By Al Fonner
The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable
Copyright © 2024, All Rights Reserved
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in The Charger in December 2024.
When we think of the American Indian’s support of the Confederate States in the American Civil War, we most often think of what occurred west of the Mississippi River and in the Southwest. One name that often comes to mind is General Stand Watie, who raised and commanded a contingent of Cherokee fighters for the Confederate States, operating in the Indian Territory, Kansas, and Missouri. Although not as celebrated as Watie and his Cherokee, the Eastern Cherokee who remained in western North Carolina also threw their lot in with the Confederate States. This remnant formed the backbone of what became known collectively as Thomas’s Legion of Indians and Mountaineers. The Cherokee contingent of the Legion served primarily in the defense of the Appalachian Mountain region of western North Carolina, although they had some involvement in early operations in eastern Tennessee.
Continue reading “Surrender? A Better Word Would Be Quit: Eastern Cherokee and the Confederacy”