3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 3rd Regiment Colorado Cavalry |
|
|---|---|
| Active | August 20, 1864 – December 31, 1864 |
| Country | .svg){kind=small} United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Garrison/HQ | Denver, Colorado |
| Nickname(s) | Bloodless Third |
| Engagements | American Civil War |
| Disbanded | December 31, 1864 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel George L. Shoup Colonel John M. Chivington (as District commander) |
The Third Colorado Cavalry was a group of soldiers formed in the mid-1860s. They were created because there were more people traveling on trails and settling in new areas. This led to many attacks between settlers and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. After events like the Hungate massacre, where victims were shown in Denver, people demanded that the government protect them.
Governor John Evans asked the War Department in Washington for permission to create the Third Colorado Cavalry. This group was more like a local defense force than a regular army unit. Its members were called "100-dayers" because they volunteered for 100 days to fight against Native American tribes. The unit was nicknamed the "Bloodless Third" because it had not yet been in any major battles.
The only official commander of the unit was Colonel George L. Shoup, who was also a politician from Colorado. The regiment was part of the District of Colorado, which was led by Colonel John M. Chivington.
Early Actions of the Cavalry
At the Camp Weld Council on September 28, 1864, Governor Evans and Colonel Chivington met with five Native American chiefs. Among them were Black Kettle of the Cheyenne and White Antelope of the Arapaho. These chiefs had been brought to Denver by Major Edward W. Wynkoop, who commanded Fort Lyon, to discuss peace.
The chiefs agreed to settle their people peacefully on a reservation. This reservation was located on Big Sandy Creek, about 40 miles northwest of Fort Lyon. It had been set up by the Fort Wise Treaty of 1860. Major Wynkoop promised the chiefs they would be safe. So, the tribes settled their groups in a large village at a bend in Sand Creek. Some Native Americans also set up camps closer to Fort Lyon.
On November 5, Major Wynkoop was removed from his command. He was replaced by Major Scott Anthony, who was an ally of Colonel Chivington. Major Anthony ordered all Native Americans camped near Fort Lyon to move to the reservation. On November 26, Major Wynkoop left for a new assignment at Fort Riley, Kansas.
On November 28, Colonel Chivington arrived at Fort Lyon. He had traveled secretly with 700 soldiers from the Third Colorado Cavalry and a group from the First Colorado Cavalry. Governor Evans had encouraged Chivington, and Chivington himself wanted to make a name for himself. He felt he needed to use the "Bloodless Third" before the volunteers' 100-day service ended. He took control of the fort and held officers loyal to Wynkoop at gunpoint. That night, Chivington's forces were joined by artillery from the fort and 125 troops from the First Cavalry. They then set off for the Cheyenne-Arapaho village at Sand Creek.
The Sand Creek Massacre
At dawn on November 29, 1864, the volunteer soldiers attacked the village. Even though Black Kettle had raised an American flag on his tipi to show they wanted peace (as Major Wynkoop had told him to do), the soldiers killed people without choosing who. Historians do not fully agree on the exact number of people killed. However, they often say about 150 people died, mostly women and children, because many of the warriors were away hunting.
After this event, the regiment was called the "Bloody Third." They returned to Denver in December and were officially disbanded on December 31, 1864. At the time, many people praised Chivington and his forces, calling it a heroic "battle." But others criticized the soldiers' actions during the attack.
Irving Howbert, who was an 18-year-old cavalryman at the time, later helped found Colorado Springs. In his book, Memories of a Lifetime in the Pike's Peak Region, he defended Chivington. Howbert argued that Native American women and children were not specifically targeted. He claimed that a few who did not leave the camp were killed once the fighting started. He also said that the number of warriors in the village was about the same as the number of Colorado cavalry soldiers. Howbert believed Chivington was getting revenge for Native American attacks on wagon trains and settlements in Colorado over the past three years.
Howbert also claimed that the report of the battle sent to the United States Congress by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel F. Tappan was not correct. He accused Tappan of giving a false picture of the battle because Tappan and Chivington were rivals in the military.
What Happened Next
The U.S. Congress looked into the attack. The hearings about it were widely reported, and people across the country were shocked and upset by how brutal the attack was. They were also angry that promises made to the Cheyenne and Arapaho had been broken. Because Native Americans felt the Cheyenne had been unfairly targeted by the U.S. government, major Sioux and Arapaho groups joined forces with them starting in 1865. They attacked white settlers to try and drive them out of their lands.
ja:サンドクリークの虐殺
