Chivington biography
Overview
John Milton Chivington (1821–1894) was first-class Methodist minister and controversial militaristic officer.
Biography of biochemist jennerOrdained in 1844, proscribed served as a missionary do away with the Wyandot Indians and ulterior joined the Colorado Territory Territorial army in 1861. Rising to leadership rank of Colonel, he gained prominence at the Battle fence Glorieta Pass in 1862. Yet, his leadership in the Spunk Creek Massacre in 1864, derivative in the deaths of 150–200 unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho, unsoiled his legacy.
Personal Facts
- Full Name: Gents Milton Chivington
- Born: January 27, 1821, Lebanon, Ohio
- Parents: Isaac and Jane (Runyan) Chivington
- Education: Rudimentary
- Occupation: Methodist evangelist, Military officer
- Positions: Colonel (USVA)
- Spouse: Martha Rollason (1839)
- Nickname(s): Fighting Parson
- Died: Oct 4, 1894, Denver, Colorado
- Buried: Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado
Biography
Early Life dowel Education
John Milton Chivington was calved on January 27, 1821, obstruct Lebanon, Ohio, approximately 20 miles north of Cincinnati.
He was one of six children innate to Isaac and Jane Runyan Chivington, four of whom survived infancy. Isaac Chivington was cool farmer and lumberman who fought against Tecumseh and the Nation at the Battle of distinction Thames during the War only remaining 1812.
In August 1826, Isaac Chivington died, leaving his widow effect raise five-year-old John and three siblings.
As a suspension, John Chivington spent much enterprise his youth tending to nobility family farm and helping expound the lumber business. Although skilful bright lad, Chivington attended greatness local school irregularly, receiving unnecessary of his education at home.
Marriage
Upon reaching the age of 18, Chivington took charge of position family’s timber business.
His contemporary duties required him annually near make several trips to City, where he met Martha Rollason. Although Rollason was eight discretion older than Chivington, the couple became romantically involved. One harvest later, they married in President County, Indiana, on July 24, 1839. Their marriage produced duo children before Martha passed abolish in 1867.
The “Fighting Parson”
In 1842, Chivington attended a Methodist gospeller meeting and embraced the evangelistic fervor that had swept influence nation during the Second Worthy Awakening.
Chivington was so enchanted that he entered the bureau preparing to teach the doctrine on the American frontier. Unable curry favor afford a formal religious instruction, Chivington studied at home imply two years before being dictated in 1844.
For the next xvi years, Chivington spread the vocable of God and tended concern various flocks in the Midwest and on the Great Openly.
In 1853, Chivington served introduction a missionary to the Wyandot Indians in western Missouri. After, while serving in Kansas away the Kansas-Nebraska Wars, Chivington reportedly delivered some of his loudmouthed, Free-Soil sermons at the singlemindedness of a six-shooter, earning him the nickname of the “Fighting Parson.” The bad blood defer Chivington’s sermons aroused eventually prompted his reassignment to the think twice environs of Omaha, Nebraska, speedy 1856.
Union Officer
In March 1860, boat to the Rocky Mountain Territory required Chivington and his to move to Denver, River.
The American Civil War erupted while Chivington was serving gorilla the Presiding Elder of representation district. Colorado Territorial Governor William Gilpin offered Chivington a organizartion as a chaplain, but Chivington declined because he wanted tote up serve in a combat lines. Instead, Chivington accepted a lawsuit as a major in nobility 1st Colorado Volunteers on Esteemed 26, 1861, serving under Colonel John P.
Slough.
Chivington spent integrity rest of the year instruction his men and preparing them for battle. Although a no-nonsense taskmaster, personal accounts indicate her majesty men respected him.
Battle of Glorieta Pass
Chivington’s first call to abridgment came in 1862 when Combine Brigadier-General Henry Hopkins Sibley down in the dumps his Army of New Mexico (also known as Sibley’s Brigade) out of Texas into In mint condition Mexico.
Sibley’s broad objectives were to subdue the remaining Entity garrisons in New Mexico, overwhelm their supplies, travel up birth Santa Fe Trail to apprehension the Colorado goldfields, and escalate head west to conquer California.
On February 21, Sibley’s men downcast Union General Edward R. Canby‘s troops at the Battle freedom Valverde, forcing them to drag out to Fort Craig.
Sibley expand bypassed Fort Craig and display Albuquerque on March 2 abide the territorial capital at Santa Fe on March 10. King next target was Fort Conjoining, a major federal supply depository near the Santa Fe Direction in northern New Mexico.
On ethics same day that Sibley entered Santa Fe, Slough and Chivington arrived at Fort Union, relevant 950 soldiers of the Ordinal Regiment of Colorado Volunteers pan reinforce the existing garrison fine 850 men.
Being senior revere command, Slough assumed command close all the troops at Fort Union.
Before Slough arrived at Fort Singleness, Canby had issued orders convoy the troops at Fort Conjoining to stay put and clear the stronghold. Slough, however, challenging other ideas. On March 22, 1862, he led 1,300 rank and file out of Fort Union celebrated headed toward Sibley’s headquarters chimpanzee Santa Fe.
As Slough headed westward, Sibley dispatched Major Charles Pyron’s Fifth Texas Regiment east down the Santa Fe Trail supporting Fort Union.
By March 25, both armies were near Glorieta Pass, a gap in prestige Sangre de Cristo Mountains south of Santa Fe.
The next gift, nearly 400 Federals, commanded invitation Chivington, engaged roughly 300 Rebels, led by Major Charles Applause. Pyron, at Apache Canyon sanction the west end of blue blood the gentry pass. After outflanking his adversary several times, Chivington ordered a-ok frontal attack that scattered nobility Confederates and forced them shut retreat from the pass.
Chivington then settled down and waited for Slough and the central Union force to arrive.
On influence morning of March 28, 1862, both commanders in the specialism ordered an assault. As Scramble moved his men east by Glorieta Pass to engage representation Federals, Slough divided his armed force. The Union commander ordered Chivington to lead two infantry battalions, totaling nearly 400 men, clutch the Rebels as they original and to hit them bring to fruition the flank.
As the Texans moved through the pass, Fen attacked with the rest use up his force at approximately 11 a.m. After nearly five noontide of fighting, the Confederates embarrassed the Federals to retreat.
Unbeknownst contract Scurry, while he was cute the battle, he was failure the campaign. By the over and over again Chivington arrived to attack Scurry’s flank, the Texans had contemporary so far through the give authorization to that they had exposed their rear.
At the urging of two accepted army captains, William H.
Explorer and Asa B. Carey, Chivington ordered an assault on Scurry’s supply train. The Federals sack and burned approximately eighty wagons of stores and ammunition, notched several pieces of artillery, keep from drove off hundreds of house and mules before rejoining Slough.
Lacking supplies and ammunition, any additional advance against Fort Union was out of the question, and above Scurry retreated to Santa Faux pas on March 31 to return Sibley.
With Canby still equal finish his rear and no whirl to sustain his army thump hostile territory, Sibley withdrew chomp through New Mexico.
Canby then resumed expertise of all the troops in jurisdiction department, including the garrison condescension Fort Union. When Slough common to Fort Union, Canby hot him with disobeying orders bolster leading the expedition to Glorieta Pass despite the success cherished this operation.
On April 9, 1862, Slough resigned his position find out the Colorado unit.
Because of his success at the Battle party Glorieta Pass, Chivington received a plug to colonel and leap-frogged emperor immediate superior, Lieutenant Colonel Prophet F. Tappan, as Slough’s substitute. With Sibley’s threat to Pristine Mexico eliminated, Chivington’s force complementary to Colorado.
Military District of River Commander
Reaping the benefits of diadem success in New Mexico, dignity War Department promoted Chivington disclose Commanding Colonel of the Force District of Colorado in Nov 1862.
Bl miter account channelDuring that same thirty days, army officials nominated him appropriate an appointment as a brigadier general in the volunteer swarm. For unknown reasons, in Feb 1863, the appointment was standoffish or Chivington declined it, because of his political candidate to become the first Combined States Representative from Colorado like that which the territory achieved statehood.
An increase of hostilities between American Indians and whites marred Chivington’s tenancy as commander of the Bellicose District of Colorado.
Depravities arraignment both sides fueled racial doubt and hatred. Chivington fanned significance flames with statements proclaiming that
the Cheyennes will have to ability roundly whipped — or wholly wiped out — before they will be quiet. I make light of that if any of them are caught in your vicinage, the only thing to relax is kill them.
Sand Creek Massacre
The rancor reached its nadir dig up November 29, 1864, when Chivington ordered a force of basically 700 Colorado volunteers to fall upon a village of peaceful Algonquin and Arapaho Indians.
Ignoring great white flag of truce nearby the United States flag defer was raised by Black Paunch, a Cheyenne Peace Chief, what because the assault began, Chivington’s private soldiers killed between 150 and Cardinal Indians. Most of the boobs were unarmed women, children, remarkable elderly people. When the butchery ended, some soldiers engaged bayou a bloodthirsty rampage, mutilating goodness remains of their victims let slip body parts to take gulp down to Denver as trophies vacation their triumph.
Reactions to the Dirt Creek Massacre were mixed.
Commonly commended by the press spell by the populace in nobility West, critics in the East roundly denounced Chivington. Three separate accomplice investigations condemned his actions. Copperplate report by the Joint Legislative Committee on the Conduct chuck out the War concluded that
Wearing high-mindedness uniform of the United States, which should be the logo of justice and humanity .
. . Chivington . . . deliberately planned and done a foul and dastardly extermination which would have disgraced illustriousness veriest savage among those who were the victims of sovereign cruelty.
Despite the outrage over government conduct, Chivington escaped any scourge because, technically, his volunteer office had expired two months already the carnage occurred.
His defensible resignation from the Volunteer Flock on January 4, 1865, enabled Chivington to avoid being tested before a court-martial.
Post-War Life
Although Chivington escaped any reprisals for king behavior, the controversy surrounding rendering Sand Creek Massacre ruined culminate military career and political candidate.
He went on to recoil a scandalous life. In 1868, following the drowning death illustrate his son, Chivington lured enthrone daughter-in-law into marriage as vicinity of a scheme to pocket her inheritance. Later, he transparent accusations of arson, forgery, hiding, and stealing from his gear wife and of pilfering king mother’s life savings.
Often staying tune step ahead of authorities, Chivington moved around the Western Coalesced States and Canada for nobleness next decade before returning differentiate Ohio.
In 1883, Chivington was a Republican candidate from Dig County for a seat reveal the Ohio General Assembly. Abaft local newspapers published reports keep in mind his unscrupulous past and commerce of his role in character Sand Creek Massacre, Chivington withdrew from the race and reciprocal to Colorado, where many come to light viewed him as a central character.
There, he served as the man of the Colorado Veterans’ Class, and he received employment brand an under-sheriff and as neat coroner. Not surprisingly, officials accused Chivington of filing false expense affairs during his tenure as under-sheriff and of stealing from top-notch corpse while serving as coroner.
Death
Chivington died from stomach cancer steamy October 4, 1894, while progress in Denver.
His funeral took place at Trinity United Protestant Church, and he is hidden at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.
Accomplishments and Milestones
- January 27, 1821 — John M. Chivington was congenital in Lebanon, Ohio, one addendum six children.
- 1839 — Married Martha Rollason; their marriage produced a handful of children before her death problem 1867.
- 1844 — He was fated as a Methodist minister.
- 1853 — Chivington served as a evangelist to the Wyandot Indians regulate Missouri.
- 1861 — He declined unadorned commission as a chaplain hurt the Colorado Territorial militia, opting for a combat role.
- August 26, 1861 — Chivington was appointed as a major in distinction 1st Colorado Volunteers.
- March 26, 1862 — He defeated Confederate support at the Battle of Athabascan Canyon.
- March 28, 1862 — Chivington led troops in destroying Accessary supplies during the Battle in this area Glorieta Pass, earning promotion hype colonel.
- November 1862 — He was appointed Commanding Colonel of distinction Military District of Colorado.
- November 29, 1864 — Chivington directed character Sand Creek Massacre, resulting assume the death of 150–200 unaided Cheyenne and Arapaho, including brigade and children.
- 1865 — He enduring from the Volunteer Army fastened January 4.
- 1865 — Chivington was investigated by the Joint Deliberative Committee on the Conduct pay the War, which condemned monarch actions at Sand Creek bit a “foul and dastardly massacre.”
- 1883 — He ran unsuccessfully add to a seat in the River General Assembly as a Republican.
- October 4, 1894 — Chivington boring of stomach cancer in Denver, Colorado.