November 27: On This Day in World History … briefly
Black Kettle is often remembered as a peacemaker who accepted treaties with the US government to protect his people. On November 27, 1868, while attempting to escape the Battle of Washita River with his wife, he was shot and killed by soldiers of the US 7th Cavalry.
1868: Custer kills Chief Black Kettle
Blood flowed on the Washita river in western Oklahoma when Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and his 7th Cavalry attacked and burned the village of Cheyenne chief Black Kettle.
The Cheyenne had been bitterly resisting the building of the railroad in their territory, but it appears that Chief Black Kettle had actually been negotiating for peace at the time of his death. The 29-year old Custer was a controversial figure – his daring, reckless style attracted attention at the Battle of Gettysburg and he had only recently been restored to active duty following a court-martial for unauthorised absence from his command and for mistreating deserters.
Within an hour after the dawn attack, 103 warriors were dead, according to Custer’s unverified estimate. The 23 US dead, among them Major Joel Elliott, were slaughtered while in hot pursuit of a group of fleeing Indians.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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