Across The Fence - Captain Silas S. Soule: The face of moral courage

Silas Stillman Soule was born in late July of 1838 in Bath, Maine. His father, Amasa Soule, was an American citizen of Dutch decent though Silas seemed more akin to his Irish friends.

Adapting a convincing Irish brogue to match that of his fellow workers in eastern factories, Silas easily gained the admiration of those he encountered. As a young man, his inclination for good-humored mischief often resulted in fisticuffs that his "Irish" façade readily welcomed.

In the early 1850s, Amasa became involved in the New England Emigrant Aid Co., whose purpose was to populate the Kansas Territory with ardent abolitionists and to bring the territory into the Union as a free state. In 1854, Amasa and Silas' older brother settled in Coal Creek near the town of Lawrence. Later that summer, Silas, his mother and two sisters joined them. The Soule family was one of the founding families of Coal Creek, Kan.

Not long after establishing themselves in the community, Amasa made their home a place of refuge along the elusive Underground Railroad – a route used to assist escaped slaves as they made there way to freedom in the northern states. At 17, young Silas was actively escorting slaves from Missouri along this secret and often dangerous route.

The Soules were supporters and friends of the fanatical John Brown, who often brought groups of escapees to the Soules' home and Silas would then smuggle them to the next stop on the "Railroad," a stone barn eight miles away..

These were the years when Kansas Territory earned the name of "Bloody Kansas," where deadly conflicts between pro-slavery factions and abolitionists escalated to open warfare even before the advent of Civil War. It was during these times that Silas Soule established a reputation as an able and cunning fighter. The Kansas abolitionists adopted the name of a fierce mythical creature, a combination of two birds of prey that relentlessly pursue their quarry before attacking and destroying it – the Jayhawk. Young Silas joined their ranks.

In 1859, Silas was involved in a skirmish along the Kansas/Missouri border when 20 pro-slavery fighters crossed into Kansas Territory on a hunt for escaped slaves. The Missourians ambushed a group of thirteen escaped slaves (eight men, three women and two children) being led by Dr. John Doy of Lawrence, Kan. The Missourians captured the escapees, arrested Doy and forced them back across the border to Missouri. Doy was tried, found guilty and sentenced to five years in the penitentiary and the 13 slaves were resold.

Silas Soule, along with nine other men, devised a plan to free Doy. The 10 men sneaked across the border to St. Joseph, Mo., where Doy was incarcerated and devising an elaborate charade was able to get Silas arrested. Once inside, Silas convinced a guard that he had a message for Doy. The message was an escape plan.

Overpowering the jailer, the group of commando's freed Doy and quickly made their escape back to Kansas. The 10 men, under Silas Soule's leadership, became known as "The Immortal Ten" – and to the Jayhawkers, Silas was regarded as a hero.

Silas' bravery was tested again when John Brown and two of his men were captured, imprisoned and sentenced to hang following their raid on Harpers Ferry. Once again, Silas managed to get himself arrested and placed on the inside where he contacted Brown and his accomplice's with the particulars of an escape plan.

However, John Brown and his two compatriots declined the possibility of escape and chose to be hanged as martyrs for the cause, hoping that their deaths would hasten the inevitable conflict between the North and South.

In 1860, Silas' father died and Silas – escaping the perils of border raids and potential assassins – determined to seek his fortune and safety in the gold fields of Colorado Territory. Soon the escalating hostilities between pro-slavers and abolitionists became talk of war and Colorado Territory, then under the governance of Kansas, was sitting on the razors edge between slave or free.

Silas abandoned his mining venture and joined up with an old friend of his fathers, Kit Carson in Raton, N.M. After a while with Carson and his company of Scouts, Silas transferred to Colorado's First Regiment, Company K, and soon achieved the rank of First Lieutenant.

When William Quantrill and his pro-slavery ruffians raided and burned Lawrence, Kan., Lt. Soule considered requesting a transfer to a Kansas Regiment to return east where his mother, brother and sisters had settled in Lawrence. However, Silas learned that his family was safe and having achieved the rank of Captain in the Colorado First, Company D, he felt compelled to stay.

In 1864, Soule was placed second in command at Fort Lyon under commanding officer Maj. Edward Wynkoop. The mission of the troops at Fort Lyon was to protect the Santa Fe trade route from Indians and Confederate guerrillas.

During his co-command at Fort Lyon, he and Wynkoop lead an expedition into Kansas Indian country and negotiated for the release of four, white children being held hostage by Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. Together, Wynkoop and Soule negotiated an unofficial treaty with Black Kettle and helped to bring about a meeting between Black Kettle, Bull Bear and other Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders with Colorado Gov. John Evans.

This was a meeting that would later result in an arrangement where Black Kettle and his people would be granted protection and safety under the American flag and the white flag of truce in their camp on the Big Sandy River near Fort Lyon, an agreement that would later be ignored by Col. John Chivington. Wynkoop gave his personal guarantee that the Cheyenne and Arapaho bands in Black Kettle's camp would be safe.

In mid-November 1864, Wynkoop was reassigned and left Fort Lyon before his replacement had arrived. On Nov. 28, Chivington in command of the large contingent of volunteer Colorado Milita, essentially commandeered the troops at Fort Lyon. Ignoring protests of Capt. Soule and other officers at the fort, Chivington launched and offensive campaign against the Cheyenne and Arapaho who had been guaranteed safety on Sand Creek.

The next day, ignoring the Stars and Stripes and the white flag of truce, Chivington and a force of nearly 700 men opened fire on a village of less than 300 Indians.

In the attack, Chivington also ordered the killing of white traders who were in the camp at the time, declaring that even sympathizers and those friendly with the Indians deserved to the shot.

The massacre at Sand Creek was the most gruesome and despicable atrocity committed against the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. Of the nearly 200 killed, most were women and children and the desecration and mutilation of the dead were beyond comprehension.

Kit Carson, when asked his opinion of the actions of Chivington and his command said: "Jis to think of that dog Chivington and his dirty hounds, up thar at Sand Creek. His men shot down squaws, and blew the brains out of little innocent children. You call such soldiers Christians, do ye? And Indians savages? What der yer 'spose our Heavenly Father, who made both them and us, thinks of these things? I tell you what, I don't like a hostile red skin any more than you do. And when they are hostile, I've fought 'em, hard as any man. But I never yet drew a bead on a squaw or papoose, and I despise the man who would."

Soule, in spite of death threats from Chivington, refused to order his men to attack and neither he nor any under his direct command fired a single shot. In January of 1865, Soule was the first to testify against Chivington and documented the unbelievable acts committed by Chivington and those in his command.

After gathering all the evidence, The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War issued the following statement:

"As to Colonel Chivington ... he deliberately planned and executed a foul and dastardly massacre which would have disgraced the veriest savage among those who were the victims of his cruelty. ...he took advantage of their in-apprehension and defenceless condition to gratify the worst passions that ever cursed the heart of man."

Sadly, Chivington had been discharged from service a few days before he had attacked the Cheyenne and Arapaho camps and neither civil nor military authority had the power to impose the appropriate punishment.

In April 1865, Silas Soule, now honorably discharged from the Army, was married to Hersa Coberly and together they settled into their home in Denver. It was but a few days after their marriage that Silas was assassinated on the streets of Denver. His assailants, though known, were never brought to justice.

Throughout the remainder of his life, Soule's friend and commanding officer, Wynkoop, believed that Chivington had arranged the assassination.

M. Timothy Nolting is an award-winning Nebraska columnist and freelance writer. Contact him via email at [email protected]