1 – William Bent
2 – No historical record of a Vogle. Most likely one of the white settlers in the area.
3 – Lt. Joseph A. Cramer, fellow soldier and friend of both Soule and Wynkoop. Cramer also wrote to Wynkoop after the massacre. Read his letter. Cramer would later testify against Chivington in the military investigation.
4 – Lt. James Cannon, First New Mexico Volunteers. Cannon later testified against Chivington in the military investigation. He also arrested Captain Soule’s murderer, William Squire, and soon thereafter died under suspicious circumstances after he brought Squire to face court-martial in Denver.
5 – Most likely Jay J. Johnson, 3rd Regiment.
6 – William F. Harding, 3rd Regiment.
7 – Major Jacob Downing, a strong Chivington supporter.
8 – Kansas and Colorado territories were under siege by many warrior clans throughout 1864. Black Kettle, Left Hand and Little Raven had pledged military support of the soldiers in fighting these militant clans as part of the peace agreement with Wynkoop.
9 – Lt. Luther Wilson.
10 – John S. Smith, U.S. Interpreter, was camped at the Sand Creek village at the time of Chivington’s attack. He was employed by the military to obtain information from Black Kettle regarding enemy movement in the area, and was also conducting trade with the Sand Creek Indians with the permission of Major Anthony.
11 – Private David Louderback, 1st Regiment, was camped with Smith and wagon driver Watson Clark at the Sand Creek village at the time of Chivington’s attack. All three survived and would later testify against Chivington in the government inquiries.
12 – Chief White Antelope (Southern Cheyenne), a member of the Cheyenne Council of 44. White Antelope was among the most peaceably inclined leaders in the Cheyenne contingency of “Peace Chiefs.” A highly respected Dog Soldier in his youth, White Antelope progressed through the Cheyenne hierarchy to become a revered leader in his elder years. He participated in the Weld Council, and pledged to help the soldiers quell the Indian Wars of 1864. He was around the same age as Black Kettle when he was killed at Sand Creek. Legend has it that he refused to take up arms against Chivington’s attacking troops, instead opting for an attempt to surrender. Witnesses said that White Antelope was shot while defiantly standing in the village with his arms folded. Although it is unlikely that anyone could hear him during the melee, legend says that he sang the Cheyenne death Song: “Nothing lives long, except the earth and the mountains.” Several witnesses verified that he was scalped, and his ears, nose and scrotum were severed and taken as trophies by members of Chivington’s command.
13 – War Bonnet (Southern Cheyenne), another Council of 44 member and contemporary of Black Kettle, was also among the many Peace Chiefs killed at Sand Creek. He traveled with a contingency of intertribal chiefs to Washington in 1863 to meet with President Lincoln.
14 - Charles Autobees – a rancher who lived near Booneville (west of Fort Lyon).
15 – Charles Bent, youngest son of William Bent who was living with his mother’s people at the Sand Creek village. A teenager at the time of the massacre, Charles Bent went on to join in warrior raids as retribution for Sand Creek. Charley denounced his father and reportedly tried to kill him. Charley himself was later killed by Pawnees.
16 – At the time of this letter, Soule believed George Bent (another son of William Bent) was killed in the massacre. George was severely wounded, but he managed to escape the ambush, and he survived his injuries.
17 – Jack Smith, teenage son of John S. Smith, who lived with his Cheyenne mother in Black Kettle’s village. Jack was taken prisoner and executed the night of the massacre. Soule's report of Jack's execution is based on hearsay, for he had left the massacre site in the afternoon. James Beckwourth, however, testified that he witnessed the murder. Chivington reported that young Smith was taken by a "sudden illness" and died overnight.
18 – Interpretation of the letter is “Denn,” but Soule most likely is referring to Lieutenant Clark Dunn. Soule would later testify in the military investigation that Dunn asked Chivington for permission to kill Jack Smith, but this allegation again was based on hearsay.
19 – ‘Old Bent’ refers to William Bent and his family, wife Yellow Woman, and children, George, Robert, Charley, Julia and Mary.
20 – Lt. Colonel Samuel F. Tappan – not a participant in the Sand Creek Massacre, but present at Fort Lyon when it occurred. When Chivington had arrived to commandeer the Lyon troops, Tappan was laid up with a broken ankle suffered in a riding accident. Soule and Cramer tried to enlist his help to persuade Chivington to spare Black Kettle's village, but Tappan was unable to be of any assistance. It's unlikely he would have made a difference even if he had been available, however, for he and Chivington disliked each other immensely due to numerous past run-ins rooted in professional jealousy. Tappan, a former journalist with many influential friends in Washington, would later spearhead the investigation into Chivington’s attack.
21 – Soule incorrectly assumed Chivington was going to Washington, based upon Chivington’s false boasts that he would raise another regiment. In reality, Chivington’s enlistment in the military had expired in September, and Chivington would leave the army soon after this letter was written.
22 – Soule believed at this time that Black Kettle was killed at Sand Creek, but the Chief actually escaped without injury. Chivington erroneously reported that his men killed Black Kettle. He may have intentionally lied in order to stir up anti-Indian sentiment in Denver and boost his reputation as an Indian fighter, or Chivington may have actually believed Black Kettle was dead (the Indian bodies were all so thoroughly mutilated after the attack that most were rendered unrecognizable).
23 – One Eye, a Cheyenne sub-Chief, indeed was killed at Sand Creek. He is most notably remembered as the leader of the party that initially approached Wynkoop with Black Kettle's proposal to meet at the Smoky Hill Council, which resulted in the rescue of four Dog Soldier captives, and led to the council with Governor Evans at Camp Weld in Denver. One Eye once saved William Bent’s life in a Kiowa raid, and Chivington himself had designated him as a “good Indian.”
24 – Minnemic (Eagle Head) was a warrior who aligned with Black Kettle’s efforts to make peace with the whites. He accompanied One Eye to meet with Wynkoop in September 1864 (see footnote 23). Again, due to the numerous rumors and inaccurate reports initially coming from Sand Creek, Soule mistakenly believed Minnemic was killed, but the warrior actually survived and went on to become an influential Cheyenne leader.
25 – Left Hand (a Southern Arapaho sub-Chief) was severely wounded in the attack. He was taken by other survivors to a Dog Soldier camp on the Smoky Hill River, where he died several days later.
26 - Many witnesses reported the same incident – Private George W. Pierce attempted to rescue Smith and was shot. Some soldiers testified that he was killed by Indians, while others said he was killed by friendly fire.
27 – No record of Wilker – possibly William F. Wilder, 1st Regiment.
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