August Meeting: George Payne and the Sand Creek Massacre
On Thursday, August 21, at 7:00 p.m., the Southern Indiana Civil War Round Table welcomes George Payne for a compelling program on the March 1862 Battle of Glorieta Pass in the New Mexico Territory. Often called the “Gettysburg of the West,” this pivotal clash elevated the reputation—and inflated the ego—of Colonel John M. Chivington, commander of the U.S. Colorado Volunteers. That rise to prominence set the stage for one of the darkest episodes of the American frontier: the Sand Creek Massacre of November 29, 1864. Backed by territorial governor John Evans, Chivington ordered 700 soldiers to attack a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment, an atrocity that ignited Indian wars lasting a decade beyond the Civil War.
The Southern Indiana Civil War Round Table is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of the U.S. Civil War and the lives it touched. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Evansville Fraternal Order of Police, 801 Court St., Evansville, Indiana. All lectures are free and open to the public.