The Sand Creek Massacre and the Massacre of My Lai The Sand Creek massacre refers to the killings and post- mortem mutilations of many members of the southern band of Cheyennes led by Black Kettle and the band of Arapahoes led by Left Hand at Sand Creek in Colorado on and after November 29, 1864. The number of those killed numbered from 100 to 500 within these materials. Some witnesses, such as John Smith, and others claimed that most of the victims were women and children, but others, such as John Chivington, would argue that the majority of Indians killed were armed warriors who fought aggressively.
Around 750 United States troops were involved in the events at Sand Creek. After the killings of the band members who did not escape, approximately 600 horses, 100 buffalo robes, money, and groceries were plundered from the village before it was completely destroyed. Chivington claimed that the horses were mostly stolen from the government or private citizens and were returned with proper proof to those citizens or handed over to the local quartermaster.
He also claimed that the buffalo robes and groceries such as sugar and tea were used to aid the wounded U. S. troops. The actions taken by the roops and ordered by the commanders were scrutinized by the U. S. government, and a congressional investigation was opened because of claims that the Indians had surrendered prior to their deaths. John Smith, the Indian interpreter and special Indian agent, who was working at Fort Lyon at the time and was dispatched and present at the village the day of the massacre, supported these claims.
Smith claimed that head chief Black Kettle raised an American flag and white surrender flag from the top of his lodge when the U. S. troops approached the village. He also estimated that no more than half of the Indians were rmed and willing to fight and that most ran away at the start of gun firing. He also claimed that from his personal interactions with these groups, the Indians sought peace with the whites and had no notion of conflict before the attack. Contrastingly, Lieutenant Colonel John Chivington claimed that the Indians immediately began to defend themselves and attack the troops with rifles and bows and arrows.
He was allegedly told by other military leaders from Fort Lyon that this group of Indians were aggressive, despised the whites, committed several acts against the whites in the months leading up to the massacre. Ultimately, hundreds of Indians were killed, and around fourteen U. S. troops were killed, 38 wounded. I had never heard of the Sand Creek massacre before, so I learned many things about it. For one, I learned that mostly women and children were killed by the U. S. troops during the massacre. When I think about a battle from that time, I see U. S. oldiers fighting Indians warriors, but most of the victims were women and children and made attempts to escape.
Then, I learned that less than half of the village took arms for defense. There were around 200 warriors, many of whom tried to escape. I also learned that the bodies of the Indians were mutilated post-mortem. Smith testified that the bodies, from babies to men, were cut into pieces, scalped, and brains spilling out. Next, I learned how politically charged military operations could be. Smith claimed that Chivington led his cavalry to Sand Creek in order to boost his popularity for a possible Congressional election run.
The Rocky Mountain News also implied that the only reason a congressional investigation was being opened was that certain officials were benefitting from the Indians. Lastly, I learned how the Rocky Mountain News and assumingly many of ts readers justified and celebrated the attack. They argued that Indians have killed many whites and scalped the bodies. They also countered that no one present from the battle had come forward to support the claims of surrender. Before I read these materials, had never heard of the Sand Creek massacre.
I did have some idea of the intolerable feelings held by many Americans during this time frame, but I have never read anything this horrible about it. I think that the massacre of those Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians was one of the worst atrocities committed U. S. forces that I have ever read about. The commanders and soldiers showed absolute disregard for human life; they did not even consider the Indians to be humans. Not only did the troops murder the surrendering village, they also chased down the fleeing men, women, and children who were not well equipped to defend themselves.
In, they showed no respect or dignity by mutilating the bodies of the victims. While the massacre itself was heartbreaking and hard to read about, the most infuriating part of this event were the attempts to justify, condone, and even glorify the massacre. The first article by the Rocky Mountain Times described a valiant effort by the U. S. roops to fight against these devilish savages. The writer even bragged that this “battle” had resulted in the most slain Indians than any other in North America.
Even when the truth was beginning to emerge, the newspaper writer in a subsequent article criticized and denounced a congressional investigation into the matter. These articles may seem ridiculous now, but during that time, these are what the citizens read. These were primary sources for news. These articles make me wonder how many people read, believed, and supported this stance on the massacre. As for John M. Chivington, I think he was a spineless, lying coward. I can believe that he led the troops to kill these bands of Indians in order to boost his political popularity for an upcoming congressional election.
He embellished his report on the attack to make it seem legitimate, and then lied in court about the events. He also kept trying to cast blame on other military leaders who allegedly told him the village was hostile. Overall, the Sand Creek massacre was a tragic evil that should not have happened. Nearly one hundred years later, another massacre occurred in My Lai that in many ways mirrored the Sand Creek massacre. In 1968 during the Vietnam War, the Charlie Company led an ttack on the small village of My Lai 4.
The settlement was inhabited by Vietnamese civilians and harbored no military-aged men. One of the platoon leaders, Lt. William Calley, directed the murders of many defenseless civilian women, children, and the elderly. About five hundred civilians were found in mass graves after the massacre. The buildings of the settlement were also destroyed. This is similar to the killings of the surrendering Indians of Sand Creek and subsequent burning of the village. Calley and Chivington both also fabricated military reports in an attempt to cover-up the truth.
Despite the nature of both massacres being exposed for the public, no significant punishments were ever enforced on either Calley or Chivington. No criminal charges were ever filed against Chivington, and the criminal charges filed and convicted against Calley ultimately resulted in no punishment due to public and presidential support of him. Ultimately, these massacres have shown that our military has many times acted inhumanely towards other ethnicities and nationalities only to receive a slap on the wrist in punishment, as well as the significant condoning of these actions by American citizens.