SAND CREEK MASSACRE

Sand Creek Massacre

On the High Plains of the Colorado Territory, a column of Colorado volunteer cavalry descended on a Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment along Sand Creek. Many of the people in the village had sought a measure of safety near military posts and believed they were under some form of United States protection. Instead, at dawn, the troopers attacked, killing large numbers of men, women, and children and mutilating many of the bodies. In the months that followed, word of what had happened at Sand Creek spread, prompting investigations, bitter debates, and condemnation from some military and political leaders. The massacre inflamed conflict on the Plains, hardened attitudes on all sides, and became a lasting stain on the record of frontier warfare. For United States military history, Sand Creek stands as a stark reminder that the use of force can produce moral wounds that outlast any campaign.