Union Party Resolves to Denounce Sand Creek Haters

Here we see an early and particularly frenzied spasm in the campaign to restate and reshape the Sand Creek story, at the Union Party convention in Denver, October 16, 1865. As you can see, nothing less than the moral standing of America in the Christian world is at stake. According to Lamar, The Far Southwest, Stephen Decatur is the point-man behind this campaign.



[RMN, Oct. 17, 1865, p. 1.]

In the same issue, Chivington announces a candidacy for congress by telegram from Omaha. He and Evans had been removed from the Union party scene after Sand Creek came to light.

Dunn and Baldwin

Byers was always commenting on the various officers who were in town, hinting at their demeanor and politics.



[RMN, March 11, 1865]

Lt. Clark Dunn was in town to testify before the Commission; he told them that he had had an engagement with some Indians near the Platte in April 1864, testimony meant to establish the hostility of the tribes in Chivington's defense.

The day after Sand Creek, with the bulk of the soldiers camped near the killing zone, Dunn asked Chivington if it would be okay to execute Jack Smith, the halfbreed son of the trader John Smith. Jack Smith had been living with the Indians in their village and was taken captive by the Third. Chivington gave some weasily non-answer, to the effect of, you know what I think about that, and at some point afterward an unidentified soldier cut a hole in the lodge where Smith was being held and shot him through the hole.

Lt. Horace Baldwin (Independent Battery) was named by Soule as one of many soldiers who may have ended up with some of the ponies from Sand Creek. He was also heard to speak ill of Chivington at Ft. Lyon before the massacre, and with several other officers signed a letter of support for Wynkoop on Nov. 24, 1864.

Delay the Pay

Paymaster Crawford delaying payments to 3rd, claiming illness. This after rumors had appeared in RMN to the effect that nobody was getting paid at all, and congressmen spoke of withholding pay. But the companies were all planning on gathering and marching in uniform at various times to get their meager compensation, so potentially a very dicey situation was at hand. Denver was always on the verge of some sort of mob riot in those days.



[RMN, March 4, 1865, p. 3.]

About a week later, the paper reported that Crawford was feeling a bit better.

Ham Hunt, Chief Justice

Announcement in RMN, March 4, 1865:

The Grand Illumination

NOTE: PIONEER PLATES, a digital notebook of Colorado history, is back in the saddle after a long book-writing hiatus. Thanks for reading -- Robert


A celebration of events back East. (Not everybody wanted to celebrate surely.)



[RMN, March 1, 1865, p. 3.]