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Why was Black Kettle’s Cheyenne and Arapaho camp especially vulnerable at Sand Creek?

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Plains Wars View of the army camp at Hidden Wood Creek during Lieut. Col. George Armstrong Custer's Black Hills expedition, 1874; photograph by W.H. Illingworth.

Black Kettle’s camp at Sand Creek was not inherently vulnerable due to a lack of defense, but rather because it was positioned in a state of perceived safety and compliance with government directives.

Following instructions from Colorado Territorial Governor John Evans, Black Kettle and other Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders had brought their people to the site near Fort Lyon to report to their Indian agent as "Friendly Indians of the Plains." By camping there, they believed they were under the protection of the U.S. government and were operating under a white flag of truce.1

The camp’s vulnerability was a direct result of this trust; the inhabitants were caught by surprise when Col. John M. Chivington and his troops attacked the village at dawn on November 29, 1864. While the camp contained approximately 750 people, including many women, children, and elderly, they were unprepared for a military assault because they were actively seeking peace.12