Colorado. Militia. Cavalry, 3rd
Biography
The Third Colorado Cavalry (1864) was a military volunteer unit established in response to Native American attacks on Colorado citizens.
The Third Colorady Cavalry was established by Colorado governor John Evans on August 20, 1864 in the wake of the Huntgate Massacre and the display of mutilated people in Denver. Colonel John M. Chivington and Governor Evans met with the chiefs of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes and arrived at a peace treaty. However, Chivington later took the Third Cavalry (nicknamed "The Bloodless Third") and attacked the tribes, despite the display of American flags to signal peace. It is estimated that they killed 150 people, mostly women and children, and took body parts as trophies. This attack, termed the "Sand Creek Massacre," was very controversial and prompted a congressional investigation. The Third Cavalry was disbanded on December 31, 1864.
Citation:
wikipedia.org, via WWW, March 15, 2021 (military volunteer unit; established in response to Native American attacks on Colorado citizens; established by John Evans after Huntgate Massacre and display of mutilated people in Denver; met with tribe chiefs to arrive at peace treaty; cavalry attacked tribes despite peace agreement; killed 150 people, women and children; took body parts as trophies; Sand Creek Massacre controversial and prompted congressional investigation; cavalry disbanded December 31, 1864).Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
"I stand by Sand Creek" : a defense of Colonel John M. Chivington and the Third Colorado Cavalry
Printed galley proofs with handwritten corrections of a book to be published. The thesis of the work is that Colonel Chivington and the Colorado Calvary were justified in killing the Indians at the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864.
The Sand Creek affair : a reappraisal
Typescript and galley proofs of a book "compiled, edited and analyzed by Lt. Colonel William R. Dunn." The item includes maps and an index. Dunn argues that Colonel Chivington and the Colorado Calvary were justified in killing the Indians at the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864.