Lot 1656
3rd Colorado Cavalry Statement of Service. Document. Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. One page, quarto, Washington DC, June 30, 1866. Being a statement of service for one Christian Housworth, to Lieutenant Colonel J.W. Nicholls. Stamped signature of Sam Breck, Assistant Adjutant General. Two horizontal folds; top left corner missing, no loss of text; minor toning. Overall, very good condition.
A 100 days regiment, the 3rd Colorado Cavalry was raised to quell Native American unrest in Colorado, filling a gap caused by the necessary loss of Army troops to Civil War battlefields. A volunteer regiment, created with War Department authorization, the 3rd is infamous for its decisive part in the Sand Creek/Chivington Massacre, an incident where troops attacked a band of about 500 Cheyenne and Arapahoe, almost 2/3 of whom were women and children. Believing they fulfilled the terms of an amnesty offered by the Territorial military leaders, the Native Americans had made winter camp about 40 miles from Fort Lyon, flying an American flag and a white flag of truce. The 3rd Cavalry, under Colonel John Chivington, attacked the camp and killed or mutilated almost 200.
Estimated Value $200 - 250.
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| Realized $138 |
