NOTE: For more indepth information regarding
this era in Indian Territory during the Civil War follow these links
to books regarding the Native Americans in this period.
Shifting Winds of War: Indian Territory, 1861 - 1865
Indian
Territory 1861-1865: The Forts, The Battles, The Soldiers
Available in paperback,
a reprint of Dust in the
Wind: The Civil War in Indian Territory
Also available for your Kindle Dust
in the Wind: The Civil War in Indian Territory
"Dust In The Wind
"
THE CIVIL WAR IN INDIAN TERRITORY
Welcome Visitor! Come sit a bit and learn about an area
in the Civil War that has not been visited very much.
The movies, television, books and other media have told much about this period
in our country. Those stories are concentrated east of the Mississippi where the
famous battles of Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Generals Grant and Lee led the Armies
of the Union and Confederacy. But, not much is known about 1861-1865 west of the
Mississippi. Movies and books have woven fiction and non-fiction stories in a
way that when a person thinks about the Civil War, it appears to have only happened
in the east, and nothing about the Native Americans that fought.
I grew up in Southwestern Oklahoma, the area that was the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache
Reservation. The history books of Oklahoma touched only lightly on the Civil War
period. Of course, there was mention of General Stand Watie, the Cherokee soldier
who was the last field General to cease fighting, but again, not a lot about him.
A few years ago, I began the search for my ancestors. I discovered I had 14 family
members that had served during that time. I had grandfathers on both sides of
the War. I began to read more about that period in our history.
Since I am of Cherokee ancestory, and grew up in Oklahoma, this was an area I
became very interested in. More will be added as I find it. When I became interested
in this project, my memory of Oklahoma History was rather vague, as it has been
a long time since my school days of Kiowa County. So I started with a book from
the library on Oklahoma History, and searched for others about that period of
time in Indian Territory. I read the books listed below to find information about
the Civil War years. They are available through your local libraries. The Interlibrary
Loan System is a fantastic thing. When you can't go a thousand miles to a library
for the books you need, they can bring them to you!
If you will click on this link, your visit will begin. Thank you, and
come again.
Original Poem by Thomas E. Guinn, submitted by Anthony Jones, The Gray Riders
Are you looking for information about an Indian soldier than may have fought
in Indian Territory? Post a query and perhaps some of the visitors to these
pages can help. This page is for queries regarding the soldiers that fought
in Indian Territory, only. I do not have the resources to answer your questions,
but hopefully other visitors can help. When you post a name, capitalize it for
easier recognition. Spell it as close as you can. If you are searching for family,
remember to check the Guest Book. Sometimes queries are posted there also.
Post
and View Your Query
The stories of these troopers in that War have been honored with some great
awards. With time, perhaps they will have the recognition they deserve in history.
These Awards are dedicated to those troopers, both Indian
and White, that fought FOR THE CAUSE. Thank you, to those that presented
them, and please be sure to visit their websites and sign their guest books.
Acknowledgements and Sources
OKLAHOMA: A History of the Sooner State...by Edwin C. Reynolds, University of
Oklahoma Press, 1954, 1964
HISTORY OF THE CHEROKEE...by Emmett Starr, 1921
RED FOX: Stand Watie's Civil War Years...by Wilfred Knight, Arthur C. Clark
Co. 1988
NOW THE WOLF HAS COME: The Creek Nation in the Civil War...by Christine Schultz
White and Benton R. White, Texas A. & M. Press, 1996
A CREEK WARRIOR FOR THE CONFEDERACY: The Autobiography of Chief G. W. Grayson...Edited
by W. David Baird, University of Oklahoma Press, 1988
BETWEEN TWO FIRES: American Indians in the Civil War...Laurence M. Hauptman,
The Free Press 1995
THE CIVIL WAR ERA IN INDIAN TERRITORY...Edited by LeRoy H. Fischer, Lorrin L.
Morrison, Pub. 1974
CONFEDERATE CALVARY WEST OF THE RIVER...Stephen B. Oates, Austin, University
of Texas Press, 1961
CIVIL WAR in the INDIAN TERRITORY....Steve Cottrell, Pelican Publishing Co.,
Gretna, LA, 1998
THE AMERICAN INDIAN AS SLAVE HOLDER AND SECESSIONIST (1915), THE AMERICAN INDIAN
IN THE CIVIL WAR, 1862-1865 (1919) THE AMERICAN INDIAN and the END of the CONFEDERACY,
1863-1866.....Annie Heloise Abel, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and
London, Bison Book Reprint, 1993
Confederate Sword bar gif and other clip art used on these pages courtesy A.
J. Skii and South Art Co.
Updated April 4, 2012
Copyright, 1997-2012
This information compiled, prepared and submitted to this site by Ethel Taylorand remains the property of the
submitter
NOTICE: Ethel Taylor grants
that this information and data may be used by non-commercial entities, as
long as this message remains on all copied material, for personal and genealogical
research. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for
profit, can not be copied over to other sites, linked to, or other presentation
without written permission of Ethel Taylor.