On November 29, 1864, Colorado militia killed dozens of Cheyenne and Arapaho—many women, children and elderly–in what’s known as the Sand Creek Massacre.
Captain Silas Soule refused to participate and ordered his men to stand down, knowing that most of the Indians were noncombatants. He also helped publicize what happened and the atrocities committed by troops that day. Soule became a hero to many, an enemy to others who participated at Sand Creek.
Soule was assassinated in Denver on April 23, 1865. A Colorado militiaman was suspected but never tried.