And those missing men were down at the sports bar shooting pool? Denver and surrounds were being bloodied by raids. Unspeakably vicious raids. Women and children. At least some raiders had been traced to the Sand Creek camp. Those scalps were fresh.
Chivington's men were scum and they committed atrocities. They cut off womens' breasts for coin purses. They were barbaric but it didn't happen in a vacuum.