The Captivity of Fanny Kelly: A Story of Faith and Resilience

Imagine that you're traveling across the American frontier, seeking a fresh start with your loved ones, when suddenly, everything changes in the blink of an eye. This was the reality for Fanny Kelly, a woman whose incredible story of survival and faith would become one of the most remarkable captivity narratives from the Old West.

In 1864, Fanny’s life took a drastic turn when she was captured by the Sioux, one of the most powerful tribes of the Great Plains. But instead of letting her circumstances defeat her, Fanny’s strength, perseverance, and faith in God carried her through months of hardship. Her story is one of tragedy, yes, but also of incredible courage, and it’s a reminder that no matter how bleak life may seem, God’s grace is always present—even in the darkest moments.

A New Life on the Frontier

Fanny Kelly was born in 1829 in Pennsylvania, and after marrying Samuel Kelly, she moved west with him to start a new life in Colorado. Like many settlers of the time, Fanny and Samuel were filled with hope for a better future as they journeyed westward. They were part of a wagon train that was making its way through southeastern Colorado. The year was 1864, and tensions between Native American tribes and settlers were running high as the U.S. government pushed westward, encroaching on the lands that many tribes had lived on for generations.

Library of Congress, Public domain

The Kellys, along with other travelers, were ambushed by a group of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. It was early in the morning on August 20 when the attack began. The settlers were unprepared for the brutal assault, and many were killed, including Fanny’s husband, Samuel. In the chaos, Fanny became separated from the group and was taken captive by the Sioux.

Library of Congress, Public domain

Life in Captivity

Fanny’s life changed overnight. She went from being a settler woman with a family, a home, and a hopeful future to a prisoner, surrounded by strangers. At first, the Sioux kept her with several other captives, mostly women and children. The conditions were harsh. Fanny was terrified, and it wasn’t just the physical hardship that wore her down, but the emotional toll of losing her husband and the uncertainty of her future.

The Sioux were not quick to harm their captives, but they didn’t exactly show mercy either. Fanny was forced to endure a life for which she was unprepared—struggling to survive on little food and enduring extreme weather while separated from everything she knew. The customs and language of her captors were unfamiliar, and she had to learn how to live in this new world, even though she didn’t want to.

But what stands out most in Fanny’s captivity is her faith. She was a Christian woman, and though she was far from her home and her church, she clung to the belief that God had a purpose for her, even in the midst of trial. During her captivity, Fanny would often pray, and though her circumstances seemed hopeless, her heart remained steadfast. In her darkest moments, she believed that God was watching over her, even when it seemed like no one else cared.

The Escape and the Journey Home

Fanny Kelly, Public Domain

After four months of captivity, Fanny found a chance to escape. One evening, the Sioux camp became distracted. Historians don't know the reason for the disruption. Some speculate that the warriors were preoccupied with gathering food or preparing for travel. Even a simple conversation could have created a lapse in vigilance. Fanny seized the opportunity and slipped away into the night. Alone, scared, and surrounded by wilderness, she nonetheless determined to survive. Fanny traveled through the unforgiving Rocky Mountains, not knowing if she would make it out alive but trusting God to guide her steps.



Fanny wandered in the wilderness for weeks, facing starvation, exposure, and the constant fear of recapture. Through it all, Fanny's faith, courage, and will to survive kept her going. Eventually, Fanny came across a group of soldiers that rescued her.

Although physically weak by the time she made it back to civilization, Fanny felt spiritually strong. She wrote down her story, which was published as Narrative of my Captivity Among the Sioux Indians.The book tells a story of courage, survival, faith, and ultimately God's deliverance that struck a chord with readers of her time, and it continues to inspire many today.

A Legacy of Faith and Courage

Fanny Kelly’s story is more than just a tale of captivity—it’s a testament to the power of faith, hope, and resilience. In a world that often seems out of control, Fanny’s unwavering belief in God’s protection and purpose reminds us that we, too, can face our own struggles with strength and courage.

Her experience reflected many of the trials faced on the frontier. It reminds us that even in the midst of great suffering, God can provide the strength to persevere. Whether in the wilderness of the American Plains or in the wilderness of our own lives, Fanny’s story shows us that hope is always worth holding onto.

As you reflect on Fanny Kelly’s story, consider how her faith and resilience might inspire you in your own life. No matter what challenges you face, remember that God is always with you, and He can help you find a way through—even when it seems impossible.

About Janalyn Voigt

Janalyn Voigt fell in love with literature at an early age when her father read chapters from classics as bedtime stories. When Janalyn grew older, she put herself to sleep with tales "written" in her head. Today Janalyn is a storyteller who writes in several genres. Romance, mystery, adventure, history, and whimsy appear in all her novels in proportions dictated by their genre.

Learn more about Janalyn, read the first chapters of her books and subscribe to her e-letter at http://janalynvoigt.com.

Cheyenne Sunrise

Many of the events in Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold, book 2) are based on Fanny Kelly's account of her captivity. 

Bry, the heroine of Cheyenne Sunrise, travels West by wagon train to start a new life on her brother's ranch. When Sioux warriors capture her, she wonders if she will have the chance. The wagon train's half-Cheyenne trail guide rides after her, even though returning to his mother's tribe opens old wounds.

Cheyenne Sunrise and the six-book Montana Gold series is based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America. Each book in the Montana Gold series explores faith, love, and courage in the Wild West. Learn more.

The Battle of Beecher Island

By Jennifer Uhlarik

 

If you’ve followed my writing here on Heroes, Heroines, and History or my novels, you know that I have concentrated a lot of my posts and stories on the Native Americans. And I’m back again today with another conflict between the whites and the Cheyenne and Sioux from 1868—the Battle of Beecher Island.

 

The Background

After the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado, which I’ve written extensively about here on the blog and in one of my novels (see the end of my post for more about that), the Cheyenne and Sioux nations teamed up together to fight the Frontier army and the white settlers. Every year, they would raid the white settlements in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and other places. In August of 1868, the Native Americans consistently attacked farms, ranches, way stations, and common travel routes in Colorado and had killed 79 settlers in those attacks. Colorado Governor Frank Hall turned to the military for assistance.

 

George A. Forsythe

The 9^th Cavalry’s Major George Alexander Forsyth was tasked with finding fifty top frontiersmen to go after the Plains tribes who were committing these attacks, and he was given permission to use the Indians’ own tactics, rather than typical military protocols in pursuing and fighting them. Forsyth picked forty-eight men from two Kansas forts as his team, and he outfitted each man with the new Spencer Repeating Rifle, which could hold and fire seven bullets in rapid succession before needing to be reloaded.

 

On The Trail

On September 10, 1868, word came to Fort Wallace that a freighter’s train had been attacked 13 miles away. Forsyth, who’d been made a Brevet Colonel, and his frontiersmen got on the trail and began to follow the Native Americans. For days, Forsyth and his men continued their pursuit, slowly gaining ground. At first, they followed a group of about twenty-five warriors, but as time passed, the group they followed merged with others until the frontiersmen realized they were greatly outnumbered. Within six days, they knew they were close to catching up to the mighty fighting force ahead of them, and on September 16, Forsyth opted to make camp early and rest his men, since he expected to catch the Indians the following day. They camped along the Dry Fork of the Republican River (now known as the Arikaree River) in Yuma County, Colorado. What isn’t clear is whether Forsyth realized he was camped only twelve miles downstream from anywhere between 200 and 1000 (some reports say 200, others 600, and a few say as many as 1000) Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux warriors. He had the wherewithal to post extra guards during the night hours to be ready for whatever may come.

The Battle of Beecher Island by Frederick Remington

 

The Engagement

And come it did. During the night, the Sioux discovered Forsyth’s men and alerted the rest of the warriors upstream, who made plans to attack at dawn. As the first signs of light brightened the pre-dawn sky, the warriors set up to drive off the sleeping camp’s horses and strand the men on foot. But they weren’t prepared for Forsyth’s men to be awake, alert, and readying mules and horses. So when the initial attack came, Forsyth’s men were able to hold the horses, though they lost all the pack mules with their foodstuffs and other provisions. As dawn brightened the little valley, Forsyth’s men realized that the hills surrounding them were crawling with more warriors than they’d seen in one place before.

 

The frontiersmen quickly realized the only cover in sight was on a small sandbar in the middle of the Republican River, which had just one cottonwood tree and some willow bushes. They all made a break for the sandbar with their horses, some men and horses falling immediately to Indian bullets and arrows, but many making it to the safety of that small, sandy island.

 

Immediately, the men began to burrow into the sand. Where many of the horses had fallen victim to the Indian onslaught, they also used the corpses of the animals for cover. When the greater Indian forces attempted to make several runs at the men, Forsyth’s forces unloaded their Spencer Repeating Rifles. The Indians weren’t familiar with these weapons, so were surprised to learn the frontiersmen could fire seven times before having to reload. The weaponry proved to be a great advantage to the small—now wounded—fighting force.

 

After various attempts to overrun the sandbar, many of the Indian warriors fell, including the leader of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers—Roman Nose. The Indians realized they were losing too many of their fighting men to this small group and pulled back to plan a different strategy. Women from the upstream encampment came to mourn their dead, leaving Forsyth’s men to listen to their haunting wails for a day or more. 

 

Forsyth’s men were in a bad way. Of their fifty-man force, Forsyth himself had a bullet glance off his skull and one shatter his shin before lodging against his femoral artery. His second in command, Lt. Fredrick Beecher, was killed along with three others. (After the battle was over, the men named the small sandbar island Beecher Island in Lt. Beecher’s honor). And yet fifteen more were wounded to varying degrees. 

 

The remaining Indians realized all they needed to do to take out these white men was to starve them out. Since their mules with all their provisions were gone, it wouldn’t take them long before they succumbed to hunger. So the Indians drew back a safe distance to wait. The frontiersmen knew they had river water and horse meat they could make do with for a short time, but if something didn’t change, they’d die on that sandbar.

Depiction of the Battle of Beecher Island, Harper's Weekly, June 1895.

 

A Daring Attempt

Forsyth concocted a daring plan. He asked for two courageous men to attempt to break through the surrounding Indian forces and go for help at Fort Wallace, some 70 miles away. At first, the head of the scouts said that the Indians were too thick around them, and they wouldn’t be able to get through. However, Simpson “Jack” Stilwell thought otherwise. He chose Pierre Trudeau as his partner in the attempt, and the two men set off during the deepest of night hours. They crawled on hands and knees for miles before taking cover as daylight broke. Unfortunately, the men hadn’t gotten away clean. Some of the Indian forces discovered their trail and pursued the men, causing them to have to evade their enemy for the next four days.

 

The pair had taken some horse meat with them, but it soon spoiled and made Stilwell and Trudeau sick. Yet they pushed through, evading their captors as they made progress toward Fort Wallace, where they were to deliver a note from Forsyth’s hand to the fort commander. After four days, they arrived, Trudeau so weak he couldn’t stand without help, and passed on word of the besieged group.

 

Three separate rescue parties were sent, each taking different paths in the general direction of Forsyth’s men. On September 25, Lt. Col. Louis H. Carpenter and two troops of Buffalo Soldiers reached the frontiersmen. And as the military ambulance wagon and troops of black freedmen soldiers came over the rise, the Indians realized they would not win the battle with the newly arrived troops, so they fled to safety.

The Rescue (Harper's, June 1895)

 

The rotting corpses of more than fifty horses and several men filled the air with the stench of death. Swarms of flies buzzed around the scene, feasting on the rancid meat. At some point in the intervening days, Forsyth had used his own razor to cut out the bullet from his leg, and lay in one of the sandy foxholes, in bad shape. Other men also lay wounded, weak, and in need of medical attention. The newly-arrived soldiers secured the area and carried the wounded to a better place upwind of the sandbar, then set about burying the dead—man and horse alike. For several days, they treated the wounded and fed them to get their strength up, then finally brought them back to Fort Wallace on September 30.

 

All told, Forsyth and his fifty scouts held off at least four times (and possibly many more) their number for more than a week and lost only seven men total—five during the battle itself, and two who succumbed to their wounds later. Of the Cheyenne and Sioux forces, the official military count of the dead was as low as nine, though Forsyth’s scouts claimed to have killed hundreds. The truth probably lies in the middle somewhere.

Award-winning, best-selling novelist Jennifer Uhlarik has loved the western genre since she read her first Louis L’Amour novel. She penned her first western while earning a writing degree from University of Tampa. Jennifer lives near Tampa with her husband, son, and furbabies. www.jenniferuhlarik.com

 

Sand Creek Serenade

 

2020 Selah Awards Fiction Book of the Year

"Uhlarik's research is sound and her characters are intriguing [in]...this well-constructed story..." ~ Publishers Weekly

One woman with a deep desire to serve and help. One brave who will stop at nothing to save his people. Each willing to die for their beliefs and love for one another. Will their sacrifice be enough?

As a female medical doctor in 1864, Sadie Hoppner is no stranger to tragedy and loss. While she grapples with the difficulties of practicing medicine at a Colorado outpost, she learns that finding acceptance and respect proves especially difficult at Fort Lyon.

Cheyenne brave Five Kills wants peace between his people and the American Army. But a chance encounter with their female doctor ignites memories from his upbringing among the whites … along with a growing fondness for the one person who seems to understand him and his people. As two cultures collide with differing beliefs of right and wrong, of what constitutes justice and savagery, blood spills on the Great Plains. When the inevitable war reaches Fort Lyon, the young couple's fledgling love is put to the test.

 

 

 

The Castillo de San Marcos--Pt 6 (and a giveaway!)

 

By Jennifer Uhlarik

 

Hello, readers! Time for your next installment of the history of the Castillo de San Marcos. If you’ve been following along over the last handful of months, you’ve read about the Spanish building this large masonry fort in St. Augustine, Florida, how the fort came into British possession, was returned to Spanish control for a brief time, became an American acquisition, and then traded hands between the Federal and Confederate armies during the Civil War. So what happened after the war’s end? Life in the St. Augustine fort was quiet for only a decade before it next came into use.

 

The north wall of Fort Marion,
including the wooden barracks the
Native American prisoners built
on the upper gun deck.

As many of you may know, the western territories were fraught with conflict. Not just between lawmen and outlaws, but also with conflicts between the Native American tribes and the western settlers. Many battles cropped up between settlers and Indians, with much bloodshed on both sides, until the Frontier Army and the Native American tribes such as the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, and others, were in an all-out war. There were many instances where whites attacked and massacred sleeping camps of Indians, and others where Indians wiped out whole wagon trains or military units. It was a long, drawn-out period where many lives were lost—a tragic piece of America’s history.

 

That war finally came to an end on the western plains in the mid-1870s. In 1874 and 1875, the various Indian tribes surrendered to the Army. Investigations were done into some of the most horrendous of attacks perpetuated by members of these tribes, and those who led them were singled out to be made examples of. The rest were sent to the reservations in Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma). While some Indians were tired of the decades of conflict and were willing to live peacefully, others chafed at the American government being able to tell them where and how they should live. Those in the latter group often attempted to stir up trouble within the reservation lands, leading their other tribesmen to rebel. So these men also were singled out for further punishment. In total, there were seventy-three men from five tribes—the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, Kiowa, and Caddo—who were to be punished. Their punishment was to be sent to distant Florida, far from their tribal lands, and completely cut off from their people, to be incarcerated in Fort Marion (aka the Castillo de San Marcos). 

 

Some of the seventy-three Plains
Indians, posing with Lt. Pratt,
soon after their arrival at
Fort Marion.

The trip from the west took roughly a month, and during that time, these seventy-three men traveled by wagon to reach the railroad, then by train all the way to the panhandle of Florida. There, they disembarked the train and boarded a steamboat for a brief ride south. Then another short train ride, and finally, they arrived at the fort they would call home for some unspecified time. Their travels east were not without difficulties. While the men were used to galloping for miles on horseback, the unfamiliar movements and sounds of the train made many of them sick at their stomachs. There was at least one escape attempt during a brief stop-over, leading to one of the seventy-three men being shot and left behind under military guard until he was well enough to travel. By the time these prisoners of war reached St. Augustine’s fort, they were shells of the fierce warriors they’d once been. Instead, they were thin and bedraggled, wrapped in blankets with shackles on their hands and feet. They shuffled through crowds of St. Augustine residents to reach the stone fort and face their punishment.

 

Uniformed Indians performing
morning drills.

The man who was placed in charge of the Indians’ care was one Lieutenant Richard
Henry Pratt. He quickly realized that his charges were wasting away with little to do, so he struck upon the idea to give them men structure. First, he instituted military drills and physical exercise, just like the Army soldiers were made to do. Then, Pratt began noticing that the casemate rooms in which the men slept each night were moldy. He put the Indians to work scrubbing the walls and ceilings. With each new task, the men’s outlook seemed to improve. They liked to work. It wasn’t long before Pratt approached his military superiors to ask about teaching the Indians reading, writing, simple arithmetic, and even trades with which to make money in the white man’s world. After some discussion, he was granted approval for the progressive plan, and Pratt teamed up with various women in the St. Augustine community to begin classes. Two of the most prominent women were Sarah Ann Mather and Rebecca Perit, who did much to further the lives of freed slaves and the Native Americans in St. Augustine. With their help, Lt. Pratt even began weekly church services within the fort, led by local ministers from the St. Augustine area.

 

Just like on the reservations, there were some who took to the new ways, and those who didn’t accept it as easily. But by and large, the Indians cooperated enough to make the plan work. For several hours each weekday morning, they would sit in class and learn to speak and read English, work simple math problems, and other academic subjects. In the afternoons, they would learn trades like shoe cobbling, blacksmithing, farming, and other skills that they would be able to carry into life after incarceration.

 

Example of Ledger Art drawn by one of the 
Plains Indians, depicting their travels
to Fort Marion.

As they embraced their new, structured day and showed themselves to be trustworthy, Pratt begin giving them more freedoms. When a local jeweler approached Lt. Pratt with the request to have the Indians gather and polish “sea beans” for him to sell in his store, they went to work. They were given time to go across Matanzas Bay to Anastasia Island and gather then beans, then spent hours polishing the beans to a high shine. They turned over thousands of the trinkets and were paid handsomely for their efforts. This led to other money-making ventures. Drawing “ledger art” and selling it outside the fort. Making bows and arrows to sell to tourists. Teaching those same tourists how to use the authentic weapons. In addition, they also began putting on cultural displays—powwows, Native dances, “buffalo” hunts (using cattle from local ranches and the worst of the nags the local livery stables had to offer). 

 

For three years, these industrious men were incarcerated in St. Augustine’s ancient fort. While many of those seventy-three fell ill to consumption (tuberculosis) and other illnesses, most survived and either returned to the reservations and their families—or, in some cases, followed Pratt on his next venture, which was to found the Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

 

It’s Your Turn: Lt. Richard Henry Pratt fought hard for the seventy-three Native American men he was put in charge of at Fort Marion in 1875. He employed progressive ideas to educate these men in hopes they might be able to one day integrate into society at large. In your opinion, was Pratt a hero for his ideas to help the Indian men learn skills that would help them integrate, or was he a villain for forcing them to embrace a culture not their own? Leave your honest opinion with an email address to be entered into a drawing for an autographed paperback copy of Love’s Fortress (US entries only). (I know this topic can bring some heated feelings, so please be kind in your responses)!

 

Award-winning, best-selling novelist Jennifer Uhlarik has loved the western genre since she read her first Louis L’Amour novel. She penned her first western while earning a writing degree from University of Tampa. Jennifer lives near Tampa with her husband, son, and furbabies. www.jenniferuhlarik.com

 

AVAILABLE NOW!

Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

 

A Friendship From the Past Brings Closure to Dani’s Fractured Family

 

When Dani Sango’s art forger father passes away, Dani inherits his home. There, she finds a book of Native American drawings, which leads her to seek museum curator Brad Osgood’s help to decipher the ledger art. Why would her father have this book? Is it another forgery?

 

Brad Osgood longs to provide his four-year-old niece, Brynn, the safe home she desperately deserves. The last thing he needs is more drama, especially from a forger’s daughter. But when the two meet “accidentally” at St. Augustine’s 350-year-old Spanish fort, he can’t refuse the intriguing woman.

 

Broken Bow is among seventy-three Plains Indians transported to Florida in 1875 for incarceration at ancient Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris and Luke Worthing dream of serving on a foreign mission field, but when the Indians reach St. Augustine, God changes their plans. However, when Sally Jo’s friendship with Broken Bow leads to false accusations, it could cost them their lives.

 

Can Dani discover how Broken Bow and Sally Jo’s story ends and how it impacted her father’s life?

 

The Sand Creek Massacre

Happy November, HHH fans! This year has flown by, and I’m shocked we’re nearly to December.

So—I’ve been waiting a while to write this post. On November 29, just four days from now, history will mark the 154^thanniversary of the event my upcoming novel, Sand Creek Serenade, centers on—the Sand Creek Massacre.

What was the Sand Creek Massacre? Well, it was a dreadful episode on the American frontier. But to truly understand what happened and why, we need to back up a bunch of years. The trouble starts long before 1864.

The Sand Creek Massacre--a depiction drawn by Howling Wolf

I’m sure you all know how the California Gold Rush brought white settlers pouring across the western frontier in 1848 and later. In 1851, a treaty was signed between the United States and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, giving a large area of land (including portions of present-day Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas) to these two tribes. However, in 1858, gold was discovered in Colorado—and with a new influx of settlers coming to dig treasure out of the Rocky Mountains, the United States felt they must act.

Seeing that the land once given to the Cheyenne and Arapaho had new and lucrative purpose, a different treaty was proposed in 1861. In it, the Indians were asked to give up much of the land they’d received a decade earlier. A group of peaceful chiefs led by Black Kettle of the Cheyenne and Left Hand of the Arapaho agreed to the terms, despite the treaty cutting their land down to 1/13 the previous size. The agreement angered the tribes, which hadn’t been consulted. Most rejected it, choosing instead to live and hunt on the lands given them in the previous treaty. But as wave after wave of settlers came, passing right through their lands, tension smoldered on both sides.

As the Civil War broke out in our country, many men joined the army, ready to do their part for the cause. However, once the Union forces in Colorado repelled an attempt at a Confederate take-over at the Battle of Glorieta Pass (in New Mexico), the war was pretty much over in that area of the country. Oh, it still raged elsewhere, but the most action those soldiers saw was standing guard at various remote outposts to be sure no more Confederate soldiers attempted another infiltration. So, with many bodies and little real work, the focus shifted to guarding the home front from Indian attacks, since the settlers had made complaints that the Indians were stealing livestock.

The Army began attacking various Cheyenne camps in the Spring of 1864. No word was given to the Cheyenne that they were under attack—the army would just show up and begin shooting. In mid-May of the same year, Lt. Eayre took troops into Kansas and found the Cheyenne at their summer hunting grounds. While Chiefs Lean Bear and Star rode out to talk peace with the army, they were gunned down.

Things were spiraling out of control, and it looked as if a war with the Indians couldn’t be avoided. However, something unusual happened. Major Ned Wynkoop—the commander of Fort Lyon, located in southeastern Colorado—got word that several Cheyenne wished to talk of peace. Not only that, but they were willing to give up several white captives in order to grease the wheels of the peace talks. Wynkoop, who had been just as avid for war with the Indians as those above him, suddenly saw things differently. He worked with Black Kettle to elicit the release of several white captives—including a couple of women and several young children. In working so closely with the chief of the Southern Cheyenne band, he realized that there was a great opportunity for peace. In September 1864, he and several of his trusted officers at Fort Lyon left their post to take a contingent of Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs to Denver to meet with Colonel John Chivington and the territorial governor, John Evans.

Major Ned Wynkoop (kneeling--front row left) and the contingent of Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs
he took to Denver for peace talks in September 1864.

Under Wynkoop’s leadership, peace talks between the territorial government, the Army, and the Indians took place, and Black Kettle and Left Hand were told to return home, to fly both a white flag of surrender and an American flag over the chief’s tent, and await peace. The chiefs followed their orders to the letter. And Major Wynkoop returned to Fort Lyon victorious.

Or so he thought.

What he didn’t know was that his unexpected maneuver to bring the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs to Denver for peace talks was not met kindly by those above him. Chivington and Evans had no intentions of peace. For weeks, they allowed the Cheyenne and Arapaho bands to camp—first beside Fort Lyon, and later on the banks of Sand Creek—all while expecting the Army to arrive with news of a new treaty. Meanwhile, charges were leveled against Major Wynkoop and his officers for leaving their post without permission. Major Scott Anthony was sent to the fort to remove Wynkoop from his position and begin an investigation into his actions. It wasn’t long before Wynkoop was sent to a fort in Kansas while the investigation continued.

On November 28, 1864, just days after Wynkoop’s removal, Colonel Chivington rode to the fort with 550 of his men from Denver. They arrived at Fort Lyon that morning, and by dusk, those 550 men, plus the 150 or so soldiers already stationed at Fort Lyon marched out to travel to Sand Creek and the waiting Cheyenne. Throughout the bitterly cold night, many soldiers passed whiskey around in an attempt to keep warm. By the time they reached the Cheyenne encampment before dawn, many of the soldiers were drunk. Chivington’s men from Denver had a desire for blood and vengeance, while the Fort Lyon soldiers adamantly disapproved of what was about to come. However, they were forced to participate, or they would face disciplinary actions.

Colonel John Chivington

Moments before dawn, the order was given. Fire! Seven hundred guns emptied into the sleeping Cheyenne camp—a camp that housed mostly women, children, and the elderly. The fighting-aged men had gone to Smoky Hill to hunt buffalo for their winter stores. So as dawn broke on November 29, the Indian camp was awakened to an attack of monumental proportions. The Cheyenne and Arapaho people burst from their tents in various states of dress and were forced to run for their lives. Many died in the first moments. Those who were fortunate enough to make it to the sand dunes along the creek did their best to hide. But the army had brought several cannons with them, and the cannons were fired into the dunes. 

Eye-witness accounts say that the drunken soldiers used young toddlers who’d been separated from their families for target practice and others cut the unborn babies from expectant mothers’ wombs. The bodies of the dead Indians were mutilated—fingers and ears cut off to get to the rings/earrings they wore, as well as for trophies. 

Somewhere between 60 and 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho died that day, while only 52 soldiers suffered injuries. Many of the wounded were forced to hide until dark—in frigid temperatures while wearing either little-to-no clothing or wet clothing, since they waded through Sand Creek in their attempts to reach safety. Those who did survive traveled through the night in below-freezing temperatures on foot to Smoky Hill, a day’s travel away, to reach the men who had gone to hunt. Only then did they begin to get the medical help they desperately needed.

Colonel Chivington and his men returned to Fort Lyon and attempted to spin the massacre as vindication for the various attacks the Indians had committed against the settlers and Army. Chivington and his 550 men returned to Denver and paraded themselves through the streets as mighty victors. However, it didn’t take long before the truth began to leak out and the population of Colorado Territory and beyond grew horrified and angry at the atrocities committed against the defenseless camp.

Starting in January, I’ll tell you more about the individuals involved in this terrible event—who they were, where they came from, and where they ended up afterward, so please look for my future posts on the topic.

It’s Your Turn: Have you heard of the Sand Creek Massacre? Where did you learn about it—from school as a child or later in life?

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has finaled and won in numerous writing competitions, and been on the ECPA best-seller list numerous times. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.

The Mail-Order Brides Collection

What kind of woman would answer an advertisement and marry a stranger?

Escape into the history of the American West along with nine couples whose relationships begin with advertisements for mail-order brides. Placing their dreams for new beginnings in the hands of a stranger, will each bride be disappointed, or will some find true love?

The Brigand and the Bride by Jennifer Uhlarik

(2018 Selah Award Winner—Western Category)
1876, Arizona
Jolie Hilliard weds a stranger to flee her outlaw family but discovers her groom is an escaped prisoner. Will she ever find happiness on the right side of the law?

The Ordeal of Fanny Kelly, Captive of the Sioux

The plight of American pioneer women captured by local tribes has long sparked my imagination. The struggle to survive in a foreign culture amid trials of endurance whisper stories to me. I finally gave into the temptation to write one of them in Cheyenne Sunrise, a western historical romance set in a time of unrest in the Wild West. My research for this story led me to an account by Fanny Kelly of her capture and imprisonment by the Sioux. Since the Cheyenne and Sioux were allied tribes, I based many of the events in Cheyenne Sunrise on Fanny’s experiences.

Fanny Kelly in 1871

Born Fanny Wiggins in 1845, she lived in present-day Canada until her father, James Wiggins, relocated his family to Kansas in 1856. Unfortunately, Fanny’s father died of cholera during the journey. Fanny and the rest of her family settled in Geneva, Kansas. When she came of age, Fanny married Josiah S. Kelly, a man who hoped to bolster his poor health with a change in climate. He set out for Montana Territory in the spring of 1864 with Fanny, Mary Hurley, their seven-year-old adopted daughter and Fanny’s niece, plus two ‘colored’ servants, Franklin and Andy. A Methodist preacher named Mr. Sharp soon joined their party. Another couple, William and Sarah Larimer with their eight-year-old son, Frank, left a larger wagon train to travel with them. Two other men, Gardner Wakefied and Noah Taylor, fell in with the Kellys also. The company preferred the faster speed a smaller party could make. They paid a tragic price for this decision.

After reaching Wyoming’s Little Box Elder Creek on July 12th, they were approached by a large band of perhaps 250 Oglala Sioux warriors led by the war chief, Ottawa. Terrified, they did their best to appease the warriors, doling out their supplies on request and even preparing a meal for the warriors. The Sioux engaged in increasingly rowdy behavior, then attacked the party while several of the men, including Mr. Kelly, were away from the wagons. They killed Mr. Sharp, Noah Taylor, and Franklin outright and wounded Gardner Wakefield and William Larimer. The other men escaped. Another wagon train that happened on the scene raced away, but warriors pursued them and killed one their number. The remaining Sioux looted the five wagons, then forced Fanny, Sarah, and the two children.to ride off with them.

Fearful of what their captors planned, Fanny explained to little Mary that she would drop her to the ground, and that she must run back along the trail until she found someone to help her. With the volume of travelers on the Oregon Trail at the time, this seemed a logical plan to her. Mary agreed, and Fanny dropped her, then was immediately seized by the desire to join her. She attempted to follow but was recaptured while several warriors rode off after Mary.

Josiah Kelly and the servant, Andy, along with the wagon party that had chanced upon the site of the massacre, sought the protection of a large wagon train miles distant. They later returned to the scene and found William Larimer with an arrow in his arm and Wakefield pierced by three arrows but alive. They found Mary Hurley’s scalped and mutilated body several days later. After burying her, the party traveled to Deer Creek Station to inform the army garrison of the incident.

Sarah Larimer managed to escape with her son. She and Frank reunited with William at Deer Creek Station. After William’s recovery, the family returned to Kansas.

Sarah’s escape had a profound impact on Fanny, for it served to isolate her all the more. She fell under the protection of the old chief, but angered him by losing his pipe. Overloaded with things to carry and unaware of its importance, she had dropped and broken the pipe. The old chief announced her punishment. She would be tied to the back of an unbroken horse and used for target practice by the warriors. Certain she would die, she opened her pouch and distributed banknotes to her captors. This charmed them so much that she escaped her planned fate. Divine intervention, as Fanny freely acknowledges, appears to have saved her.

I based an incident in Cheyenne Sunrise on this story and borrowed details of scenery from Fanny’s journey to the Sioux village for my book.

Efforts to free Fanny were finally successful, and she rejoined her husband, who never tired in his pursuit of a way to free her. The Kellys returned to Kansas, where an outbreak of cholera claimed Josiah’s life in July 1867, shortly before Fanny gave birth to their child.

Researching a historical novel can be heartbreaking. I found Fanny’s account of her captivity among the Sioux hard to read, especially the parts about little Mary. Despite everything, Fanny’s abiding faith in the Lord inspired my own.

About Janalyn Voigt

My father instilled a love of literature in me at an early age by reading chapters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Robinson Crusoe and other classics. When I grew older, and he stopped reading bedtime stories, I put myself to sleep with tales I 'wrote' in my head. My sixth-grade teacher noticed my interest in storytelling and influenced me to become a writer.

I'm what is known as a multi-genre author, but I like to think of myself as a storyteller. The same elements appear in all my novels in proportions dictated by their genre: romance, mystery, adventure, history, and whimsy.

Visit http://janalynvoigt.com

Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold, book 2)

Romantic Times: "Janalyn Voigt is a talented writer and brings to life the long-ago wild west with vivid descriptions of the landscape."

Young Irish widow Bry Brennan doesn’t want another husband to break her spirit. She ignores her fascination with Nick Laramie, her wagon train's handsome trail guide. Nick lives in an uneasy truce between the settlers and his mother’s tribe without fully fitting in among either. With no intention of dragging a woman into his troubles, he stifles his yearning for Bry.

The perilous journey throws the two together, leaving Bry no choice but to trust Nick with her life. Can she also trust him with her heart?

Purchase Cheyenne Sunrise

Solving a Mystery on an Indian Reservation

This post is brought to you by Janalyn Voigt.

Traveling the Oregon Trail Backwards, A Road Trip Adventure, Part 9

Along with a female family member and our children, I was headed to Missouri for a family reunion. It seemed fitting that an exploration of my national heritage should dovetail into the celebration of my personal heritage. The reunion was of my mother's relatives, but I hoped to solve a mystery on my father's side of the family when I stopped at the tribal seat of the Sac and Fox nation of Missouri. My grandfather, whom I’d never known, came from the Iowa branch of this tribe, also known as the Meskwaki, which means ‘people of the red earth.’ I wasn’t sure I could find out anything about ‘Eddie’ (the only name I had for my grandfather), but I wanted to try.

The road led through farm lands from the Sod House Museum in Nebraska to Reserve, Kansas, headquarters of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Nebraska and Kansas. The unprepossessing town boasted a small museum. This seemed the logical place to inquire about my grandfather. A local man held the door for my family group as we entered the museum. He listened without apology while I explained to the woman behind the counter the circumstances surrounding my father’s birth. He introduced himself and his interest seemed friendly, so I didn’t mind.

I explained that my Scottish grandmother, Minnie, fell in love with a Meskwaki man at the tender age of sixteen. Her straight-laced father refused to allow his daughter to marry an Indian. Eddie and Minnie decided to force the issue by conceiving a child. This did not work out as they planned. Minnie was sent off to live with an aunt in Springfield, Missouri. She later told my father that her brothers had tarred and feathered Eddie and run him out of town on a rail. During my teen years, Dad confided to me that when my grandfather realized he would never marry the woman he loved, he committed suicide. When I mentioned this story to other family members years later, none of them had heard it.

By then, there was no one to ask for clarity. Grandma had guarded her secrets, even from her son. She died when my father was fourteen. Now Dad was gone too. Mom couldn’t verify what my father had told me. My grandmother’s family held the ‘filthy Indian’ who had ruined her in a contempt that, unfortunately, extended to my father. He’d once looked up his aunt. She’d ordered him off the porch and warned him never to return. I’ve come to believe that Dad wasn’t sure he knew the truth about his father. He died without ever solving that mystery, despite making several trips to the reservation in Iowa.

I've always thought that my father, Carl Thomas Weise (named for his step-father), resembled Chief Black Hawk of the Sac tribe in the image on the right from George Catlin [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The tragedy of his birth shaped my Dad’s life and, in some respects, my own. Racial prejudice comes up repeatedly as a theme in my writing. I dedicated Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold 2) to my father's memory and gave the hero, Nick Laramie, my father’s and grandfather’s struggles. Nick, the son of a French trapper and Cheyenne woman, belongs to neither of his parent’s people. He resists falling in love with Bryanna Brennan, the beautiful Irish widow traveling West for a fresh start, certain he can never marry her.

Back to my visit to the museum. The Sac and Fox tribe is actually two interconnected tribes combined into one. The close relationships this would seem to indicate may be why I thought the southern tribe would know about members of the northern branch, two states away. The woman in the museum (whose name I’ve since forgotten) told me gently that they didn’t. Apparently, many people contact the museum trying to prove a genealogical connection to the tribe. I was just one more. Considering the prejudice my father encountered in his lifetime, it’s ironic that having Native American ancestry is now glamorous. The woman explained that most of the claims of Sac-Fox ancestry she fielded didn’t pan out, and researching them added to her workload. She hastened to add that my story had the ring of truth. Given the sparse information I was able to give her, she probably couldn’t find out anything to help, but she gave me her contact information. The man who had listened silently pressed me to buy a sweatshirt emblazoned with the tribe’s logo. This seemed important to him, and my throat clogged when I understood his intent. He wanted to give me a shred of the heritage I’d lost.

The logo that graces my sweatshirt comes from the flag of the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Nebraska and Kansas.

It struck me as I drove away that I no longer needed to search for my grandfather. With their small kindnesses, the two people who had shared my story in the museum had given me what I’d been searching for. In Cheyenne Sunrise, Nick Laramie’s yearning to belong echoed my own unrecognized desire.

I purchased one of the tribal sweatshirts before leaving town. Whenever I wear it, I remember the small kindnesses given to me that day. Whether the tribe ever acknowledges me no longer matters. I've adopted them.

Cheyenne Sunrise releases February 1, 2018. 

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• Learn about Hills of Nevermore (Montana Gold, book 1).

About Janalyn Voigt

My father instilled a love of literature in me at an early age by reading chapters from "The Wizard of Oz," "Robinson Crusoe" and other classics. When I grew older, and he stopped reading bedtime stories, I put myself to sleep with tales I "wrote" in my head. My sixth-grade teacher noticed my storytelling ability and influenced me to become a writer.

I'm what is known as a multi-genre author, but I like to think of myself as a storyteller. The same elements appear in all my novels in proportions dictated by their genre: romance, mystery, adventure, history, and whimsy.

 Escape into creative worlds of fiction at http://janalynvoigt.com.