Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-25
THE"LOYAL" INDIANS.
A Curious Chapter OF the Rebellion

Ie A Curious Chapter OF the Rebellion
: A correspondent of the Cincin'
= natl Commercial gives the following
interesting history of the part taken
! by certain Indian tribes in our late
n civil war:
at will not be forgotten that the
Creeks, Choctaws and Cherokees
were large shareholders. The Rebels
,, planned their accession, and sent
i. Pike to accomplish it Immediately
after secession begun. The Chocs
: taws at once joined, and two COM
f panies of that people formed part
of the Rebel forces at the battle of
Wilson's Creek, Missouri, fought
August 10, 1861. Altogether the
Confederacy had six or seven regi-
ments from the civilized nations in
their army. The Greeks and Chero-
KEGS divided at once, most of the
full-blooded Indians being true to
the United States. 1t is a matter of
record that Albert Pike, acting
through the Rebel Indian leaders,
early in the summer of 1861 en-
deavored to excite the hostility of
the Plain Indians those same tribes
that have of late years been at war
with us. Through the influence of
Opoth-le- no lie o-lo, the Creek chief,
who from the very outset resisted
the Rebel efforts, these schemes
were defeated. In June or July of
1861 great council of delegates
from all the leading tribes from
Texas to Dakota, east of the Rocky
Mountains, was held at point
within the Indian territory, four
hundred miles west of Arkansas.
At this council Rebel agents en-
deavored to make treaties offensive
| and defensive. Opoth le no le- los
influence preventd this, and he re-
turned homo to takes up arms at
once for the Union.
"The Union troops stationed at
Fort Smith, under Capt. Sturgis,
Forts Arbuckle, Cobb and several
other points, under Lieut. Col. (now
GeneraD Emory, and the cavalry
command stationed in or near
Northern Texas, under Maj. George
IL. Thomas, since made famous by
splendid services to the republic,
were very early compelled to with
draw to prevent capture. So the |
Indians were left without protection
or aid. They succumbed The |
Creek king, then over ninety |
years of age, yet one of the finest |
looking men l ever looked upon,
fought and won with forces hastily |
drawn together two severe engage |
ments against the Rebel Creeks and |
ChoctaWs, led by the twins, Stan
Waite and Douglas D. Cooper, a
deserting United States Indian
agent. In the third encounter the
loyal Indians were badly defeated.
1t was in January or February of
1862, and they retreated for over a
hundred miles into Kansas, leaving |
their dead scattered along the road
side.
Shortly after Mr.. Stanton ordered
the mastering in of two regimen is
as Indian Home Guards The
first was composed wholly of Creeks,
except a sprinkling of colored men.
The second was made up mainly of |
Cherokees with the two Seminole |
companies and some Greeks and
Chickasaws. There were probably |
in all twenty-five or thirty Choc'
taws. That nation went as body |
heartily into the rebellion. 1t was
not until about August, 1862, that
movement southwark was made.
The Indian regiments formed part
the command. A regiment of
Cherokees came over in body fIom
the Rebels. They had been Gra-
gOOned into their service. 1t will
not be forgotten, however, that long
before that tho Confederates had
them employed in large numbers.
AT the battle of Pea Ridge Albert
Pike commanded a division of Indi-
ans-six or seven regiments. This
was in March, 1862, six weeks or
two months before our War Depart
ment authorized the muster in Ofthe
loyal Indians.
"The loyal brigade thus formed
did active service in all the fighting |
and duty demanded, from that time
until their muster out in May, 1865.
They assisted in the Western Ar
kansas campaign, and fought at
Newtonia and other points in South
western Missouri; at old Fort Wayne,
Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, in North
western Arkansas, at Honey
Springs, the capture of Fort Smith,
in the Indian Territory. Besides, |
their history, under the immediate
command of Col. William A. Phil
lips, is that of continuous struggle
and fighting. For eighteen months
they held the most advancedsouth-
ern line of all our operations, Fort
Gibson, on the Arkansas, and at the
same time held open supply line
of over two hundred miles, thus en-
abling us to hold an area of at least
10000 square miles, and taking the
scenes of hostilities far to the south
Of Kansas. The medical record |
shows that this brigade lost more |
men by wounds and sickness caused |
by field service than any other pOr~
tion of the Union army. Kansas
troops lost the most of any State;
Vermont next, but the Indians |
greatly exceeded either. Besides, |
they gave at least one regiment of
splendid colored soldiers. The |
Seventy-ninth, Eighty-third and
Eleventh United States and Fiftieth
regiment United States colored
troops were in part recruited from
among the Indians freedmen"
The GREAT SUEz CANAL M. Ferdin~
and de Lesseps announces definitely that
the canal of Suez will be opened on the