The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-07
petition was granted and r established

petition was granted and I established
two camps Of Choctaw warriors, one at
Mobile, Ala, and one in Newton
County, Mississippi, on the Meridian
and Jackson Railroad. This command
was styled 1st battalion Of Choctaw
Indians.
In short time over three hundred
warriors were enrolled and ready for
service. Unfortunately, however, q
part Of the Indians, while reconnoiter-
ing near Lake Ponchartrain. were
drawn into action before they were
thoroughly drilled in the manual and
skirmish tactics.
New Orleans was then in the hands
Of the Fedcrals and their gunboats
piled the coast along the Mississippi,
and the Federal soldiers penetrated
the interior. During one Of their
landings Company A, commanded by
Capt. B. Duckworth, First Lieut.. Cal
win Doolittle, Second Lieut.. r. II.
Welsh, Third Lieut.. w. Cunningham,
FirsU Corpl G. Ainsworth; Company
B, Capt. Thomas Pcarse, First Lieut.
Mobly, Second Lieut.. Furlow, Third
Lieut.. John Harrison, First Corpl.
William Robinson, together with
their non. commissioned Indian officers
and sixty-three privates, engaged the
enemy, who had landed in superior
forces near Lake Ponchartrain. Dur
ing this conflict these Indian braves
fought nobly. But the skill Of the
enemy and tLeir superior numbers and
quality OF arms were too much for
them. Mobly and Pearse, together
with seventeen warriors, were captur-
led and placed aboard the Federal gun
boat, Maple Leaf, and taken to New
Orleans. Pearsc and several of the
Indians escaped and returned to camp.
The balance wezs carried to New York
city and exhibited as curiosities.
Indian Warriors in Confederate
Uniforml" This line furnished an
amusing headline to the great dailies
Of the North.
This portion Of the Choctaw battal-
ion became greatly demoralized. Sew
eral Of their leaders went to Mobile
and employed Percy Walker, promi-
nent lawyer at the Mobile Bar, to pro-
cure their release from service.
To prevent complications and con-
sequent entanglement Of the Indians
against the Confederacy I promptly
advised their full payment and honor
able discharge from the service. This
vase done at once. The other two
companies of Indians continued in SER
vice, engaged only in scout and econ
noitering duties; plotting Confederate
scouts and giving notice of Federal
encroachments, which became Of fre-
quent annoyance after the fall of
Vicksburg. 1 have elaborate data and
propose to give the redskin braves'and
their excellent commanders conspicu-
Gus mention in my forthcoming "Four
Years Life in Camp" The historian
who presumes on placing history of
the civil war before the world with the
omission Of Spann battalion Of Choc-
taw Indians will do himself an injury
and band of brave warrioro serious
wrong.
The 18th battalion of Confederate
cavalry continued to do desultory SER
vice in both offensive and defensive
warfare in North Alabama. When
Gen. Pillow, with his brigade, was or
dered to take the field, I applied for
admission into his brigade, but the
officials Of Tuscaloosa petitioned the
war department. to forbid this battal-
IONS departure from their midst.
This request was acceded to by the
department. All these matters, .and
much more, which constitute the part
I took, will be set forth more elabor-
ately in due course of time.
As an evidence of the strong broth
erly attachment that those brave,
crude, full-blood Indians cherished
for Confederate soldiers, ] here in
stance one event that occurred near
my Indian camp, in Newton County,
Miss. A freshet was on and the wa
ter iu Chunky River was running
above the railroad bridge, trains came
loaded with soldiers going toward
Vicksburg. The train plunged into
the river, precipitatiug many soldiers
into the raging waters. I was present
at my Indian camp during this catas-