The Massacre at Sand Creek
In August 1864, John Evans, governor of Colorado, met with Black Kettle and other Indian Chiefs to forge a new peace treaty. As a result, both sides left satisfied agreeing to the terms under the treaty of Fort Wise. The treaty allowed, "friendly Indians", to settle near U.S. forts for provisions and protection. Then on November 28, 1864, Black Kettle moved his tribe to the outskirts of Fort Lyon, in whom the commanding officer was Colonel John Chivington. Black Kettle approached Chivington and asked for protection. Chivington replied by ensuring them protection and encouraging them to hunt near Sand Creek. So that night, Black Kettle settled his tribe in Sand Creek. The next morning, Black Kettle was growing weary of the Colonel and his men because they were seen scouting the area. Then at about 12:00 pm, Chvington and 250 of the Colorado volunteers showed up. In turn, Black Kettle raised an American flag, to symbolize peace. Chivington rejected their assimilation and ordered his men to create a perimeter around the settlement. Chivington sounded the charge and his troops began to open fire on the camp, creating chaos amongst the Cheyenne. Terrified and unprepared, the people ran in desperation, and hope that they might escape. However nothing would be the same, as the corpses of 200 men, women, and children, lay on the surface of the battlefield. Black Kettle, and 148 of the others, had survived. Black Kettle then made a statement saying, "I once thought that I was the only man that preserved to be the friend of the white man, but since they cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for me to believe the white man anymore." Black Kettle was the Cheyenne's last hope; but his death at the Washita River Massacre devoured that thought. Black Kettle ended up being the inspiration of the Plains Indians, because he showed, through numerous attempts on his life, that the white man could not be beat, no matter how hard one tried to reason with them. The other Plains chiefs, for example Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Geronimo, all chose rebellion, but Black Kettle chose assimilation. Even though he could not compromise with the white man, he still tried his hardest to ensure safety and stability for his people. Dying with Black Kettle, was the Cheyenne's feeling of hope and resurrection; and within 2 years of this event, all of the Plains Indians were on reservations, living a life of grief and despair.