sides; some white men molested some native women; some natives stole some horses; a Cheyenne was shot and killed trying to steal whiskey; Arapahos killed a ranch family and their bodies were brought to Denver for display. This last event inflamed white opinion; the dead included two little children whose throats had been cut. In the meantime, a band of raiders from Texas entered Colorado, ostensibly to recruit for the Confederacy; however, the “Reynolds Gang” quickly turned to bank and stagecoach robbery. Some were eventually caught; Colonel Chivington convinced the local marshal that they were Confederate guerillas and therefore subject to military law. Chivington got to show his character; after a military tribunal the five bandits/guerillas/whatever were supposed to be sent to Fort Lyon but the military escort received orders to “leave them on the prairie” and they were summarily executed – officially “shot trying to escape”.

In the meantime, Territorial Governor Evans sent out a proclamation ordering “peaceful Indians” to gather at various forts and warned that natives not coming in would be considered hostile. Various rumors spread that the Cheyenne and Arapahoe were massing to “wipe out the whites”, and a third regiment of Colorado Volunteer Cavalry was raised. To “facilitate enlistment” Chivington declared martial law, closed all the stores in Denver and forbade anyone to leave the territory. The resulting Third Colorado Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was “100-day men”, and quickly acquired the nickname “The Bloodless Third” because they hadn’t seen any action. This combination – a genuine Indian atrocity, a bigoted and bloodthirsty commander, a group of bored “soldiers” who had minimal training and whose manhood had been insulted by the implication that they were cowards, a governor who hadn’t coordinated Indian policy with his military commander, and camps of Plains Indians who had no clue about white politics, led to disaster.

Chivington’s troops arrived early in the morning, unlimbered cannon, and formed a firing line. Cheyenne and Arapaho waved white and American flags, to no avail. Some warriors escaped; the soldiers moved among the remainder, scalping, cutting off various body parts for souvenirs and using a fleeing toddler for target practice. Not all the soldiers responded this way; Captain Silas Soule, commanding Company D, ordered his troops to hold their fire and voiced his disgust against Chivington at a later hearing. Soule was shot and killed on the street in Denver a short time after this; his murderer was captured – but escaped.

I found the book an easy read and unbiased, especially considering it was written at a time when America’s past still hadn’t caught up to the present. Extensive footnotes, good maps, and a bibliography (although now dated).

My previous reading – outside of bits and pieces in various more general books about Colorado and Civil War history – was Finding Sand Creek, about archaeological evidence at the site (note that these authors, with the benefit of field research, locate the site slightly distant from the traditional spot used by Hoig). The site’s now a National Monument; the Cheyenne and Arapaho hold an annual 173-mile “healing run” (open to all ethnicities) from here to Denver, pausing to honor Captain Silas Soule at the street corner where he was shot down. (If you find yourself wanting to visit, note that the eastern Colorado climate means there are a lot of “Sand Creeks”; make sure you get the right one).… (plus d'informations)

While this book is a definitive basic history of the Sand Creek Massacre, it is very dry and leaves out details I know are part of the full story of this event, verifiable details that made it into other accounts but not into this book. I appreciated that this author tried to give Chivington a fair understanding, as any unbiased history ought to attempt, but this account seemed almost too 'fair', watering down the evil that Chivington and other men with him did, while on the surface telling enough bare facts about the massacre to appear fair and unbiased. I suspect that a truly honest account of the Sand Creek Massacre and Chivongton's motivations might be a bit uglier a story, and might not fit into such a short book, and certainly a more complete account might be too disturbing for some audiences. This book is a decent start for anyone wishing to know about this massacre and the environment within which it occured, but it is best used as a brief overview followed up by reading other sources and accounts.… (plus d'informations)