Silas Soule

Sarah Coberly had two daughters. On of them, Hersa, married Silas Soule, one of our forgotten pioneer heroes. Silas Soule was born in Maine to abolitionais parents. During the "Bloody Kansas" times, his family moved to Kansas to help make it a free state. One result was that Silas at age 13 was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He also participated in an attempt to free John Brown from jail. Somewhere along the line, Silas also became a freind and correspondent with the poet Walt Whitman.

After moving to Colorado, Silas joined the Union forces and participated with distinction iin the Battle of Glorietta Pass. Later, Silas would be promoted to captain and was present at the Sand Creek Massacre. Unlike other soldiers, though, Silas refused to fight and ordered his men not to fire at the indians, allowing a number to escape by running through his position. Later, Silas wrote letters that exposed the Battle at Sand Creek for what it really was. In the process, Silas made a number of enemies - especially when the Congressional investigation supported his claims and ruined the career of Colonel Chivington.

On April 1, 1865, Silas Soule married Hersa Coberly (second photo). Almost three weeks later, he was assassinated in Denver. His assailant was captured, but allowed to escape. Soule stands as a true hero of Colorado. He was someone who stood for what was right in the face of incredible pressure to do otherwise. The final picture is of a plaque in downtown Denver at the location where Silas Soule was murdered.