Danai Sukduang Professor Benz Writ 1122 15 April 2024 Writing Project #1 Seeking an unchallenged story of the Sand Creek Massacre is futile and counterproductive because, as with any historical event, perspective drives all accounts, creating a blend of recollections with differing details based on many internal and external influences. The Sand Creek massacre reports and letters can be used to exemplify the difficulty of obtaining a consistent series of events from multiple sources. The struggle of studying history and writing about it can be drawn to origins in these discrepancies between accounts and it is the responsibility of the historian to convey the event in its nearest form to reality. In this assignment I will be using the accounts …show more content…
Soule recalls Chivington being informed of the circumstances of the relationship with the natives at Sand Creek, yet choosing to proceed with the attack. Chivington expressed a negative view towards the natives consistently in his letters, leading Kelman to call him an “enthusiastic participant” in the massacre at Sand Creek (Kelman, 8). From the accounts, Chivington played a significant role in orchestrating the attack and took great pride in the resulting suffering inflicted upon the natives. Demonstrating his general view on relations with the Native Americans, Chivington writes “...report to me, I could organize a campaign, which, in my judgment, would effectually rid the country between the Plate and Arkansas River of these red rebels” (Chivington, report #3). Additionally, he condemns Soule for his unwillingness to kill natives. Kelman describes Soule as a reluctant witness to the massacre, which is reflected in Chivington’s report on his actions. Soule describes scenes of chaos and brutality in which his company was the only one that stayed in formation and did not