Hi Hoyt,
You've kept a fairly interesting thread going here.
One question you asked regarding the meaning of "massacre." I've always sort of equated the word with a total or near-total annihilation. Sort of like Custer (may his soul rest in the warmth of his deeds) or Leonidas' Spartans. I too think that 15 dead "shot at close range" (really with the weapons and tactics of the day I think a very large number of soldiers were shot at close range) does not constitute a "massacre."