Brief Summary: Indian Warriors In The Civil War

Bell Pendon

Mr. O’Malley

Euro-American Cultures 10 Period 1

24 April 2018

Indian Warriors in the Civil War Even before the Civil War, Indian and American relations were not amiable due to broken treaties and mistreatment of Indians by Americans. Although the Civil War was fought between the North and the South, Indians contributed to a major part of the war despite their desire to remain neutral (History Central, “Native Americans”). Since Indians lived in areas within the North and the South, it was inevitable that they would be included in the war. Similar to the North and the South, Indians were split into two with whose side they were on, either they were with the Union or with the Confederacy. Even those within the same tribe fought against

Albert Pike, a Confederate officer, often helped tribes, specifically the Creeks in a battle versus court, which in turn made those tribes join the Confederacy in the war (History Central, “Native Americans”). Pike made a treaty with the Chief of the Cherokee Nation, John Ross, that provided more generosity with the Five Civilized Tribes consisting of Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole (History Central, “Native Americans”). Then, he trained those Indian regiments to fight in the Battle of Pea Ridge (History Central, “Native Americans”). Though, after this battle, Indians were restricted to fighting in only Indian territory, and some of them served as Confederate scouts (History Central, “Native Americans”). Stand Watie, who is also known as Standhope Uwatie, was the leader of the Confederate Cherokees and became the only Native American to have a general rank in the Confederacy (Civil War Home, “Stand Watie”). Watie and his forces fought against the Union two months after the war’s end (Military History Now, “Tribe vs.

Tribe”). The Powhatan Indians acted as land guides and spies for the Army of the Potomac while the Pamunkey were naval pilots during the war (Alexandria City Hall, “We Are All Americans”). Some Indians were put into Indian Home Guard units, which were infantry volunteers, or the United States Colored Troop, which oversaw Indians fighting in the Civil War (Military History Now, “Tribe vs. Tribe”). Ely Parker, a Native American of Seneca, became a lieutenant colonel in the Union army due to his efforts in the war (Military History Now, “Tribe vs. Tribe”). He was a lawyer and was one of the trusted advisers that General Grant had. During General Lee’s surrender in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia to General Grant, Parker drafted the papers that General Lee would sign for his surrender (Emily Clay, “Native Americans and the Civil