Indian Loyalties and the Civil War

The Civil War destroyed the "Golden Years" of the Five Civilized Nations and their allied tribes. In Indian country, the tribes fought a civil war within the Civil War. Some groups in each tribe fought for the Union, but other groups fought for the Confederacy. The Choctaws and Chickasaws, who were located in southeastern Oklahoma, were influenced by Confederate Arkansans and Texans. A majority of their men fought for the Confederacy. The Creeks and Seminoles, located in the center of Indian Territory, split. About half (1675 men) supported the Union and half (1575 men) fought for the Confederacy. The Cherokees in the northeastern area of the territory were influenced by Kansans and were more favorable toward the Union (2200 men) than toward the South (1600 men).

At the beginning of the war, the Confederacy intended to control Indian Territory. Southern authorities named Arkansas’s Albert Pike as Indian Commissioner and sent him to negotiate with the tribes. Pike was a trader and explorer. Before the war, he had come into Oklahoma many times to trade with the Native Americans. Thus, he had already established friendly relationships with the Indians. Texas also sent in General Ben McCulloch and a brigade of soldiers to take control of the region. Then, in August of 1861, the Confederacy defeated the Union at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, just south of Springfield, Missouri. Their victory seemed to firm up the South’s hold on Indian Territory.

But, one Creek Chief, Opothleyaholo (called Ya-holo for short), insisted that he and his followers (about 10,000 Creeks and Seminoles) were going to remain neutral during the war. Confederates became upset. They saw Ya-holo as an enemy. Confederate forces attacked his camp at the Battle of Round Mountain on the Arkansas River west of today’s Tulsa. The Indians won the battle. Then they moved their camp to the north in the direction of Kansas. A second fight, the Battle of Caving Banks, occurred north of Tulsa. Ya-holo’s men won again, and the Indians moved their camp further north. The Battle of Chustenalah was the third fight. This time, the Indians lost. A slaughter occurred, but 7,000 Indian survivors rode and walked through the winter snow until they found safety in Kansas. Because of the Confederate attacks, Ya-holo went over to the Union side. His Creeks and Seminoles made up two Indian brigades of the federal army.

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Union forces retreated out of Indian country because they feared a Confederate attack from Texas or Arkansas. But, in time, the Union forces became stronger. In July of 1862, the federals invaded Indian Territory. The Northern forces won the Battle of Locust Grove (a place near the Grand River, east of Tulsa). It was a great Union victory. The North now controlled Cherokee country, but not for long. The South’s Cherokee General Stand Watie began raiding Union positions. He and his men drove federal forces back.

Additional Resources

Study Guide Questions:

1. How did tribal locations within Oklahoma influence their decisions to support the Union or the Confederacy?
2. Who was Albert Pike? Why was he sent to Oklahoma?
3. Who was Opothleyaholo? What happened at the Battle of Chustenalah?
4. Who was Stand Watie? For what is he well known?
5. Name two Civil War battles between Union and Confederate troops that occurred in Oklahoma. Who won each of those battles?
6. Where were the Indian refugee camps located after the Civil War? Briefly describe conditions in the refugee camps.
7. What affect did the Reconstruction treaties of 1866 have on the Indians in Oklahoma?

Vocabulary

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