📅 On This Day in Military History
1 event across history
Colorado militia under Colonel John Chivington attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment flying a white flag and a U.S. flag. The village, led by Chief Black Kettle, had been assured of protection. Chivington's force of 700 men slaughtered approximately 230 men, women, and children. Soldiers mutilated the bodies and returned to Denver displaying scalps and body parts as trophies.
Sand Creek stands as one of the most notorious atrocities in American history. Congressional investigations condemned Chivington's actions, but he faced no criminal charges. The massacre inflamed Plains warfare for years, destroying any possibility of peace with the Southern Cheyenne. Black Kettle survived but was killed four years later at Washita.
Full battle details →