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107-766: Born near Seneca Falls, New York , on December 8, 1812, Lewis Ross was the oldest son of Ossian M. and Mary (Winans) Ross. In 1820, Lewis Ross moved with his family to Illinois, where his father had been given land in the Illinois Military Tract in return for military service in the War of 1812 . In 1821, the family settled in an area that later became Lewistown, Illinois , named for Lewis Ross by his father. Lewis Ross received his early education in pioneer schools, and then attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, graduating in 1838. He studied law with Josiah Lamborn ,

214-500: A Wonderful Life ". The region was in the domain of the Cayuga tribe and visited by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th-century. The Cayuga were allies of the British and attacked American settlements from the outset of the revolution. The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 was sent to destroy native villages and kill the warriors. After the war, the village and surrounding land became part of

321-634: A battle. “ I went to different lodges to shake hands with Black Kettle, Little Robe, Bear Tongue, Red Moon and lot of my friends that I was with at battle of Sand Creek that were going back with Black Kettle (George Bent to George Hyde, 1/12/1906). I am not a big war chief, but all the soldiers in this country are at my command. My rule of fighting white men or Indians is to fight them until they lay down their arms and submit to military authority. They are nearer to Major Wynkoop than any one else, and they can go to him when they get ready to do that. On June 15, 1864, Major T.I. McKenny, Assistant Adjutant-General of

428-623: A brave and numerous foe. Within weeks, however, witnesses and survivors began telling stories of a possible massacre. Several investigations were conducted—two by the military, and one by the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War . The panel declared: As to Colonel Chivington, your committee can hardly find fitting terms to describe his conduct. Wearing the uniform of the United States, which should be

535-640: A crowd on the south side of the Seneca River. She confronted the nation and its institutions, including a local Presbyterian Church and its minister, over slavery. Within a year, a member of that church was found guilty of "disorderly and unchristian conduct" after she personally confronted that minister on the issue of slavery. Early women's rights leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton , Lucretia Coffin Mott , Martha Coffin Wright , Mary Ann M'Clintock and Jane Hunt hastily organized

642-530: A leading member of the Radical Republicans. Although he was considered by some individuals as a possible candidate for the office of Vice President of the United States in 1868, Ross retired from politics after his service as a congressman in order to manage his considerable real estate holdings in Lewistown and Havana and to pursue his business interests. In 1878, Ross was involved in the incorporation of

749-510: A member of the House Committees on Agriculture and Indian Affairs. He also served as a member of the "Doolittle Committee", a Congressional Joint Special Committee chaired by James R. Doolittle that investigated the condition of the Indian tribes and the way they were being treated by the military and civil authorities of the United States. Among its other activities, this committee investigated

856-724: A new treaty. On February 18, 1861, six chiefs of the Southern Cheyenne and four of the Arapaho signed the Treaty of Fort Wise with the United States, in which they ceded most of the lands designated to them by the Fort Laramie treaty. The Cheyenne chiefs included Black Kettle , White Antelope (Vó'kaa'e Ohvó'komaestse), Lean Bear , Little Wolf , and Tall Bear; the Arapaho chiefs included Little Raven , Storm, Shave-Head, Big Mouth , and Niwot , or Left Hand. The Cheyenne warriors denounced

963-523: A noted lawyer of the day, and was admitted to the bar , commencing the practice of law in Lewistown in 1839. Lewis Ross married Frances Mildred Simms (1822–1902) in Lewistown, Illinois, on June 13, 1839. Lewis and Frances Ross had 12 children: John Wesley Ross (1841–1902), a distinguished attorney who served as president of the Washington, D. C., Board of Commissioners ; Mary Frances Ross (1843–1844); Ossian Reuben Ross (1845–1863), who committed suicide while

1070-577: A peace parley held in Denver in September 1864. After a while, the American Indians were asked to relocate to Big Sandy Creek , less than 40 miles northwest of Fort Lyon, under the threat of their safety. The Dog Soldiers , who had been responsible for many of the attacks and raids on whites, were not part of this encampment. Most tribal warriors stood their ground, refusing to leave their home under

1177-513: A separate band of Cheyenne and Lakota warriors. They took as their territory the area around the headwaters of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers in southern Nebraska, northern Kansas, and the northeastern Colorado Territory. By the 1860s, as the conflict between natives and encroaching whites intensified, the Dog Soldiers and military societies within other Cheyenne bands countered the influence of

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1284-544: A small hydroelectric power generating station in the village. A young man, Birdsall Holly, moved to Seneca Falls from Auburn to work as a mechanic in one of these mills. His son, Birdsall Holly Jr., was entranced by the water power, studying hydraulics and mechanics until he became one of the foremost American inventors . Holly became a partner in the Silsby Company, also called "The Island Works". While working for this company, he obtained his first patent , which

1391-557: A student at the University of Michigan ; Ellen Caroline Ross (1846–1880); Lewis Cass "Lute" Ross (1848–1916); Frank Rutledge Ross (1851–1886); Henry Lee Ross (1852–1856); Alice Ross (1854–1855); Pike Clinton Ross (1855–1917); Frances Walker Ross (1857–1885); Jennie L. Ross (1859–1941); and an unnamed daughter who died in infancy (her gravestone is marked "Babe"). Ross served in Captain Constant's Company, Colonel Neale's Detachment, of

1498-508: A woman's private parts out and had them for exhibition on a stick. I heard of one instance of a child, a few months old, being thrown into the feed-box of a wagon, and after being carried some distance, left on the ground to perish; I also heard of numerous instances in which men had cut out the private parts of females and stretched them over their saddle-bows, and some of them over their hats." During these investigations, numerous witnesses came forward with damning testimony, almost all of which

1605-588: Is located at the corner of Broadway Street and Milton Avenue. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Seneca Falls (village), New York Seneca Falls is a hamlet and census-designated place in Seneca County , New York , United States. The population was 6,681 at the 2010 census. The 2020 census population of Seneca Falls CDP

1712-519: Is unknown. It is likely higher. George Bent, a Dog Soldier in Black Kettle’s camp, wrote about going on wagon train raids. “Cheyennes made good many raids towards Denver” (Bent to Hyde 5-3-1905). George Bent, a half-Cheyenne, who was a Dog Soldier(Warrior) in Black Kettle’s camp at Sand Creek, wrote letters to historians about the Cheyenne way of life and his experience at Sand Creek. He called Sand Creek

1819-480: The 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment attacked Cheyenne men near Frémont's Orchard without any first attempt at parley or peace. On April 13, a herdsman working for Irving, Jackmann & Company reported that Cheyennes and Arapahos had driven off 60 oxen and 12 horses and mules from their camp south of Denver. George Bent (a half-Cheyenne, half-white man who survived the ensuing Sand Creek Massacre along with other members of his family and tribe) disputes this version of

1926-559: The Central New York Military Tract , land reserved for veterans of the war. The north end of Cayuga Lake was set aside as a reservation for returning Cayuga tribal members. The first pioneers arrived around 1790. The first settlers chose the area for its easy access to water and close proximity to the Iroquois trail. When the village was first incorporated in 1831, it was named after the series of small falls and rapids on

2033-607: The Department of Kansas warned his superior, General Samuel Ryan Curtis that a few more reckless murders of Indians by the Volunteers risked uniting the various tribes into a general war against the US Army: I think if great caution is not exercised on our part there will be a bloody war. It should be our policy to try and conciliate them, guard our mails and trains well to prevent theft, and stop these scouting parties that are roaming over

2140-524: The Pikes Peak Gold Rush . Immigrants flooded across Cheyenne and Arapaho lands. They competed for resources, and some settlers tried to stay. Colorado territorial officials pressured federal authorities to redefine the extent of Indian lands in the territory, and in the fall of 1860, A.B. Greenwood, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, arrived at Bent's New Fort , along the Arkansas River, to negotiate

2247-646: The Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, also known as the Chivington Massacre, in which members of the Colorado Territory militia , led by Colonel John Chivington , attacked a village of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. Ross' political views during the Civil War generally corresponded to those of the antiwar Peace Democrats or Copperheads. He was a close personal friend of Stephen A. Douglas and

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2354-623: The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and is administered by the National Park Service . The massacre is considered part of a series of events known as the Colorado Wars . By the terms of the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie between the United States and seven Indian nations, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho, the United States recognized that the Cheyenne and Arapaho held a vast territory encompassing

2461-560: The Seneca Falls Convention , the first women's rights convention, held in 1848 at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel . A " Declaration of Sentiments " was adopted, drafted by Stanton, M'Clintock and two adult M'Clintock daughters, which included support for women's suffrage . Frederick Douglass , a former slave and publisher of a Rochester, New York, abolitionist newspaper, attended the convention. His eloquent support for

2568-573: The Seneca River which drains Seneca of the Finger Lakes . The river was partially canalized for navigation in 1818, and connected the lakes with the Erie Canal in 1828. The village was re-incorporated in 1837, 1860, and 1896 with new charters. The New York State Barge Canal project in 1915 eliminated what remained of the rapids, canalizing the entire river and building a pair of locks to replace

2675-457: The Smoky Hill River country of Kansas, along which whites had opened a new trail to the gold fields. Cheyenne who opposed the treaty said it had been signed by a small minority of the chiefs without the consent or approval of the rest of the tribe, that the signatories had not understood what they signed, and that they had been bribed to sign by a large distribution of gifts. Officials took

2782-711: The U.S. Army in the American Indian Wars that occurred on November 29, 1864, when a 675-man force of the Third Colorado Cavalry under the command of U.S. Volunteers Colonel John Chivington attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in southeastern Colorado Territory , killing and mutilating an estimated 70 to over 600 Native American people. Chivington claimed 500 to 600 warriors were killed. However, most sources estimate around 150 people were killed, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. The location has been designated

2889-453: The census of 2010, there were 6,681 people, 2,913 households, and 1,732 families residing in what was then a village. The population density was 1,518.4 inhabitants per square mile (586.3/km ). The racial makeup of the village was 95.1% White , 1.2% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.6% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , 0.4% from other races , and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of

2996-615: The "battles and engagements" fought by Colorado troops in the American Civil War . In 2002, the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado ), authorized by the Colorado General Assembly , added an additional plaque to the monument, which states that the original designers of the monument "mischaracterized" Sand Creek by calling it a battle. After the actual details of the massacre became widely known,

3103-401: The Cheyenne came to Denver to have peace talks with Governor Evans. At this conference, the chiefs were told by Governor Evans that peace was not possible at that point and that "whatever peace they make must be with the soldiers, and not with me." At this council, White Antelope said that he feared the soldiers might kill some of his people while he was there. Governor Evans told him that there

3210-438: The Cheyenne, was among those who were killed. Ochinee and 160 other people, most of whom were children and women, were killed. Grandfather Ochinee (One-Eye) escaped from the camp, but seeing all that his people were to be slaughtered, he deliberately chose to go back into the one-sided battle and die with them. Meanwhile, Chivington and 425 men of the 3rd Colorado Cavalry rode to Fort Lyon arriving on November 28, 1864. Once at

3317-512: The Civil War, Congressman Ross generally tended to favor the moderate position taken by President Andrew Johnson , and he opposed the policies that were promoted by the Radical Republicans . In a speech to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1866, Ross remarked that he supported President Johnson's veto of the Freedmen's Bureau , a veto that had been overturned by Congress. Ross contended that

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3424-667: The Fulton County Narrow-Gauge Railroad Company, which ultimately built a line between Galesburg and West Havana, Illinois. In 1893, Ross was elected President of the Lewistown National Bank, and he took an active role in the bank's affairs until his death. Lewis Ross died in Lewistown, Illinois, on October 29, 1895, as a consequence of a burst blood vessel in his head. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in an area devoted to several members of

3531-768: The Illinois Mounted Riflemen in the Winnebago Indian Disturbances of 1827. He also saw service in the Black Hawk War of 1832 as a sergeant in Bogart's Brigade, Captain John Sain's Company, Odd Battalion of Mounted Rangers. During the Mexican–American War , Ross organized a company of volunteers (Company K) that was assigned to the 4th Illinois Infantry, commanded by Colonel Edward D. Baker, and Ross

3638-459: The Indians never would eat "tame meat" when they could get buffalo." A small contingent of soldiers, led by Lieutenant Clark Dunn, was sent to repossess the livestock. The ensuing confrontation resulted in the death of four of the soldiers, and the tribes maintained possession of the stolen livestock. Lieutenant George Eayre was also sent to find and demand return of the oxen. If the animals' return

3745-688: The Indians then moved north into Nebraska on their way to the Black Hills and the Powder River Country . Black Kettle continued to speak for peace and did not join in the second raid or in the journey to the Powder River country. He left the camp and returned with 80 lodges to the Arkansas River to seek peace with the Coloradans. Initially, the Sand Creek engagement was reported as a victory against

3852-590: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the Wars' recommendation, no charges were brought against those who committed the massacre. Chivington was beyond the reach of army justice because he had already resigned his commission. The closest thing to a punishment he suffered was the effective end of his political aspirations. A monument installed on the Colorado State Capitol grounds in 1909 lists Sand Creek as one of

3959-510: The Kansas City or old Santa Fe road. As the conflict between the Indians and settlers and soldiers in Colorado continued, the tribes would make war during the spring and summer months until subsistence became difficult to obtain. The tribes would then earnestly seek to make peace during the winter months, when they would stock up on supplies, arms, and munitions, until fairer weather would return and

4066-463: The Masikota, who by that time had allied, were not present at Sand Creek. Of about 10 lodges of Arapaho under Chief Left Hand, representing about 50 or 60 people, only a handful escaped with their lives. After hiding all day above the camp in holes dug beneath the bank of Sand Creek, the survivors there, many of whom were wounded, moved up the stream and spent the night on the prairie. Trips were made to

4173-801: The Ross family, including his grandmother (Abigail Lee Ross), his father, mother, wife, and 9 of his 12 children. Original correspondence and other documents related to Lewis Ross are housed in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois , including letters exchanged between Ross and Stephen A. Douglas, letters from Ross to his wife during the Mexican–American War, an account book for general stores in Lewistown and Havana run by Lewis Ross and his sons, and an account book listing his real estate and personal property. Ross

4280-456: The Silsby Company, Holly also developed the rotary steam engine. This technology was married to the pump technology and was utilized in making the first successful steam fire engine. The Silsby Company eventually moved to Elmira, New York and became American LaFrance , famous for its fire engines. Seneca Falls played a prominent role in the Women's Rights Movement . Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of

4387-532: The United States federal government sent a blue ribbon commission whose members were respected by the Indians, and the Treaty of the Little Arkansas was signed in 1865. It promised the Indians free access to the lands south of the Arkansas River, excluded them from the Arkansas River north to the Platte River, and promised land and cash reparations to the surviving descendants of Sand Creek victims. However,

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4494-466: The United States troops ... I saw one squaw lying on the bank, whose leg had been broken. A soldier came up to her with a drawn sabre. She raised her arm to protect herself; he struck, breaking her arm. She rolled over, and raised her other arm; he struck, breaking that, and then left her with out killing her. I saw one squaw cut open, with an unborn child lying by her side. There was one little child, probably three years old, just big enough to walk through

4601-415: The appointed place. The governor sent his guide, Elbridge Gerry, out to try to find the chiefs. Gerry returned two weeks later saying that a council had been held wherein the chiefs decided not to meet with Governor Evans. Bull Bear offered to meet with the governor, but his warriors would not allow it. At the end of 1863 and in the beginning of 1864, word was received that a coalition was to be formed among

4708-704: The attack. Captain Silas Soule , Lieutenant Joseph Cramer and Lieutenant James Connor protested that attacking a peaceful camp would violate the pledge of safety provided to the Indians and would dishonor the uniform of the Army. The following morning, Chivington gave the order to attack. Two officers, Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, commanding Company D and Company K of the First Colorado Cavalry, refused to obey and told their men to hold fire. However,

4815-401: The average family size was 2.85. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 20, 7.1% from 20 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males. The median income for a household in

4922-501: The average village property tax payer would save $ 950 a year. The final vote was 1,198 in favor, 1,112 opposed, and five blank ballots. It is, to date, the largest New York village ever to approve dissolution. Seneca Falls is located at 42°54′31″N 76°47′52″W  /  42.90861°N 76.79778°W  / 42.90861; -76.79778 (42.908713, -76.797986). According to the United States Census Bureau ,

5029-487: The brains out of little innocent children. You call sich soldiers Christians, do ye? And Indians savages? What der yer s'pose our Heavenly Father, who made both them and us, thinks of these things? I tell you what, I don't like a hostile red skin any more than you do. And when they are hostile, I've fought 'em, hard as any man. But I never yet drew a bead on a squaw or papoose, and I despise the man who would. The natives, lacking artillery, could not make much resistance. Some of

5136-517: The brutal slaughter of those who supported peace, many of the Cheyenne, including the great warrior Roman Nose , and many Arapaho joined the Dog Soldiers. They sought revenge on settlers throughout the Platte valley, including an 1865 attack on what became Fort Caspar , Wyoming. Following the massacre, the survivors reached the camps of the Cheyenne on the Smokey Hill and Republican rivers. The war pipe

5243-460: The bureau discriminated against white citizens who might need government assistance following the war. He also expressed continuing regret that the views of Senators Crittenden and Douglas advocating compromise had not prevailed during the runup to the Civil War. In an address to the House in early 1868, Ross argued against H.R. Bill No. 439, which was additional and supplemental to "An act to provide for

5350-477: The chiefs who signed the treaty and even threatened them with death if they attempted to carry out the treaty's provisions. The new reserve, less than 1/13 the size of the territory recognized in the 1851 treaty, was located in eastern Colorado, between the Arkansas River and Sand Creek . Most bands of the Cheyenne, including the Dog Soldiers , a militaristic band of Cheyenne and Lakota that had originated in

5457-536: The country who do not know one tribe from another, and who will kill anything in the shape of an Indian. It will require but few murders on the part of our troops to unite all these warlike tribes of the plains, who have been at peace for years and intermarried amongst one another. I do wish that some prudent, good man could be placed in command of the troops along the roads from Smoky Fork, on the Leavenworth road, to Walnut Creek, and from Cow Creek thorough to Fort Lyon, on

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5564-701: The draft of the Equal Rights Amendment , referred to as "the Lucretia Mott Amendment", for the delegates’ approval at the general conference held at the First Presbyterian Church in Seneca Falls. The National Women's Hall of Fame was established in Seneca Falls in 1969. It honors American women for their contributions to society. The first woman mayor of Seneca Falls was the village's last mayor. Diana M. Smith, first elected in 2004,

5671-579: The emblem of justice and humanity; holding the important position of commander of a military district, and therefore having the honor of the government to that extent in his keeping, he deliberately planned and executed a foul and dastardly massacre which would have disgraced the veriest savage among those who were the victims of his cruelty. Having full knowledge of their friendly character, having himself been instrumental to some extent in placing them in their position of fancied security, he took advantage of their in-apprehension and defenceless condition to gratify

5778-516: The era report that Cheyenne warriors attacked settlers and committed a number of atrocities in the summer of 1864 including the June 11 Hungate massacre . The beginning of the American Civil War in 1861 led to the organization of military forces in Colorado Territory. However, the attention of the federal government was firmly fixed on defeating the Confederates . As a result, there was no significant military protection of wagon trains, settlers, settlements, communication lines, and supply wagons in

5885-429: The final tally was 4 killed and 21 wounded in the 1st Colorado Cavalry and 20 killed or mortally wounded and 31 other wounded in the 3rd Colorado Cavalry; adding up to 24 killed and 52 wounded. Dee Brown wrote that some of Chivington's men were drunk and that many of the soldiers' casualties were due to friendly fire , but neither of these claims is supported by Gregory F. Michno or Stan Hoig in their books devoted to

5992-401: The fort, Chivington took command of 250 men of the 1st Colorado Cavalry and maybe as many as 12 men of the 1st Regiment New Mexico Volunteer Infantry , then set out for Black Kettle's encampment. James Beckwourth , a noted frontiersman who had lived with the Indians for half a century, acted as guide for Chivington. Prior to the massacre, several of Anthony's officers were not eager to join in

6099-425: The guise of a threat, leaving only about 75 men, plus all the women and children in the village. The men who remained were mostly too old or too young to hunt. Black Kettle flew a U.S. flag, with a white flag tied beneath it, over his lodge, as the Fort Lyon commander had advised him. This was to show he was friendly and forestall any attack by the Colorado soldiers. Peace chief Ochinee , who tried to broker peace for

6206-418: The hamlet has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 km ), of which 4.4 square miles (11.5 km ) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.4 km ) (3.28%) is water. Seneca Falls is intersected by conjoined U.S. Route 20 and New York State Route 5 (NY 5). NY 414 intersects both routes in the hamlet. The Seneca River / Cayuga-Seneca Canal bisects the hamlet. As of

6313-415: The lands between the North Platte River and the Arkansas River , and eastward from the Rocky Mountains to western Kansas . This area included present-day southeastern Wyoming , southwestern Nebraska , most of eastern Colorado , and the westernmost portions of Kansas. In November 1858, however, the discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, then part of the Kansas Territory , brought on

6420-456: The late 1830s, were angry at the chiefs who had signed the treaty. They disavowed the treaty—which never received the blessing of the Council of 44 , the supreme tribal authority—and refused to abide by its constraints. They continued to live and hunt in the bison -rich lands of what's now eastern Colorado and western Kansas, and became increasingly belligerent over the tide of white migration across their lands. Tensions were high, particularly in

6527-473: The later accounts of survivors. These statements were filed with his reports and can be found in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion , copies of which were submitted as evidence in the Joint Committee of the Conduct of the War and in separate hearings conducted by the military in Denver. Lieutenant James D. Cannon describes the mutilation of human genitalia by the soldiers, "men, women, and children's privates cut out. I heard one man say that he had cut

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6634-504: The little child, but he missed him. A third man came up, and made a similar remark, and fired, and the little fellow dropped. Fingers and ears were cut off the bodies for the jewelry they carried. The body of White Antelope, lying solitarily in the creek bed, was a prime target. Besides scalping him the soldiers cut off his nose, ears, and testicles-the last for a tobacco pouch ... Jis' to think of that dog Chivington and his dirty hounds, up thar at Sand Creek. His men shot down squaws, and blew

6741-462: The massacre were the Wutapiu, Black Kettle's band. Perhaps half of the Hevhaitaniu were lost, including the chiefs Yellow Wolf and Big Man. The Oivimana, led by War Bonnet, lost about half their number. There were heavy losses to the Hisiometanio (Ridge Men) under White Antelope. Chief One Eye was also killed, along with many of his band. The Suhtai clan and the Heviqxnipahis clan under chief Sand Hill experienced relatively few losses. The Dog Soldiers and

6848-573: The massacre. Before Chivington and his men left the area, they plundered the teepees and took the horses. After the smoke cleared, Chivington's men came back and killed many of the wounded. They also scalped many of the dead, regardless of whether they were women, children, or infants. Chivington and his men dressed their weapons, hats, and gear with scalps and other body parts, including human fetuses and male and female genitalia. They also publicly displayed these battle trophies in Denver 's Apollo Theater and area saloons . Three Indians who remained in

6955-456: The more efficient Government of the Rebel States" , the title of the initial legislation of the Reconstruction Acts . Ross argued that the U.S. Government had no constitutional right to impose military rule on the southern states that had participated in the Confederacy . Much of Ross' allotted time during the 1868 speech was taken up by a sometimes heated and ad hominem exchange with fellow Illinois Congressman Elihu B. Washburne of Illinois,

7062-401: The murders and ensuing weakening of the peace faction exacerbated the developing social and political rift. Traditional council chiefs, mature men who sought consensus and looked to the future of their people, and their followers, were opposed by the younger and more militaristic Dog Soldiers. Beginning in the 1830s, the Dog Soldiers had evolved from a Cheyenne military society of that name into

7169-470: The natives cut horses from the camp's herd and fled up Sand Creek or to a nearby Cheyenne camp on the headwaters of the Smoky Hill River . Others, including the half-Cheyenne, half-white trader George Bent , fled upstream and dug holes in the sand beneath the banks of the stream. They were pursued by the troops and fired on, but many survived. Cheyenne warrior Morning Star said that most of the Indian dead were killed by cannon fire, especially those firing from

7276-560: The number of men killed. George Bent, the son of the American William Bent and a Cheyenne mother, who was in the village when the attack came and was wounded by the soldiers, gave two different accounts of the natives' loss. On March 15, 1889, he wrote to Samuel F. Tappan that 137 people were killed: 28 men and 109 women and children. However, on April 30, 1913, when he was very old, he wrote that "about 53 men" and "110 women and children" were killed and many people wounded. Although initial reports indicated 10 soldiers killed and 38 wounded,

7383-566: The organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention and recognized as "the philosopher and chief publicist of the radical wing of the 19th century women's rights movement", lived in Seneca Falls from 1847 to 1863. Amelia Bloomer , popularized a dress reform in her newspaper, The Lily, which became known as bloomers , a design believed to be influenced by native women of the area. Abolitionist causes against slavery were popular in Seneca Falls. In August 1843, Abby Kelley , an outspoken abolitionist, came to Seneca Falls and addressed

7490-455: The period. Lewis Ross served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1840 to 1842 (during which time Abraham Lincoln was also a member of the legislature), and again from 1844 to 1846. In 1860, Ross was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on the Democratic ticket. Ross served as member of the Illinois State Constitutional Conventions in 1862 and again in 1870. The proposed changes to

7597-426: The plains tribes to "drive the whites out of the country." In the spring and summer of 1864, the Sioux, Comanches, Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Arapahos were engaged in active hostilities which led to the murder of numerous civilians, the destruction of livestock and crops, supplies to the region being cut off, and the Colorado settlers in danger of starvation or murder at the hands of the plains tribes. On April 12, men of

7704-410: The population. There were 2,913 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and

7811-437: The position that Indians who refused to abide by it were hostile and planning a war. The Cheyenne started committing minor offenses in 1861. These offenses went unpunished and, subsequently, became more significant. The desire for war was so strong with the Cheyenne that Agent Lorey urged Governor John Evans to treat the Cheyenne anew in 1863. As agreed, Governor Evans went out to meet with the chiefs, but they did not show up to

7918-509: The protection of Major Wynkoop. 652 Arapahos led by Chief Little Raven appeared at Fort Lyon beginning around November 6, 1864, and were subsisted there by Major Anthony who had replaced Wynkoop. Later, when 600 Cheyenne appeared at the fort in a similar manner they were turned away and denied subsistence by Major Anthony. Black Kettle, leading chief of around 163 mostly Southern Cheyenne , had led his band, joined by some Arapahos under Chief Niwot , to Fort Lyon in compliance with provisions of

8025-543: The region. By the summer of 1864, nearly every stage was being attacked, emigrants were being cut off, and settlements were being raided continually. The settlers abandoned their farms and ranches and began seeking refuge in the major settlements such as Denver. A coordinated attack was carried out on August 8, 1864, where all the existing stage lines in the region were attacked. Between August 11 and September 7, Governor Evans sent multiple letters to Secretary of War Edward Stanton in an attempt to furnish military aid, but Stanton

8132-515: The rest of Chivington's men immediately attacked the village. Ignoring the U.S. flag and a white flag that was run up shortly after the attack began, they murdered as many of the Indians as they could. I saw the bodies of those lying there cut all to pieces, worse mutilated than any I ever saw before; the women cut all to pieces ... With knives; scalped; their brains knocked out; children two or three months old; all ages lying there, from sucking infants up to warriors ... By whom were they mutilated? By

8239-412: The sand. The Indians had gone ahead, and this little child was behind, following after them. The little fellow was perfectly naked, travelling in the sand. I saw one man get off his horse at a distance of about seventy-five yards and draw up his rifle and fire. He missed the child. Another man came up and said, 'let me try the son of a b-. I can hit him.' He got down off his horse, kneeled down, and fired at

8346-552: The site of the camp but very few survivors were found there. After a cold night without shelter, the survivors set out toward the Cheyenne camp on the headwaters of the Smoky Hill River. They soon met up with other survivors who had escaped with part of the horse herd, some returning from the Smoky Hill camp where they had fled during the attack. They then proceeded to the camp, where they received assistance. The massacre disrupted

8453-464: The south bank of the river at the people retreating up the creek. In testimony before a Congressional committee investigating the massacre, Chivington claimed that as many as 500 to 600 Indian warriors were killed. Historian Alan Brinkley wrote that 133 Indians were killed, 105 of whom were women and children. White eyewitness John S. Smith reported that 70 to 80 Indians were killed, including 20 to 30 warriors, which agrees with Brinkley's figure as to

8560-593: The state constitution that were introduced in 1862 (known as the "Copperhead constitution") were not ratified by the voters. However, Ross played a prominent role in the development of the Constitution of Illinois that was ratified in 1870. Ross was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth , Thirty-ninth , and Fortieth United States Congresses (serving March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869). While in Congress, Ross served as

8667-452: The story. According to Bent, "One day in April some Cheyennes from one of these camps were out hunting and found a number of oxen straying about among the sand hills. As they did not know to whom the animals belonged they drove them to camp, intending to keep them until someone could lay claim to them.... The Indians had no use for the oxen; there were plenty of buffalo on that range that winter, and

8774-401: The three smaller locks which had made it possible for boat and barge traffic to pass through the village. The falls were also the cause of the village's existence, providing water power for mills , distilleries , tanneries , and other factories . By the mid 19th Century, Seneca Falls was the third largest flour milling center in the world, after Rochester and Oswego . There is still

8881-471: The traditional Cheyenne power structure, because of the deaths of eight members of the Council of Forty-Four . White Antelope, One Eye, Yellow Wolf, Big Man, Bear Man, War Bonnet, Spotted Crow, and Bear Robe were all killed, as were the headmen of some of the Cheyenne military societies. Among the chiefs killed were most of those who had advocated peace with white settlers and the U.S. government. The net effect of

8988-458: The traditional Council of Forty-Four chiefs who, as more mature men, took a larger view and were more likely to favor peace with the whites. To the Dog Soldiers, the Sand Creek massacre illustrated the folly of the peace chiefs' policy of accommodating the whites through treaties such as the first Treaty of Fort Laramie and the Treaty of Fort Wise. They believed their militant position toward the whites

9095-486: The tribe were camping on their buffalo hunting grounds near Ash Creek . The 1st Colorado Regiment , under the command of Lieutenant George Eayre , approached the group. Positive that this would be a peaceful encounter, Lean Bear went alone to meet the militia to show his peaceful intentions. On his chest, Lean Bear proudly wore his peace medal that he had received on his trip to Washington D.C. in 1863. In his hand, he held an official document signed by Lincoln stating that he

9202-483: The village are known to have survived the massacre: George Bent's brother Charlie Bent, and two Cheyenne women who were later turned over to William Bent. According to western author and historian Larry McMurtry , the son of Chivington's scout John Smith (by an Indian mother) was in the camp, survived the attack and was "executed" afterward. The Sand Creek Massacre resulted in a heavy loss of life, mostly among Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children. The hardest hit by

9309-519: The village was $ 43,947, and the median income for a family was $ 60,101. Males had a median income of $ 51,484 versus $ 36,385 for females. The per capita income for the village was $ 24,534. About 11.0% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. There were 3,131 housing units at an average density of 711.6 per square mile (274.8/km ). 7.0% of housing units were vacant. There were 2,913 occupied housing units in

9416-460: The village. 1,840 were owner-occupied units (63.2%), while 1,073 were renter-occupied (36.8%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 6.7%. Sand Creek Massacre The Sand Creek massacre (also known as the Chivington massacre , the battle of Sand Creek or the massacre of Cheyenne Indians ) was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by

9523-460: The war could be commenced anew. In July 1864, Colorado Governor John Evans sent a circular to the Plains Indians, inviting those who were friendly to go to a place of safety at Fort Lyon on the eastern plains, where their people would be given provisions and protection by the United States troops. The circular itself was dated June 27, 1864. It was not until three months later, September 28, that

9630-537: The war, Ross was suspected of being a Southern sympathizer by some of his fellow Illinoisans, and during the draft riots in Fulton County during the war, a cannon was reportedly trained on his house for several days. Nevertheless, Ross' position reflected that of many of his fellow citizens of Fulton County, as evidenced by the fact that he was twice re-elected to Congress. During the Reconstruction Era following

9737-422: The white negotiators at the September 28th meeting were highly contradictory. On the one hand, Governor Evans told the chiefs, "The time when you can make war best is in the summer; when I can make war best is in the winter. You, so far, have had the advantage. My time is just coming." On the other hand, Colonel Chivington told the assembled Chiefs that if they sought peace, they should come to Fort Lyon and be under

9844-532: The women's suffrage resolution was instrumental in its passage. Nearby Waterloo was the planning location for the convention, which is commemorated by the Women's Rights National Historical Park in the two villages. In July 1923 the National Woman's Party celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 1848 Seneca Falls convention with a pageant and pilgrimage to Susan B. Anthony ’s grave in nearby Rochester, though Anthony did not attend in 1848. Alice Paul presented

9951-636: The work. However, none of Ross' other children bear any obvious relationship to the offspring of the Washington McNeely character. The "great mansion-house" mentioned in the verse refers to the Ross Mansion, a New England style building modeled after a mansion on the Hudson River that Ross admired. The mansion was demolished in 1962, and the land was designated by the City of Lewistown as Ross Mansion Park, which

10058-526: The worst passions that ever cursed the heart of man. In conclusion, your committee are of the opinion that for the purpose of vindicating the cause of justice and upholding the honor of the nation, prompt and energetic measures should be at once taken to remove from office those who have thus disgraced the government by whom they are employed, and to punish, as their crimes deserve, those who have been guilty of these brutal and cowardly acts. Statements taken by Major Edward W. Wynkoop and his adjutant substantiated

10165-520: Was 6,809. The hamlet is in the Town of Seneca Falls , east of Geneva . It was an incorporated village from 1831 to 2011. Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) is south of the hamlet. Seneca Falls was the site of the Seneca Falls Convention , a foundational event in the Women's Rights Movement . The town is believed by some to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of "Bedford Falls, N.Y." portrayed in filmmaker Frank Capra 's classic 1940s film " It's

10272-430: Was an ardent supporter of Douglas' senatorial and presidential campaigns. Following Douglas' death in 1861, Ross continued to espouse the late Senator Douglas' political views regarding the Civil War. In an address to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1864, Ross invoked the late Senator Douglas and called for a cessation of the conflict through "mutual concessions and a fair and just compromise." Because of his views on

10379-472: Was corroborated by other witnesses. One witness, Captain Silas Soule , who had ordered the men under his command not to fire their weapons, was murdered in Denver just weeks after offering his testimony. “Before I got into the creek there were troops upon both sides firing across. It was unsafe for me to take my command up the creek,” Soule testified. He only testified about his concern for crossfire; he never testified that he refused to fight. However, despite

10486-478: Was elected captain of the company. Two of Lewis Ross' brothers, First Lieutenant Leonard F. Ross and Private Pike C. Ross, were among those who served under him in Company K. In 1861, Illinois Governor Richard Yates offered Ross a commission as colonel of volunteers, but Ross declined the offer. Nevertheless, Lewis Ross was often addressed as Colonel Ross throughout his later life and in various histories concerning

10593-412: Was for a rotary water pump . He later moved to Lockport, New York , where he continued inventing, but his work with pumps was continued by Seabury S. Gould Sr. who cast the first all-metal (cast iron) pump and founded Goulds Pumps , a worldwide pump manufacturer , which was the world's largest company dedicated to producing only pumps when it was taken over by ITT Technology in 1997. While working for

10700-425: Was great danger of it, and then he told White Antelope that one of the military chiefs (Colonel Chivington) was present and could tell the tribes what was necessary to secure peace. Governor Evans made clear that the purpose of the circular was not to extend peace, but rather it was an attempt to bring in the Indians who were friendly and were exposed to repudiation by the other tribes as a result. The messages given by

10807-439: Was justified by the massacre. The events at Sand Creek dealt a fatal blow to the traditional Cheyenne clan system and the authority of its Council of Chiefs. It had already been weakened by the numerous deaths due to the 1849 cholera epidemic, which killed perhaps half the Southern Cheyenne population, especially the Masikota and Oktoguna bands. It was further weakened by the emergence of the separate Dog Soldiers band. After

10914-408: Was peaceful and friendly with whites. What Lean Bear did not realize was that Eayre's troops were operating under orders from Colonel John M. Chivington to "kill Cheyennes whenever and wherever found." Eayre ordered his men to shoot Lean Bear, who was wounded and fell off his horse. He was then shot repeatedly by the soldiers as they rode past his body on the ground. Newspaper reports and books from

11021-405: Was re-elected for a 2nd term in 2008. On March 16, 2010, Seneca Falls village residents voted to dissolve the village effective December 31, 2011. The village began investigating the possibility of dissolution in 2006, commissioning three different studies covering continuity of village services and disposition of village assets and debt. It was postulated that by dissolving the village,

11128-575: Was refused, Eayre was to attack the camp. Without following the order to first parley, Eayre and his men burned and plundered Crow Chief's camp of seventy lodges, which they abandoned once they were alerted to the approach of Eayre's forces. Eayre's men then found, plundered, and burned Chief Coon's camp (which Coon's band had likewise fled after being alerted of Eayre's approach by their scouts). On May 16, less than 15 months after meeting President Lincoln in Washington, Lean Bear, Black Kettle, and others in

11235-542: Was smoked and passed from camp to camp among the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors in the area. In January 1865, they planned and carried out an attack with 1,000 warriors on the stage station and fort, then called Camp Rankin, at present-day Julesburg, Colorado . This was followed by numerous raids along the South Platte both east and west of Julesburg, and a second raid on the town of Julesburg in early February. The bulk of

11342-513: Was the basis for the character of Washington McNeely in Edgar Lee Masters ' Spoon River Anthology . Two of Ross' sons provided the basis for other characters in that work. The suicide of Ross' son Ossian Reuben Ross is alluded to in Masters' depiction of the character of Harry McNeely, Washington McNeely's son; Lewis Cass Ross was the basis for the character of Lucious Atherton in another part of

11449-811: Was unable to pull the Second Colorado Volunteers, led by Colonel Ford, off of the eastern Civil War front. As a result of the repeated calls for aid, authorization was granted to call up "one-hundred-days' men" to form the Third Colorado Volunteers. In 1864, before the events of the Massacre of Sand Creek, there were 32 Indian attacks on record. These resulted in the death of 96 settlers, 21 being wounded, and eight being captured. Between 250 and 300 head of livestock were stolen, 12 wagon trains and stagecoaches were attacked, robbed, or destroyed, and nine ranches and settlements were raided. An exact number

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