'Colorado Soldier's Monument.' (Denver, Colorado)

Union

Inscription:

(West side): Colorado Territory - Organized February 28, 1861 Colorado Admitted as a State August 1, 1876 Census of Territory in 1861 - 23,331 War Governors William Gilpin Richard Ed Whitsitt Adjutant General 1861-1862 John Evans David H. Moffat, Jr. Adjutant General 1863-1865 Military Organizations in the Civil War First Colorado Infantry Later First Colorado Cavalry Col. John P. Slough Col. John M Chivington Second Colorado Infantry Col Jesse H. Leavenworth Third Colorado Infantry Later consolidated with Second Inf. to form Second Colo. Cav. Col. James H. Ford Third Colorado Cavalry Col. Geo L. Shoup McLain's Independent Battery Captain Tyler's Mounted Rangers Volunteer Soldiers Credited to Colorado - 4,903 Highest average of any state or territory and with no draft or bounty Battles and Engagements {list}1861-1865 Erected by the State of Colorado {2002 plaque added to statue} The controversy surrounding this Civil War Monument has become a symbol of Coloradens' struggle to understand and take responsibility for our past. On November 29, 1864, Colorado's First and Third Cavalry, commanded by Colonel John Chivington, attacked Chief Black Kettle's peaceful camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians on the banks of Sand Creek, about 180 miles southeast of here. In the surprise attack, soldiers killed more than 150 of the village's 500 inhabitants. Most of the victims were elderly men, women, and children. Though some civilians and military personnel immediately denounced the attack as a massacre, others claimed the village was a legitimate target. This Civil War Monument, paid for by funds from the Pioneers' Association and the State, was erected on July 24, 1909, to honor all Colorado soldiers who had fought in battles of the Civil War in Colorado and elsewhere. By designating Sand Creek a battle, the monument's designers mischaracterized the actual events. Protests led by some Sand Creek descendants and others throughout the twentieth century have since led to the widespread recognition of the tragedy as the Sand Creek Massacre.

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