Little Bear, Account of Sand Creek Fight, in Letter from George Bent to George Hyde, April 14, 1906

George Bent was the son of William Bent, a longtime trader and Indian agent, and Bent’s Cheyenne wife, Owl Woman. He was at Sand Creek at the time of the attack. He later took part in retaliatory raids against whites before making peace with them and moving with his family to Indian Territory. In later years he corresponded extensively with George Hyde, a historian of Indians of the Great Plains, in particular the Cheyenne. In this letter, Bent conveys to Hyde the story of Little Bear, another Cheyenne survivor of the episode. The letter was written, and presumably Little Bear told his story to Bent, in 1906, forty-two years after the events at Sand Creek.

Dear Friend

Little Bear’s account of Sand Creek fight in 1864:

I got up at daylight to go out to where our ponies were left in the evening by my brother-in-law (Tomahawk). He told me that evening where he had left them and said they would not go very far from there as grass was good where he left them. It took me little time to dress up. I started across the creek.

As I was going up on hill I met King Fisher, Indian running back towards the camp. He told me lot of white men were driving off herds of ponies. As he said this I looked towards Fort Lyon Trail south of the village when I seen long black line. Then I knew soldiers were coming to attack the village. I ran back fast as I could. When I got back women, children and men were running up the Sand Creek and good many men did not leave until the soldiers were in the village.

As I ran by Black Kettle’s lodge he had flag tied to lodge pole and was holding it when I got in front of our lodge. I found my war bonnet, shield and my quiver full of arrows as my father Bear Tongue had just made lot of arrows for me. I had my pistol with me when I went out after the ponies. By this time soldiers were shooting at everybody.

While I was putting on my war bonnet and shield, bullets were hiting all around me and bullets were hiting the lodges like hard storm. I ran behind the lodges much as I could so the soldiers couldn’t shoot at me good. When I got to the bank of the creek I seen Big Head, Crow Neck, Cut Lip, Bear, and Smoker, standing behind the bank so I joined them. The soldiers soon as they fired into us they got on their horses and followed the Indians that were running up the creek. We were west end of the village not over 100 yards from the lodges. Creek here ran north of the village. Indians were running north of the camp. Soldiers came due south of the village.

We ran across the creek towards high bank. When we got there, soldiers rode up on us again and fired on us from all sides. Big Head and his party still ran west. I turned and went north as I seen big crowd going that way. About 20 soldiers followed me. Big Head and his party were all killed over the hill. Lot of soldiers took after them.

It was about 2 miles where men, women and children throwed up breastworks on bed of the Sand Creek. On way up the feathers of my war bonnet were shot away and my shield was shot several times, but I did not get hit. As I was running by I seen lots of women and children that had been killed. Some were not dead yet. Soldiers did not do no scalping or cutting up until after the fight was over with.

After the fight was over I seen 2 or 3 soldiers together standing over the dead I suppose scalping them. I came across Owl Woman* that had been scalped and was waiting around but could not see. She had very long hair. The whole scalp had been taken. After we all got into the holes not very many Indians got killed. Those that did not get to the holes got all killed.

I will write you what took place after this next mail.

Source: George Bent to George Hyde, Beinecke Library, Yale University.

Evaluating the Evidence

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  2. Question

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