Sand Creek Massacre:
- In November 1864, Colonel John Chivington led a surprise attack on a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho camp at Sand Creek in eastern Colorado.
- Hundreds of men, women, and children were brutally massacred, and the event became known as the Sand Creek Massacre.
Washita Massacre:
- In November 1868, U.S. Cavalry forces under the command of Colonel George Armstrong Custer attacked a Cheyenne village led by Chief Black Kettle on the Washita River in Oklahoma.
- Despite displaying a white flag as a sign of peace, the village was attacked, resulting in numerous casualties and deepening tensions between the U.S. military and the Southern Cheyenne.
Battle of Summit Springs:
- In July 1869, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors engaged in a battle with U.S. troops led by Major Eugene A. Carr at Summit Springs, Colorado.
- The battle was part of the ongoing conflicts between the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations and the U.S. military during the Indian Wars.
Dull Knife's Raid:
- In November 1878, a group of Northern Cheyenne led by Chief Dull Knife, along with some Arapaho, attempted to escape from their confinement at Fort Robinson in Nebraska.
- During their breakout, they fought several battles with U.S. troops in what became known as Dull Knife's Raid.
These and other instances of attacks had severe and lasting impacts on the Cheyenne and Arapaho communities, disrupting their traditional ways of life, causing population decimation, and resulting in the loss of ancestral lands and territories. These events contribute to the complex history of Indigenous-U.S. relations and continue to be recognized as moments of profound injustice and cultural trauma for the Cheyenne and Arapaho people.