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Indian Territory in the American Civil War

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Map of the unorganized territory, 1860
Map of theConfederate Statesincluding the mostly Union-aligned but deeply divided and split southernborder statesof Missouri and Kentucky which both had Confederate state governments as well as Unionist, theArizona Territory,and allied tribes in present-dayOklahoma
Seal of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States
in the
American Civil War
Dual governments
Territory
Allied tribes in
Indian Territory

During theAmerican Civil War,most of what is now the U.S. state ofOklahomawas designated as theIndian Territory.It served as anunorganized regionthat had been set aside specifically forNative Americantribes and was occupied mostly by tribes which had beenremovedfrom their ancestral lands in theSoutheastern United Statesfollowing theIndian Removal Actof 1830. As part of theTrans-Mississippi Theater,the Indian Territory was the scene of numerous skirmishes and seven officially recognized battles[1]involving bothNative American unitsallied with theConfederate States of Americaand Native Americans loyal to the United States government, as well as otherUnionand Confederate troops.

Most tribal leaders in Indian Territory aligned with the Confederacy.[2]A total of at least 7,860Native Americansfrom theIndian Territoryparticipated in theConfederate Army,as both officers and enlisted men;[3]most came from theFive Civilized Tribes:theCherokee,Chickasaw,Choctaw,Creek,andSeminolenations.[4]The Union organized several regiments of theIndian Home Guardto serve in the Indian Territory and occasionally in adjacent areas ofKansas,Missouri,andArkansas.[5]

Native American alliances[edit]

Before the outbreak of war, the United States government relocated all soldiers in the Indian Territory to other key areas, leaving the territory unprotected fromTexasand Arkansas, which had already joined the Confederacy. The Confederacy took an interest in the territory, seeking a possible source of food in the event of a Union blockade, a connection to western territories, and a buffer between Texas and the Union-heldKansas.At the onset of war, Confederate forces took possession of the U.S. army forts in the area. In June and July 1861, Confederate officers negotiated with Native American tribes for combat support. After refusing to allow Creek lands to be annexed by the Confederacy, the Creek Principal ChiefOpothleyaholaled the Creek supporters of the Union to Kansas, having to fight along the way.[6]Leaders from each of theFive Civilized Tribes,acting without the consensus of their councils, agreed to be annexed by the Confederacy in exchange for certain rights, including protection and recognition of current tribal lands.[7]

After reaching Kansas and Missouri, Opothleyahola and Native Americans loyal to the Union formed three volunteer regiments known as theIndian Home Guard.It fought in the Indian Territory and Arkansas.[8][9]

The following Indian Nations not only had suffered forced migration at the hands of the American government but signed treaties of alliance with the CSA:

Logistics[edit]

After abandoning its forts in the Indian Territory early in the Civil War, theUnion Armywas unprepared for the logistical challenges of trying to regain control of the territory from the Confederate government. The area was largely undeveloped relative to its neighbors: roads were sparse and primitive, and railroads did not yet exist in the territory. Pro-Union Indians had abandoned their own farms because of raids by pro-Confederacy Indians and fled to Kansas or Missouri, seeking protection from better-organized Union forces there. The Union did not have enough troops to control the few roads, and it was not feasible to sustain a large military operation by living off the land. This was demonstrated in 1862 when GeneralWilliam Weer's "Indian Expedition" into the Indian Territory from Kansas met with disaster when food and supplies were quickly exhausted and Union supply trains failed to arrive.

Military actions[edit]

Colonel (later Brigadier General)Douglas H. Coopercommanded Confederate forces in the Indian Territory

The first battle in the territory occurred on November 19, 1861. Opothleyahola rallied Indians to the Union cause atDeep Fork.A total of 7,000 men, women, and children resided in his camp. A force of 1,400 Confederate soldiers under ColonelDouglas H. Cooperinitiated theBattle of Round Mountain,but were repulsed after several waves, leading to a Southern defeat. Opothleyahola then moved his camp to a new location atChustenalah.On December 26, 1861, Confederate forces again attacked, this time driving Opothleyahola and his people to Kansas during a snowstorm.[10]

The decisive Union victory at theBattle of Pea Ridgeinnorthwest Arkansasin March 1862 established federal control of Arkansas and Missouri and limited the Confederate government's ability to protect its Indian allies.Stand Watie,who fought at Pea Ridge, and other officers operating out of the Indian Territory had to fight on without support. The Union army recaptured its forts in the territory, but was forced to temporarily abandon them when faced with ongoing raids by Stand Watie; later the Union recaptured them again. Stand Watie was the last Confederate commander in the field to surrender.

Indian Expedition of 1862[edit]

Major GeneralJames G. Blunt,commander of U.S. forces in the Indian Territory

In 1862, Union GeneralJames G. Bluntordered ColonelWilliam Weerto lead an expedition into the Indian Territory.[a]The expedition included five white regiments, two Indian regiments and two artillery battalions,[11]more than 5,000 men in all. The main objective of the expedition was to escort the Indian refugees who had fled to Kansas back to their homes in the Indian Territory; a secondary objective was to hold the territory for the Union.[12]Weer's expedition departed fromBaxter Springs, Kansasand met with early success at theBattle of Locust Grovein Indian Territory on July 3.[13]The expedition camped atLocust Grovefor two weeks, waiting for a Union supply train. One detachment from the main force moved on toFort Gibson,causing the Confederates stationed there to withdraw. However, the Union supply train failed to arrive and supplies of food, forage and ammunition ran low.[b][14]Weer dithered about what to do next and found solace in drinking heavily. The men under his command soon mutinied, arresting Weer and putting ColonelFrederick Salomonin command and bringing the expedition to an end before making any further progress into Indian Territory.[15]The expedition encouraged the organization of three Indian Home Guard regiments in support of the Union.[8]

First Battle of Cabin Creek[edit]

Main article:First Battle of Cabin Creek

Two military engagements were fought at the Cabin Creek Battlefield in the Cherokee Nation within Indian Territory.[c]The location was where theTexas Road[d][16]crossed Cabin Creek, near the present-day town ofBig Cabin, Oklahoma.Both the First and Second Battles of Cabin Creek were launched by the Confederate Army to disrupt Union Army supply trains bound from Fort Scott to Fort Gibson.

In the First Battle of Cabin Creek, which occurred July 1–2, 1863, the Union escort was led by ColonelJames Monroe Williams.Williams was alerted to the attack and, despite the waters of the creek being swelled by rain, made a successful counterattack upon the entrenched Confederate position and forced them to flee. The battle was the first in which African-American troops fought side by side with their white comrades.[17]

Battle of Honey Springs[edit]

Main article:Battle of Honey Springs

Honey Springs Depot, a site of frequent skirmishes, was chosen by General James G. Blunt as the place to engage the largest Confederate forces in Indian Territory. Anticipating that Confederate forces under General Douglas H. Cooper would attempt to join with those under GeneralWilliam Cabell,who was moving to attack Fort Gibson, Blunt approached Honey Springs on July 17, 1863, with a force of 3,000 men, including Native Americans and African-American former slaves. On the morning of July 17, he engaged Cooper in theBattle of Honey Springs,who commanded a force of 3,000–6,000 men composed primarily of Native Americans. Cooper's troops became unorganized and retreated when wet gunpowder caused misfires and rain hampered their movements. The battle was the largest of the war in the Indian Territory.[18]Following the battle, which essentially secured the Indian Territory for the Union,guerrilla warfarebecame the primary means of engagement between opposing forces in the territory.[19]

Battle of Perryville[edit]

Main article:Battle of Perryville (Indian Territory)

Perryville, a town halfway betweenBoggy DepotandScullyvilleon theTexas Road,had become a major supply depot for the Confederate army. After the Battle of Honey Springs, General Cooper retreated to Perryville, where his troops could be resupplied. General Blunt, who had returned to Fort Gibson, learned that the Confederates had regrouped there and believed his troops could capture the depot and destroy Cooper's forces. Blunt reassembled a force and led them to Perryville. Arriving there on August 23, 1863, he found that the Confederate commanders, Cooper and Watie, had already left forBoggy Depot.Only a small rear guard, commanded by Brigadier GeneralWilliam Steele,remained at Perryville. Blunt attacked under cover of darkness and the two sides exchanged artillery fire. The Union forces quickly scattered the Confederates, who eventually retreated again, leaving their supplies behind. Blunt's forces captured whatever supplies they could use, then burned the town.[20]Instead of following the retreating Confederates southwest toward Boggy Depot, Blunt proceeded to attackFort Smith,which he captured on September 1, 1863.[21]

Battle of Middle Boggy[edit]

Main article:Battle of Middle Boggy

On February 13, 1864, a force of about 350 Union troops supported by twohowitzersattacked a Confederate outpost in the Indian Territory. The outpost was guarded by about 90 poorly armed Confederate soldiers. The outpost was located where the Dragoon Road crossed the Middle Boggy River. The Confederates resisted, holding off the Union troops for about half an hour, then fled on foot towardFort Washita.The Union Army claimed victory because 49 Confederates were killed, while the Union forces suffered no deaths.[22]The encounter had no strategic impact on the outcome of the Civil War. This was the last significant skirmish of the war in Indian Territory. It was a defeat for the Confederates, but the mistreatment of civilians and killings of wounded soldiers by the Union troops strengthened the resolve of Confederates and their sympathizers to continue the fight.[23]

Second Battle of Cabin Creek[edit]

Main article:Second Battle of Cabin Creek
Brigadier GeneralStand Watie,the last Confederate general to surrender

The Second Battle of Cabin Creek was part of a plan conceived by Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie, who had been promoted from colonel after the First Battle of Cabin Creek. The plan was to have a Confederate force attack central Kansas from Indian Territory, raiding Union Army facilities and encouraging Indian tribes in western Kansas to join in an attack on the eastern part of the state. Watie presented the plan to his superior, GeneralSamuel B. Maxey,on February 5, 1864. Maxey approved the plan on the condition that the attack would start by October 1, to coincide withan attack on Missourialready planned by GeneralSterling Price.[16]

Guerrilla warfare[edit]

From 1864 until the early summer of 1865, hostilities in the Indian Territory consisted mainly of guerrilla attacks. Confederate ColonelWilliam Quantrilland his gang committed a number of raids throughout the lands of the Five Civilized Tribes.[e]Armed gangs known as "free raiders" mostly stole horses and cattle, while burning the communities of both Confederate and Indian supporters.[f]A third type of marauder was the Confederate Army unit led by General Stand Watie, which attacked only objectives having military value. They destroyed only houses and barns used by Union troops as headquarters, for quartering troops or for storing supplies. Watie also targeted military supply trains because that not only deprived the Union troops of food, forage and ammunition but gave significant amounts of other booty that he could distribute to his men. One of Watie's most notable successes during this time was theambush of the steamboatJ.R. Williamsin September 1864. Watie surrendered, along with his troops, atDoaksvilleon June 23, 1865.[24]

Aftermath[edit]

42 years after the end of the Civil War, Indian Territory entered the Union as the State ofOklahoma.However, American Indians would not become full U.S. citizens until17 years later.
Allen Wright(Choctaw) sought reconciliation and led his tribe's delegation to sign the Treaty of 1866.

AtFort Towsonin Choctaw lands, GeneralStand Watieofficially became the last Confederate general to surrender on June 25, 1865. Watie went to Washington, D.C. later that year for negotiations on behalf of his tribe; as the principal chief of the pro-Confederacy group elected in 1862, he was seeking recognition of a Southern Cherokee Nation. He did not return home until May 1866.[25]The US government negotiated only with the Cherokee who had supported the Union; it namedJohn Rossas the rightful principal chief (he had gone into exile in 1862 when the majority supported the Confederacy).

As part of theReconstruction Treaties,U.S. officials forced land concessions upon the tribes; it also required the Cherokee and other tribes toemancipatetheirslavesand give them full rights as members of their respective tribes, including rights to annuities and land allocations.[26]The Southern Cherokee had wanted the U.S. government to pay to relocateCherokee Freedmenfrom the tribe. Later the issue of citizenship caused contention when American Indian lands were allotted to households under theDawes Commission.In the early 20th century, the Cherokee Nation voted to exclude the Freedmen from the tribe, unless they also had direct descent from a Cherokee (not just a Cherokee Freedman) listed on theDawes Rolls(1902–1906).

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Weer had been elevated to brigadier general in the Kansas militia in 1862, but was only a colonel of the 4th Kansas Volunteer Infantry at the time of the Indian Expedition.
  2. ^Ammunition had to be sent fromFort Leavenworth,while animal feed and other supplies had to be carried fromFort Scott,over 150 miles away from Weer's position. All of this had to come by wagon trains down the Texas Road.
  3. ^The site lies in present-dayCraigandMayescounties in northeastern Oklahoma.
  4. ^The Texas Road was also known as the Osage Trace, Osage Trail, Immigrant Road and the Military Road.
  5. ^Quantrill's gang later broke up into smaller groups. Quantrill himself was killed while leading a raid in western Kentucky in July 1865.
  6. ^The free raiders were mostly outcasts from the Five Civilized Tribes.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Civil War Sites in Oklahoma".National Park Service.RetrievedAugust 10,2008.
  2. ^Pollard, Bryan (November 23, 2020)."How the US Civil War Divided Indian Nations".History.RetrievedAugust 29,2022.
  3. ^American Civil War Resource Database
  4. ^Confer, Clarissa (2007).The Cherokee Nation in the Civil War.Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 4.
  5. ^Tom Franzmann. "Indian Home Guard."Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture
  6. ^"Union and Confederate Indians in the Civil War".civilwarhome.February 16, 2002.RetrievedAugust 10,2008.
  7. ^Gibson, Arrell (1981).Oklahoma, a History of Five Centuries.University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 117–120.
  8. ^ab"United States Volunteers – Indian Troops".civilwararchive.January 28, 2008.RetrievedAugust 10,2008.
  9. ^"Civil War Refugees".Oklahoma Historical Society.Oklahoma State University.RetrievedAugust 10,2008.
  10. ^Gibson 1981,p. 121
  11. ^Tom Franzmann, "Indian Expedition of 1862."Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.Accessed October 15, 2015.
  12. ^Cottrell, Steve.Civil War in the Indian Territory,Chapter 1.1995. Available on Google Books. Accessed October 15, 2015.
  13. ^John D. May, "Locust Grove, Battle of",Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and CultureRetrieved April 13, 2013.
  14. ^Harris, Jason T. (2008),Combat, Supply and the Influence of Logistics During the Civil War in Indian Territory,University of Central Oklahoma, p. 57
  15. ^"Indian Expedition of 1862."ArchivedJuly 28, 2010, at theWayback MachineFranzmann, Tom.Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  16. ^ab""The Second Battle of Cabin Creek." Hancock, Marvin J,Chronicles of Oklahoma.Retrieved September 5, 2014 "(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on May 12, 2013.RetrievedDecember 30,2014.
  17. ^Steven L. Warren, "Cabin Creek, Battles of"Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.Regtrieved December 30, 2014
  18. ^"Battle Summary: Honey Springs".National Park Service.RetrievedAugust 10,2008.
  19. ^Gibson 1981,pp. 122–125
  20. ^Edwards, Whit."Perryville, Battle of,"Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,2009. Accessed March 1, 2015.
  21. ^The History of Oklahoma.Gibson, Arrell Morgan. p.70. 1984. Available on Google Books.Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  22. ^Messer, Dr. Carroll. "Battle of Middle Boggy: Phillips' Expedition of 1864 into Indian Territory."May 17, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  23. ^Steven L. Warren, "Middle Boggy, Battle of,"Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  24. ^abGibson, Arnell Morgan.The History of Oklahoma.p. 73. Available on Google Books. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  25. ^Confer 2007,p. 9, 158
  26. ^Confer 2007,p. 156

Further reading[edit]

  • Confer, Clarissa W.The Cherokee Nation in the Civil War(Univ.of Oklahoma Press, 2007)
  • Connole, Joseph.The Civil War and the Subversion of American Indian Sovereignty(McFarland &Company, Inc. Publishers 2017)
  • Cottrell, Steve.Civil War in the Indian Territory,Chapter 1. 1995. Available on Google Books.
  • Downing, David C.A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy.Nashville: Cumberland House, 2007.ISBN978-1-58182-587-9
  • Gibson, Arnell Morgan.The History of Oklahoma.
  • Gibson, Arrell Morgan. "Native Americans and the Civil War,"American Indian Quarterly(1985) 9#4 pp. 385–410in JSTOR
  • Lause, Mark. Race & Radicalism in the Union Army. (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009)
  • Slavery in the Cherokee Nation: The Keetowah Society and the Defining of a People, 1855–1867(Routledge, 2003)
  • Smith, Troy. "The Civil War Comes to Indian Territory,"Civil War History(Sept 2013) 59#3 pp 279–319online
  • Warde, Mary Jane.When the Wolf Came: The Civil War and the Indian Territory(University of Arkansas Press, 2013), 404 pp
  • Wickett, Murray R.Contested Territory: Whites, Native Americans and African Americans in Oklahoma, 1865–1907(Louisiana State Univ. Press, 2000)

Primary sources[edit]

  • Edwards, Whit."The Prairie Was on Fire": Eyewitness Accounts of the Civil War in the Indian Territory(Oklahoma Historical Society, 2001)
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