The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1869-07-29
ZEE LOYAL" INDIANS.


s Curious Chapter Of the Rebel"
lion.
A correspondent Of the Cincinnati
Commercial gives the following inter
esting history Of the part taken by GER
tain Indian tribes IN our late civil war:
at will not be forgotten that the
Creeks, Choctaws and Cherokees were
large shareholders. The Rebels plan
ned their accession, and sent Pike to
accomplish it Immediately after scccs
sion begun. The Choctaws, at once
joined and two comp anies of that peo-
pie formed part ofthe Rebel forces at
the battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri,
fought August 10th 1861, Altogether
the Confedcracy had six or seven regf
mcnts from the civilized nations in their
army. The Creeks and Cherokccs di,
vidcd at once, most Of thc full -bloodcd
Indians being true to the United States
1t is q matter Of record that Albert
Pike, acting through the Rebel indian
leaders, early in the summer Of 1861
cndeavorcd to excite the hostility ofthc
Plain Indians--thosc same tlibes that
have Of late years been at war with us.
Through the influence of Opoth- lie ho-
le-o.lo, the Creek chief, who from the
very outset resisted the Rebel efforts,
these schemes were defeated. In June
or July Of 1861, q great council of del
egatcs from all the leading tribes from
Texas TO Dakota east Of the Rocky
Mountains, was held at a point within
the Indian territory, four hundred miles
west Of Arkansas. At this council Reb.
cl agents cndcavorcd to make tacatics
offensive and defensive. Opoth-le-ho.
lc-o-lo's influence prevented this, and
he returned home TO take up arms at
once for the Union.
"Thc Union troops stationed at Fort
Smith, under Capt. Sturgis, Forts Ar
buckle Cobb, and several other points
under Lieut.. Col. (now General Emo
ny (and the cavalry command stationed
in or near Northern Texas, under Maj.
George IL. Thomss, since made famous
by splendid services to the republic,
were very early compelled to Withdraw
to prevent capture. SO the Indians
were left without protection or aid.
They succumbcd. The Creek king,
then over ninety years ofagc, yet one
Of the finest looking men | ever looked
upon, fought and won with forces has
tiIy drawn together two severe engage
mcnts against the Rebel Creeks and
Choctaws, led BY the twins Stan Waite
and Douglas D. Cooper, q deserving
United States Indian agent, In the
third encounter the loyal Indians were
badly defeated. 1t was in January or
February Of 1862, and they retreajcd
for over q hundred miles into Kansas,
leaving their dead scattered along the
roadside.
"Shortly aflcrward Mr.. Stanton Or
dered the mastering in oftwO regiments
as Indian Home Guards The first
was composed wholly of Greeks, except
Il sprinkling Of colored men. The sec
ond was made up mainly of Chcrokecs
with the two Seminole companies and
some Creeks and Chickasaws. There
were probably in all twenty-five or thir-
" ChoctaWs. That nation went rs a
BODY into the rebellion. 1t was not
until about August, 1862, that a move
ment southwark was made. The IN
lian regiments formed part of the COM
mand. A regiment of Cherokees came
over in body from the Rebels. They
had been dragooned into their service.
It will not be forgotten, however, that
ong before that the Confedcrates had
hem employed in large numbers. At
the battle of Pea Ridge Albert Pike
division of Indians six
u seven regiments. This was in March
1852, six weeks or two months before
,ur War Department authorized the
muster in of the loyal Indians.
"The loyal brigade thus formed dill
'ctive service in all the fighting duty
from that time until their
MUSTER out IN May 1865. They assist
al the Western Arkansas campaign,
md fought ut Newtonia and other points
n Southwestern MissGuyi ut old Fort
wayne, Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, in
northwestern Arkansas, ut Honey
springs, the capture Of Fort Smith, in
he Indian Territory. Besides their ,
istory under the immediate command
f Col. William A. Phillips, is that Of -.
ontinuous struggle and lighting. For ,
Eighteen months they held the most al
anccd southern line of all our opera
ons, Fort Gipson on the Arkansas,
nd a, the same time held open Il sup. !
~ line of over two hundred miles,
nus enabling us to hold an area of at
,ast 10000 square miles, and taking .