Conference smurf::civil_war

    
    			 "Confederate Indians"
    
    (book)
    The Confederate Cherokees
    John Drew's Regiment of Mounted Rifles
    by W. Craig Gaines
    178 pages.
    $19.95
    
    "Although many Indian nations fought in the Civil War, historians have
    given little attention to the role Native Americans played in the
    conflict.  Indian nations did, in fact, suffer a higher percentage of
    casualties than any other Union or Confederate state, and the War
    almost destroyed the Cherokee Nation.  Gaines writes not only about the
    action of Drew's regiment but about military events in the Indian
    territory in general.  United action was almost impossible because of
    continuing factionalism within the tribes and the desertion of many
    Indians to the Union forces.  Desertion was so high that Drew's
    regiment was effectively disbanded by mid-1862, and the soldiers did
    not complete their one-year enlistment.  Drew's regiment bears the
    distinction of being the only Confederate regiment to lose almost its
    entire membership to desertion to the Union."
    
    A Creek Warrior for the Confederacy
    The Autobiography of Chief G.W. Grayson, edited by W. David Baird
    181 pages.
    $29.95
    
    "This autobiography is a remarkable commentary on the history of the
    Creek Indians from the time of theor removal from the Southeast to the
    dissolution of the tribal government in 1906.  Born in 1843, of
    traditional parents who both claimed European ancestors, Grayson
    attended Creek mission schools and later Arkansas College in
    Fayetteville.  Like other m�tis, or mixed-bloods, during the Civil War
    he campaigned with Creek units attached to the armies of the
    Confederacy in Indian Territory.  Grayson looks back with humor and a
    sense of drama on his exciting life as an enthusiastic young
    Confederate officer and tribal official, always highlighting the
    traditional full-blooded responses to war, familyife, earning a
    livelihood, and the natural world."
    
    
    Both books are available through via
    Dixie Gun Works, Inc., Union City, Tenn. 38261
    (901) 885-0700
    

    This is a very sadly ignored aspect of the war.  Granted, there wasn't
    a major impact by these regiments, and it was mostly a sideshow
    theatre, but it is a subject that deserves more attention than it is
    given.  I don't know much about this subject, so I'm hoping that others
    out there do and will contribute.
    
    A quick question: was Stand Watie red, white, or half-breed; and what
    exactly was his rank in the Confederate Army?  What ever became of him
    after Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern for you rebs out there ;-))?
    
    Ziff

    regard .2
    
    	Stand Waite rose to the rank of Brigadier General. The only Native
    American to gain this distinction on either side during the war.He was three
    quarters Cherokee. (BTW Ziff, the term is mixed bloods, not half-breeds.)
    His Indian name was Degataga. After the battle at Elkhorn Tavern, Stand
    Waite returned to Indian Territory where he continued the struggle for
    the Cause by engaging in numerious raids and skirmishes until the end of
    the war. He was the last Confederate Generalto surrender his command
    (June 23, 1865). After the war he returned to rebuild his home
    (Park Hill, Indian Terr.) and again become a leading planter and
    citizen of the area until his death at age 65 in 1871.
    
    Dave
    planter and citizen of the area.
    

    Thanks for the info, and the correction on terminology.  Sounds like
    an interesting enough biography to study; can you recommend any good
    books?  BTW, was his rank official in that white troops and officers
    had to obey his orders, or did it only pertain to his own command?
    Racism being what it is, especially toward Native Americans in those
    days, leads me to wonder what kind of authority he would have.
    
    Ziff

    
        The best book to read is "Red Fox: Stand Watie's Civil War 
    Years." The book was written by Wilfred W. Knight. The pulisher is 
    The Authur H. Clark co, 1988. ISBN # 0-87062-179-3. another is " A 
    Creek Warrior for the Confederacy". (see .2) Any books that are about 
    the 5 civilized tribes (Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and 
    Seminole), will contain information on the Civil War and these 
    people.
    	Stand Watie was commissioned a colonel in the C.S. Army on July 
    12th, 1861. His commission (promotion) to Brigadier-General came on 
    April 29,1864. As a general officer, he was in command of any 
    individual of any race who fell under his jurisdition. His division 
    was comprised of Whites, Indians, and free Blacks who lived in the 
    Cherokee Nation.
    

    Thanks.  Think I'll head on over to my local library and check these
    out.
    
    Ziff