[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE STUDY ACT OF 1998

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, Tuesday, October 6, 1998, will always 
hold a spot dear to my heart. I hope that today will also be dear to 
the hearts of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people, dear to Coloradans, and 
dear to Americans everywhere.
  Today, S. 1695, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Study 
Act of 1998, a bill I was proud to introduce, was signed into law at a 
special White House ceremony. Under this new law, our nation takes a 
major step toward honoring the memory of the many innocent Cheyenne and 
Arapahoe people massacred there by instructing the National Park 
Service to locate the site of the Sand Creek Massacre once and for all.
  Somewhere along the banks of Sand Creek in Southeastern Colorado is a 
killing field where many innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho, many of my 
ancestors, fell on the cold morning of November 29, 1864. On that day, 
in the month known by the Cheyenne and Arapaho people as the Month of 
the Freezing Moon, this ground was sanctified when the blood of 
hundreds of innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children and elderly 
noncombatants was needlessly and brutally spilt.
  Once this sacred ground is located, I hope it will be acquired and 
preserved with honor and dignity and in a way that takes into account 
the concerns of the Cheyenne and Arapaho decedents of those who died 
there. This ground should also be open to all people as a reminder of 
the national tragedy that occurred at Sand Creek.
  On this special day, I would like to take a moment to thank a few 
people who helped S. 1695 become law. I want to thank my colleague from 
Colorado, Congressman Bob Schaffer, who introduced the companion bill 
and shepherded this legislation through the House of Representatives. I 
also want to thank Senator Craig Thomas, who as the Chairman of the 
National Parks Subcommittee, was gracious and helpful in getting this 
bill through the Senate.
  I especially want to thank my friends William Walksalong, Steve Brady 
and Laird Cometsevah, who all spoke with such eloquence as witnesses 
during the March 24th, 1998, hearing on S. 1695, that many in the room, 
including myself, were deeply moved. I also want to thank LaForce 
Lonebear who sent in his testimony even though he could not attend the 
hearing. Finally, I want to thank David Halaas of the Colorado State 
Historical Society and Roger Walke of the Congressional Research 
Service for their dedication along the way.
  Many of these and other friends joined me at the White House earlier 
today as S. 1695 was signed into law.
  Finally, on this occasion I want to pay a long overdue tribute to one 
young Coloradan, Captain Silas S. Soule, whose actions over one hundred 
and thirty years ago saved many innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho lives on 
that fateful day at Sand Creek.
  When Captain Soule, who was under Colonel Chivington's command, heard 
of Chivington's plan to attack a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho winter 
encampment at Sand Creek, he vigorously tried to persuade Chivington to 
abandon the plan. However, Colonel Chivington, who was known to say 
``Nits make Lice'' as a justification for killing innocent Cheyenne and 
Arapaho women and children, could not be dissuaded.
  When Chivington ordered his men to attack the peaceful Sand Creek 
encampment, the vast majority of which were women, children, and 
elderly noncombatants, Captain Soule steadfastly refused to order his 
Company to open fire. Captain Soule's refusal allowed many, perhaps 
hundreds, of innocent Cheyenne and Arapaho to flee the bloody killing 
field through his Company's line.
  While the Sand Creek Massacre was at first hailed as a great victory, 
Captain Soule was determined to make the horrific truth of the massacre 
known. Even though he was jailed, intimidated, threatened, and even 
shot at, Soule refused to compromise himself and made his voice heard 
through reports that reached all the way from Colorado to Washington, 
and even to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Even with the bloody carnage 
of the Civil War, the brutal atrocities at Sand Creek shocked the 
nation.
  During hearings in Denver, Captain Soule's integrity and unwavering 
testimony turned the tide against the once popular Chivington and the 
other men who participated in the massacre and mutilations at Sand 
Creek. Captain Soule fully realized that telling the truth about the 
massacre could cost him his life, even telling a good friend that he 
fully expected to be killed for his testimony. He was right. Walking 
home with his new bride a short time later, Silas Soule was ambushed 
and shot in the head by an assassin who had participated in the Sand 
Creek Massacre. Silas Soule's funeral, held just a few weeks after his 
wedding, was one of the most attended in Denver up until that time.
  While Captain Silas Soule's name has largely faded into history, he 
stands out as one of the few bright rays of light in the moral darkness 
that surrounds the Sand Creek Massacre. He should be remembered.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

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