24. The aftermath
Following his surrender, Stand Watie traveled to Washington to negotiate a new treaty, in which he sought the creation of a new Southern Cherokee Nation in the Indian Territory. The United States government refused to negotiate with him and recognized John Ross as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. It was a greatly depleted nation. More than 20% of the Cherokee and a like number of Creek died of all causes during the American Civil War. The federal government forced the Cherokee who had fought against the Union to cede lands as reparations. Around 35% of Cherokee women were widowed. In the east, the remnants of the Eastern Cherokee were afflicted by smallpox, with deadly results.
The divisions among the Cherokee caused by the war remained a factor in tribal politics throughout Reconstruction and for decades beyond. The northern tribes were adversely impacted as well. Over 1,100 American Indians died fighting with the Union forces during the war, nearly one-third of all who enlisted. In the years following the war, the western expansion intensified, spurred by the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act. The tribes in the Indian Territory and eastern reservations became an afterthought as the government in Washington concentrated on new conflicts on the plains and the American Southwest. By the end of the century, the contributions of American Indians on both sides of the Civil War were all but forgotten.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Watie, Stand”. Entry, Oklahoma Historical Society. Online
“Joseph Vann”. N. Michelle Williamson, New Georgia Encyclopedia. January 20, 2006. Online
“Indian Soldiers (Civil War)”. Article, Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Online
“Thomas, William Holland”. Gordon B. McKinney, NCPedia. 1996. Online
“Forgotten Warriors”. Fort Scott National Historic Site, National Park Service. Online
“The Choctaw Confederates”. Adam Goodheart, The New York Times. February 9, 2011
“The Comanche Empire”. Pekka Hamalainen. 2009
“Tonkawa Massacre”. Entry, Oklahoma Historical Society. Online
“The Sioux Uprising of 1862”, Kenneth Carly. 1976
“The Fighting Cheyenne”. George Bird Grinnell. 1956
“Biography of Ely S. Parker”. Daryl Watson, Galena and US Grant Museum. Online
“Thomas’ Legion”. William Anderson, NCPedia. 2006. Online
“Cabin Creek Battlefield”. Entry, Oklahoma Historical Society. Online
“Civil War in the Indian Territory”. Steve Cottrell. 1995
“Stand Watie and the agony of the Cherokee Nation”. Kenny A. Franks. 1979
“Native Americans and the Civil War”. Arrell Morgan Gibson, American Indian Quarterly. 1985