Rarely have I about faced on an issue so quickly. I dont withdraw my initial criticisms because based on what I initially read it looked to me as if you had gone over the top, but I now think inverarity was both disingenous and dishonest in his review.
Bradley may not be as bad as inverarity - I'D have to read the book - but his treatment of Chivington does not inspire confidence, now that I have had time to read up on the fellow. The grisly celebration he describes took place in the context of a recent rash of settlers murdered by Indians - who were in fact not connected with Black Kettle's band, the victims of Sand Creek. As news got out of the actual nature of the massacre Chivinton was condemned by many fellow officers, among them Kit Carson, and by 2 Army committees on the conduct of the war. He never went on trial nor did any of his men, because the war ended a year later and they were covered by the general amnesty at its end. Certainly the echoes of this outrage among white folks were picked up by my aunt 60 years later - I remember her teling me that the common opinion was that Chivington was mad.
His political career in Ohio, years later, was wrecked when an opponent brought up Sand Creek. He advanced no furher in the Mefhodist hierarchy in Colorado in which he had been prominent before the war. Certainly he did not serve as a deputy sheriff for 48 years, to the plaudits of a grateful Denver citizenry, because he died in 1894, 30 years after Sand Creek, and in any case spent much of his later life outside Colorado. He did die in Denver and Bradley gets close to his age at death, 73.
As I say I'm losing confidence in Mr Bradley.I will probably post more on this later.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
OK I'M CONVINCED
Date: 2011-08-03 12:33 am (UTC)Bradley may not be as bad as inverarity - I'D have to read the book - but his treatment of Chivington does not inspire confidence, now that I have had time to read up on the fellow. The grisly celebration he describes took place in the context of a recent rash of settlers murdered by Indians - who were in fact not connected with Black Kettle's band, the victims of Sand Creek. As news got out of the actual nature of the massacre Chivinton was condemned by many fellow officers, among them Kit Carson, and by 2 Army committees on the conduct of the war. He never went on trial nor did any of his men, because the war ended a year later and they were covered by the general amnesty at its end. Certainly the echoes of this outrage among white folks were picked up by my aunt 60 years later - I remember her teling me that the common opinion was that Chivington was mad.
His political career in Ohio, years later, was wrecked when an opponent brought up Sand Creek. He advanced no furher in the Mefhodist hierarchy in Colorado in which he had been prominent before the war. Certainly he did not serve as a deputy sheriff for 48 years, to the plaudits of a grateful Denver citizenry, because he died in 1894, 30 years after Sand Creek, and in any case spent much of his later life outside Colorado. He did die in Denver and Bradley gets close to his age at death, 73.
As I say I'm losing confidence in Mr Bradley.I will probably post more on this later.