The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, which investigated Sand Creek in 1865, described it as “a foul and dastardly massacre which would have disgraced the veriest savage among those who were the victims of its fierceness.” The congressional investigation was unsparing in its condemnation of Chivington, Evans, and their command.

Chivington was never criminally charged.

He had resigned from the military before the investigation was complete, which meant court-martial was no longer possible.

Evans was removed as territorial governor but faced no legal consequences.

Black Kettle survived.

He would spend the next four years trying to understand what had happened and how to respond to it.

The Meaning of Sand Creek for the Plains Wars

Sand Creek’s immediate impact on the plains was the opposite of what Chivington had intended.