Black Kettle was a famous Native American leader of the Southern Cheyenne. In 1862, poor living conditions at the Cheyenne reservation at Sand Creek, Colorado, launched a series of raids that triggered retaliation from Federal troops stationed at Fort Weld, Colorado, under Colonel John Chivington. Negotiations between Black Kettle and Chivington were unsuccessful in making peace. On November 29, 1864, Federal troops massacred the Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek, resulting in the deaths of over 100 natives and twenty-four soldiers. Black Kettle escaped unharmed. He largely continued his negotiations for peace until he was killed by Federal troops in 1868.
