Battle of Julesburg (Colorado)-- Part 1: Indian Response to Sand Creek Massacre

In the last post, I wrote about two companies of Nebraska Militia being involved in a battle here and at Camp Rankin in extreme northeastern Colorado.

From Wikipedia.

The Battle of Julesburg took place January 7, 1865, near Julesburg, Co. between 1,000 Cheyenne, Arapaho and Lakota Indians and about 60 U.S. soldiers and 40-50 civilians.  The Indians defeated the U.S. soldiers and for the next few weeks  plundered ranches and stagecoach stations up and down  the valley of the South Platte River.

This was in response to the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29, 1865.

Julesburg was an important  way station on the Overland Trail, consisting of  a stage coach station, stables, an express and telegraph office, a warehouse and a large store catering to travelers along.  The residents of the place at the time were described as fifty men armed to the teeth.

One mile west of Julesburg was Fort (or Camp) Rankin (later Fort Sedgwick) with one company of cavalry under Captain Nicholas J. Obrien.  The fort was  only about four months old at the time, but quite formidable, measuring 240 by 360-feet and ringed by a sod wall 18 feet tall.

--Old Secesh