These volunteers — the Chivington forces — were not subject to the same discipline and legal accountability that regular Army units theoretically carried.

They were, in some cases, actively hostile to any peaceful accommodation with the plains peoples.

The combination of a gold rush creating massive pressure on Cheyenne territory, a territorial government determined to remove the Cheyenne, and military forces under commanders who shared this determination with the settlers created the conditions for violence.

1864: The Year Everything Broke

The year 1864 was the year the deteriorating situation became catastrophic.

Conflict had been escalating for several years, with raids and counter-raids, attacks on emigrant parties, and retaliatory operations by military forces.