In the book A Misplaced Massacre, the author is not simply adding to the present interest about the Civil War, he even more significantly, explains to the general public on matters relating to history are made. The process of enlightening the reader on historical events is the book’s main subject, and therefore, after writing the first chapter, the author stops concentrating on the massacre itself and later starts focusing on the 20th and 21st-century struggles related to commemorating the massacre. The book facilitates proper understanding of the historical concepts introduced in class since it narrates and analyses the methods in which American generations, both indigenous and white Americans, have struggled and still struggle to understand the importance of the attack. It is a brilliant book since it tracks how the events transpired at the introductory ceremonies of the Sand Creek attack National Historic Site. The book also demonstrates that the positions were taken by the different speakers during that day still echoed the differing opinions articulated in the past hundred years by Chivington and Bent (Kelman 67). This book presents a nuanced and complete story of each event that occurred and the views relating to the movement towards the initiation ceremony of the Historic Site. It acts as an instructive manual in public history, and the author clearly demonstrates how the massacre completely interconnects with its legacy.
The book places the native group at the heart of an extensive dream of the American West and the account of western American civilization remains alive in the writer’s sobering narration of the unresolved implications of the Sand Creek attack. He craftily brings together several stories across time, including the Sand Creek attack, the attempt of the National Park to celebrate the incident, and the Indian effort to make verbal history remain as a legitimate technique of knowledge. Although Sand Creek is a vital component of American history, the majority of Americans are not much aware of the incident. In 1864, nearing the closing stages of the civil battle, Chivington directed two Colorado brigades to a place near Fort Lyon, a place where a peaceful group of Indians was staying under the protection of the American soldiers. However, Chivington’s soldiers went ahead and slaughter them in a massacre that ignited the ensuing Indian Wars all through the American West (Kelman 71). Interestingly this shows that the Civil War was both a battle designed to fight slavery and, less graciously, a battle of western extension. The conflict led to the liberation of the slaves as well as initiating the near-destruction event of Indians.
Personal assessment
The book greatly depends on interviews, although this is not usually so when it comes to scholastic historians. This book is highly recommended for history subjects since it explores the connection of history and recollection, describing the way the majority of various groups in the US come to identify a shared history. One thing I did not like about this book is that it steers clear of academic language for the most part and therefore making it inappropriate for use as a scholastic material. This book is not aware of itself as an account of its own conditions, enough to appeal to its audience’s need for an excellent story. However, this book made me learn more about the indigenous American Repatriation Act, intensified my knowledge of the Civil War by connecting it to West extension and the Indian conflicts, as well as learning about the Creek massacre itself. Due to the clearness of the text and the persuasive nature of the lessons, it presents about history, recollection, and the importance of the past, I would certainly recommend other students and the general readers to read it.
Works cited
Kelman, Ari. A misplaced massacre: struggling over the memory of Sand Creek. Harvard University Press, 2013.