The American Indian Wars: Explore the Conflict and Tragedy from Beginning to End by Schulte Brent & Compacted History

Author:Schulte, Brent & Compacted, History
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-13T00:00:00+00:00

Escalation of violence during the 1860s & 1870s

The aftermath of the Dakota war once again damaged the relationship and trust between settlers and Native Americans. This distrust exploded into more violence in Colorado in 1863.

The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie had been renegotiated in 1861, with very favorable terms for the United States. Many local Cheyenne Indians were unhappy with the redrawing of the new reservation boundaries, and simply ignored them. They continued to hunt and live where they wanted, even though they were not on their legal reservation. With the U.S. army more occupied with Confederate troops than the Cheyenne, there was no initial resistance to the Cheyenne breaking the law.

By 1864, with the Confederate threat in Colorado gone, attention was now solely focused on the Cheyenne. The army was under the command of Colonel John Chivington, who was extremely hostile to the Native Americans. He, along with the Colorado territorial government, viewed the Cheyenne as a huge threat to their safety. Chivington said:

“Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians! ...I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God's heaven to kill Indians. ...Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.”

Chivington made good on his brutal promise. In November of 1864, Chivington led his men to a peaceful Native American encampment at Sand Creek, where they proceeded to slaughter everyone inside. Around one hundred thirty natives were killed, with over one hundred of those being women or children.

Chivington and his men scalped their victims, mutilated their bodies, and took body parts as trophies in to town to display at the local saloons. The Cheyenne retaliated in the months that followed by attacking the stagecoach station and some local ranches. Being vastly outnumbered, however, the Cheyenne moved north in to the Black Hills, in the hope of avoiding violence and hostility they had seen from the Americans in Colorado. Unfortunately for them, that hope would not be realized.

Once again, Americans had broken treaties and escalated violence with the plains Indians. This pattern had been occurring for years, and each time it benefited Americans at the expense of the natives. The pattern was brutally effective, which is why the Americans continued to utilize it, despite the dishonor that comes with breaking an agreement. For the United States, the wars on the plains were just another example of the ends justifying the means, whatever those means might be.

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