Sand Creek Massacre Correspondence: 1865 Letter About the Massacre

In the Autumn of 1864, Colonel John Chivington led the 3rd Colorado Volunteers to a peaceful Cheyenne camp along Sand Creek outside Fort Lyon in Colorado Territory. Despite the American flag and a white flag flying over the lodge of Black Kettle, the Cheyenne chief, the Americans attacked, killing and mutilating approximately 200 Native American men, women, and children. In subsequent investigations, three governmental commissions criticized the massacre. A January 13, 1865, letter from Major Colley lightly condemn the actions of Colonel John Chivington that led to the Sand Creek Massacre. In the letter Colley states that Chivington might have "committed a grave error" and "much embarrasse out Indian affairs." The letter includes a newspaper clipping that soundly blasts Chivington's actions, although Colley warns "such reports must be taken with grant allowances (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)