Indians in the Civil War?

[ironfoot]

In Minnesota some of the Dakota began warfare during the Civil War, hoping to drive out the whites. When I was a kid, it was called the Great Sioux Uprising. It is now often referred to as the Dakota Conflict. Estimates are that 500 to 800 whites were killed. It ended with most of the Dakota being forced out of the state, along with other Indians that had nothing to do with the uprising/conflict. (Such as the winnebago Indians.) What involvement did Indians have in the South and West?

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[Shorty]

I can add that the Seminoles in Fla. enlisted in the Southern cause.  Something about the Confederate Gov't offering them more autonomy than the Federal Gov't would.

[urrlord]

the cherokee and a few other tribes contributed troops from indian territory/oklahoma.most served under stand waitie who was commissioned as a general of the confederacy.the cherokee were bitterly divided over what to do.so they sent a delegation to washington to see what the u.s. was thinking on the indians and u.s. treaty obligations.the indians were basically told to go home.the confederates approached the indian nations and paid the u.s.'s delinquent  obligations.the indians felt that  the south had more honor and consequently contributed to the southern efforts.although sabotage and intel leaks from pro-northern indians limited their effectiveness at times.stand waities troops had a strong reputation.   on a side note many tejanos in the southwest and free blacks in the southwest and lousianna area joined the confederate cause.

[Dee]

Now you guys are talking about something I know a little about. I'm Cherokee. When the US goverment moved my ancesters out of the Carolinas and Georgia it was done at gun point. Why? Because the Cherokee owned farms and plantations that the whites wanted. So, they moved my great great Grandmother who was a child at the time in front of a horse, not on it. She lost most of her family on the TRAIL OF TEARS. She talked about it to my Father when he was a boy. When the south seceeded from the union because of unfair tarrifs on EXPORTED textiles such as cotton the Cherokee joined the Conferacy because of past and at the time present treatment by the GOVERMENT. When Lee surrendered at Appromaddox the Cherokee didn't. As a result my GRANDFATHER was not made an american citizen until 1907 even though white's in Oklahoma were already considered americans. The UNCIVIL WAR marked the end of state's rights and a Republic. We now live in an evolved era of IMMINENT DOMAIN, THE PATRIOT ACT which only affects Americans and pre-emptive strike nation building. Do I want to live else-where? No, but I can love my country without any particular affection for a goverment that serves itself. For the other fellow they now have the goverment debt to about 9 trillion dollars. What businessmen we have elected. Am I patriotic? Well, I served this country as a Police Officer for 20 years. I have an uncle with 3 bronze stars and a purple heart from WWII, another uncle with two tours in Viet Nam, a cousin who had 3 helicopters shot out from under him there. My oldest son draws disability from the Army. 3rd Battlion Rangers. Remember that fight. I currently have a 22 year old who just got back from Afganistan and is as I write this entering Iraq as a SGT with the 82nd Airborne. I support what's MORALLY RIGHT.

[toysoldier]

Cherokees fought on both sides in the Civil War. Slaveowners, disturbed by the easy refuge that runaway slaves found with Native American tribes, had pressured the Cherokee to accept slavery. Their failure to do so was a significant contributing factor in the push to remove them from their lands.

Once settled in Okalhoma, some Cherokee "half-breeds" started to accept "white" ways and own slaves. These joined the Southern cause under the command of Stand Watie, the only Native American to achieve the rank of General in an American Army. (I worked with a woman who was married to a great-great-grandson of the general). The "pure-bloods" maintained their opposition to Southern-style slavery, and joined with the North. Neither side benefitted.

[Dee]

Toysoldier, you need to re-read your Cherokee history. The Cherokee had already accepted white plantation farming practices and were very successful at it. They also OWNED SLAVES as did many NORTHERNERS. Their great success at plantation farming IN THE DEEP SOUTH (Georgia, the Carolinas, ect,) was part of their problem. The northerners saw it, and wanted their land. THUS, the Trail of Tears, which my ancestors were a part of. The funny thing about slavery, is that less than 5% of the south actually owned slaves. Slavery was on its way out because of the economic stress of taking care of so many. But it was as good as an excuse as any for the goverment to impose it's will on it's people.

[toysoldier]

A book titled "Black Indians" provides an very interesting look at the extensive interrelationship of these two people. Yes, the Cherokees held "slaves" prior to the Trail of Tears, but their idea of slavery was a far cry from the way it was practiced by whites. Blacks, many of them runaways, were treated as people, not property, and intermarried freely. This infuriated southern whites, who saw it as a very bad example for their slaves. Most tribes in America had traditionally treated blacks well, providing refuge and resisting all attempts to force them to return runaways. This challenge to the slaveowning system could not be tolerated by white slaveowners, as it threatened their business practices.

This attitude toward blacks changed in the Indian Territory, where a Southren attitude toward slavery began to take hold. This had already begun to split the tribes before secession, and they enlisted on both sides in the war.

[Dee]

Of course they enlisted on both sides. A lot of yankees came down and fought for the south. But the Cherokee also enter-married with the whites. John Ross was a spokesman for the Cherokee, before they (the Cherokee) were forced out of the Carolinas and Georgia. This was done for nothing more than greed  and envy of their farms and holdings. Slave treatment may or may not have been nothing more than an excuse.

[Telahnay's g'son]

The Creek Nation recognized blacks (former slaves and otherwise) often known as "freedmen" for tribal status.

The Cherokee Nation does not.  Matter of fact, there was a recent (tribal) court case involving this issue (now that's there's a lot of casino money involved) with the end result being the matter is soon to come up for a vote (up/down) by the Nation's members.

Folks from all over fought on either side and geographic location sometimes didn't matter as two (2) generals (Pemberton & Cooper) in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia were from Pennsylvania & New Jersey, respectively.

Tennessee had military units on both sides as well.   My great, great grandpa rode with Gen. Forrest in the 10th Tennessee Calvary after he'd enlisted (04/1862) in the 9th Alabama Infantry at Gravely Springs, Alabama and was subsequently wounded during the Battle of the Wilderness and was rendered unfit for that duty, ergo the horse mode of transportation in the 10th Tennessee.

[Sarge]

Stand Waite's screamin hellions were the last Confederate unit to surrender. According to some writings the Cherokee's were "sold out" by some of their own on the land deal which resulted in their removal to Indian Territory. Two of these people (Major Ridge and John Ridge) were assassinated  shortly after arriving. Major Ridge was assasinated on June 22 1839 at Sugar Hill, AR and John Ridge was assasinated June 22 1839 just south of Grove, Ok at the site of the Polson cemetery where they are both buried. I have read that many Cherokee's suspected Stand Waite of being involved in the sell out and there were plans to assasinate him also, but that didn't happen and I have no information that he was involved in the sell out. He is also buried in the Polson cemetery. I have been there many times as I grew up close to it. It's pretty interesting to go there after you have read about that era.