Info on Native American Troops during th civil war?

Question

Any info is much apprecitated

Answer 1

Hi YeahYa24,
I will introduce the Eastern Band of Cherokee during the American Civil War.

The Eastern Cherokees were led by Chief William Holland Thomas and, by the end of the war, practically all able-bodied Cherokees served with Chief Thomas.
Thomas' Confederate Legion, as it became known, fired "The Last Shot" of the American Civil War east of the Mississippi. Commanding Colonel William Holland Thomas is the only white man to serve as a Cherokee chief and is cousin to President Zachary Taylor and also cousin to President Jefferson Davis. The Thomas Legion recruited Cherokees, one of its soldiers was awarded the rare Confederate Medal of Honor, it served with General John C. Breckinridge (fourteenth Vice President of the United States), and was assigned to the same division as General George S. Patton's grandfather.
Furthermore, with the assistance of Thomas' Legion, the Union forces never subjugated North Carolina's most western counties. It captured the Union occupied city White Sulphur Springs, North Carolina, and, moreover, is perhaps the only unit to have captured an enemy occupied city in order to negotiate its own surrender.

Best Regards, Matt

Answer 2

There were many Native Indian Tribes involved in the "War of Northern Aggression"; however all most all of them fought on the side of the Confederacy.

In the Southern States, they had units such as the Cherokee Braves (Georgia), and the Chocktaw Braves (Arkansas), there were plenty of other units in the South but these are the only two that I can recall off the top of my head.

In the Western Territories, the Union Army conducted acts of mass genocide against the less formal and more tribal allies of the Confederacy, which resulted in "massacres", where nearly all of the Warriors or Braves were killed including the women, elderly, and children.

It is well documented where Union Generals told their subordinates to if at all possible encourage their men to beat these "savages" to death with the butt of their rifles or with their boots rather then waste money on more bullets.

History and Union Propagandists love to demonize the Confederacy with their lies about slavery, and ignore the "REAL" genocide that occured in the West by their own Army.

Sure there were horrible and unspeakable acts committed in the South by Slave Traders and Slave Holders, but this was very, very, very rare; it is documented that less then 1% of the population of each State owned slaves, and even less then 1% abused them (0.5% is a conservative estimate but is still too high); again still horrendous, slavery was awful and this should not be sugar coated, and I'm not trying to do that.

However in the West the Armies of the Union carried out a 30 year war of Genocide against tribal allies of the Confederacy that has resulted in the near extinction of an entire race, not even the Nazi's managed to wipe out the Jews to this point.

Look at the ethnic demographics of today, Native Americans make up less then 3% of the population, while back in the 1860's they reporedly made up 57% of the population.

A good question should be what was worse, Confederate Slavery (which only lasted 4 years, Jefferson Davis outlawed slavery in the South in 1865) or Union acts of genocide (Which carried on until the early 1900's)?

Answer 3

The United States

Answer 4

Great answer above from JS, and I would like to add two significant stories of Native American service - one from each side. From the Cherokee tribe, Stand Watie offered the services of his men and became famous for being given the rank of brigadier general in command of a brigade of several regiments, seeing service in the Trans-Mississippi theater and was one of the few general officers to refuse to surrender his men or sign an oath of allegiance to the United States at the end of the war. From the Federal side, Chief Billy Bowlegs of the Seminole tribe fought for the United States, despite being the principal person responsible for starting the Third Seminole War in the 1850's (also called The Billy Bowlegs War). After he and his men were captured and rounded up, they joined other Seminoles captured in the 1830's and 40's that were sent to Oklahoma Territory. I guess there was no hard feelings since he decided to fight for the US.

Answer 5

Wiley Britton wrote this:
"The Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes were the only Indian tribes who took an active part in the Civil War. When the Confederate agents first approached the full-blood leaders of the Cherokee and Creek tribes on the subject of severing their relations with the United States, the Indians expressed themslves cautiously but decidely preferring to remain neutral.
In the Spring of 1862 the United States government sent an expedition of five thousand men under Colonel William Weer, 10th Kansas Infantry, into the Indian Territory to drive out the Confederate forces of General Albert Pike and Colonel Douglas H. Cooper, and to restore the refugee Indians to their homes.
Once the Confederate forces were driven out of all that part of the Indian country north of the Arkansas River, the loyal Indians of the Cherokee, Creek, and Seminole nations were organized, by the authority of the U.S. government, into three regiments, each fuly a thousand strong, for the defense of their country. Colonel William A. Phillips, of Kansas, who was active in organizing these Indian regiments, commanded the Indian brigade from its organization to the close of the war. He took part with his Indain troops in the action at Locust Grove, C.N., and in the battles of Newtonia, Mo., Maysville, Ark., Prarie Grove, Ark., Honey Springs, C.N., Perryville, C.N., besides many other minor engagements."
* I am used to thumbs down, for whatever reasons.*
* ross4thus deserves thumbs up too!*

Answer 6

I know many tribes took sides during the war, and I also know many other tribes did not want any part with the war, so they remained largely neutral. Some tribal members even enlisted in those of the Union or the Southern armies, so they didn't keep quite during the war. So I would say they did their part during the war.

Answer 7

J.S. is correct.
Jake I gave you a thumb up to cancel out the thumb down, also I gave it to you because you tried to help.