Witness at Sand Creek: The Life and Letters of Silas Soule

by Nancy Niero

The letter that forced Congress to act, and the man who was killed for writing it.

What compels an ordinary person to stand against atrocity? Witness at Sand The Life and Letters of Silas Soule captures the soul of a man who bore witness to genocide and chose to speak out.

This powerful volume brings to life the story of Captain Silas Soule, a young abolitionist turned Union officer who refused to obey orders during the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Rather than participate in the slaughter of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho families, Soule defied his superiors and later testified to what happened. His act of conscience would make him a he was assassinated just months later.

Through vivid original letters and deeply informed contextual essays, pastor and racial justice activist Rev. Dr. Nancy Niero illuminates Soule’s principled stand in a time of profound moral failure. Part biography, part spiritual journey, Witness at Sand Creek blends historical detail with personal pilgrimage, offering readers both rare primary sources and a contemporary call to moral clarity.

From Soule’s early abolitionist work alongside John Brown to his final days as a whistleblower, this book is a profound meditation on history, integrity, and the price of truth. It is essential reading for students of American history, truth and reconciliation, and anyone concerned with how the past continues to shape our ethical responsibilities today.The letters of Silas Soule, a forgotten Civil War heroFirsthand account of the Sand Creek Massacre and its cover-upA story of moral courage, sacrifice, and radical conscienceWritten by a scholar-activist after 30 years of researchA must-read for fans of Killers of the Flower Moon and Stamped from the Beginning

233 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Margo Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silas Soule (1838-1865) was a soldier who refused to fire at the Sand Creek Massacre - the destruction of a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho camp in Colorado Territory in 1864 - and went on to testify about the atrocities to a military inquiry. Before that inquiry was over, he was murdered in the street by a supporter of the colonel who led the massacre.

Witness at Sand Creek presents Silas Soule's surviving letters in chronological order, together with commentary, historical context and personal reflections from author Nancy Niero. Soule had an ebullient personality and talent for writing, and the early letters are often charming and humorous. In 1864, he wrote to his sister Annie, "You and Mother write for me to be a Christian and not be wild &c but the Army don't improve a fellow so much in that respect and you know I never was much of a Christian and am naturally wild...". The final letters in the collection describe, in brutal detail, the horrors he witnessed at Sand Creek.

This book also weaves in the story of the author Nancy Niero's research, travels to historic sites, and involvement in commemorative events. Thus, there is more open emotion and tenderness in this book than a traditional history would have. This book is an excellent companion to Tom Bensing's in-depth biography, Silas Soule: A Short Eventful Life of Moral Courage.

[Fr. Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent combination of telling history through primary documents, but also through interpretation. Nancy makes some boring letters become meaningful in understanding Silas. Her pilgrimage to the various sites that he lived and experienced brings a sense of the tangible to her historical exploration of this significant even in the history of the United States.
Great book for a book group.

[timv · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is in dire need of an editor. I suspect the publisher is a vanity press publisher.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great topic, but the writing is so, so poor - quite distracting.