Seeking records of Co H, 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment

Judy,

Here is an article regarding an investigation and conflict. Here are some other links as well.

Colorado 3rd Regiment Roster

https://www.kclonewolf.com/History/SandCreek/sc-documents/sc-colorado-third-regiment.html

Colorado 1st Regiment Roster

https://www.kclonewolf.com/History/SandCreek/sc-documents/sc-colorado-first-regiment.html

The formation of the units:

https://archives.colorado.gov/sites/archives/files/ColoradoVolunteers1861-1865.pdf

https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/media/document/2019/Mss.00141_Colorado_Volunteers_Civil_War.pdf

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/sand-creek-november-29-1864

Dear Ms. Scully,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Regimental and Company Books of Civil War Volunteer Union Organizations, 1861 - 1867 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1917 (Record Group 94) that includes Regimental and Company Books of the 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment.  These consist of 7 books. While there is not a book specifically for Company H, there may be records related to Company H in the books for the Regiment as a whole. We also located Court Martial Case Files, 12/1800 - 10/1894 in the Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Army) (Record Group 153) that includes Inquiry-Chivington, J.M. -- Colonel, Colorado - 1st Cavalry. Next, we located Letters Received, 11/1862 - 4/1865 of the War Department’s District of Colorado Territory in Records of U.S. Army Continental Commands (Record Group 393) that includes file 98 D 1864 relating to the Massacre. Plus, we located Document Files, 1890 - 1917 in Record Group 94 that includes file #29398 PRD 1892 relating to the Massacre. In addition, Microfilm Publication T494, Documents Relating to the Negotiation of Ratified and Unratified Treaties with Various Indian Tribes, 1801-1869 includes a schedule of Cheyenne property lost or destroyed on November 29, 1864 at Sand Creek on Roll 8. These records have not been digitized and are not available online. For more information about these non-digitized records, please email the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at archives1reference@nara.gov.

Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1.  We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA’s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information.

Further, we located Letters Received, 1805 - 1889 in Record Group 94 that includes the file titled 1864 - Chivington, J M - File No. K128.  We then located Government Publications, 1861 - 1992 in the Publications of the U.S. Government (Record Group 287) that includes an excerpt of the report Conditions of the Indian Tribes with testimony concerning the massacre. Additionally, we located Territorial Papers, 1789 - 1873 in the General Records of the Department of State (Record Group 59) that includes the item December 28, 1859 - April 22, 1874. Image 390, p. 19 briefly mentions the massacre. Next, we located the  National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017 in Records of the National Park Service (Record Group 79) that includes the registration form for Colorado SP Sand Creek Massacre Site.These records have been digitized and are available online through the Catalog.

The Colorado State Archives has additional military records pertaining to Colorado Volunteers.

Records concerning the massacre were published in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series 1, Volume 41, In Four Parts. Part 1, Reports, pp. 948-972. This publication is available through a variety of institutions, to include digital copies available on The Portal to Texas History.

Also, the University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons makes available online the Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, at the Second Session Thirty-Eighth Congress. Sherman--Johnston. Light-Draught Monitors. Massacre of the Cheyenne Indians. Ice Contracts. Rosecrans's Campaigns. Miscellaneous. (1214 S.rp.142); the Letter of the Secretary of War, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the Senate of the 30th ultimo, the official reports, papers, and other facts in relation to the causes and extent of the late massacre of United States troops by Indians at Fort Phil. Kearney (1277 S.exdoc.15); the Report of the Joint Special Committee, appointed under joint resolution of March 3, 1865. (1279 S.rp.156); and the Letter from the Secretary of the Interior, transmitting estimates of appropriations for survey of lands for benefit of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians (1337 H.exdoc.104).

Finally, the National Park Service has published a history of the event on the website of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Colorado.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!