| At dawn on November 29, 1864, a volunteer Denver militia swept down on a sleeping Cheyenne and Arapaho village camped on the Big Sandy River in southeastern Colorado, exacting brutal revenge for a year-long campaign of terror waged by tribal warrior societies on the Kansas and Colorado plains. When the smoke cleared, Colonel John M. Chivington's troops returned to Denver, waving Indian scalps and body parts to an adoring crowd that hailed them as conquering heroes. Chivington claimed his militia decimated the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations – some five to six hundred warriors among them, including the fearsome Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. His actions prompted the Rocky Mountain News to hoist Chivington among the greatest American military leaders of the time.
But the Dog Soldiers were still alive. In fact, few if any of the warriors guilty of the violent depredations on the Plains were anywhere near Sand Creek when the civilian militia attacked. Union soldiers accused Chivington of conducting a wholesale massacre of Indian prisoners camped under the protection of the army, claiming the majority of the 160 killed were women, children and elderly. Within months, Chivington's renowned "Battle of Sand Creek" descended into a broiling kettle of accusation and recrimination, turning soldier against soldier, and Indian against Indian. | ||
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Kind Of History Time of history: - 19th century History of military? Yes Armed Forces: - Army History of a people? Yes Nationality? Specific war? - Injun war! Subjects of this Historical Account Ethnicity (if plays a major part) - American Indian Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Neutral From a certain profession/group? - land soldiers Intelligence of subject of history: - Smart Main Adversary From a certain profession/group? How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book. Religion? (if plays a major part) - Protestants! Nationality? - American Ethnicity? (if plays big part) - White/European Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat Unsympathetic Setting United States Yes The US: - Midwest Writing Style How much gore? - 8 () How fast-paced is the book? - 8 () Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths Book makes you feel... - challenged How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses mostly on history of key players How much romance? - 3 () Minor characters feature lots of: Pictures/Illustrations? - A significant amount Maps necessary? - Necessary maps provided Length of book - 450 pages+ How much emphasis on small details? - 10 () |
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