The 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles (also known as the 1st Arkansas Cherokee Mounted Rifles and the "Cherokee Braves") was a
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
formation of the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
in the
Trans-Mississippi Theater
The trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War was the scene of the major military operations west of the Mississippi River. The area is often thought of as excluding the states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean, which formed ...
of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
.
Formation
After
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
Principal Chief John Ross signed a treaty of alliance with the
Confederate States
The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...
in October 1861, he and the Cherokee Council authorized the formation of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Riflemen, to be commanded by Colonel John Drew."General Stand Watie's Regiment (First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Volunteers)." Accessed August 7, 2016. Most of the riflemen of the newly formed regiment were ideologically uncommitted to the goals of the Confederacy, but were loyal to Ross.
Drew's regiment became part of Colonel Cooper's command and was ordered to help stop the flight of Union-supporting Creeks, led by their principal chief
Opothleyahola
Opothleyahola (also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv, – March 22, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a Speaker of the Upper Creek Co ...
, who were attempting to flee to Kansas. Although the unit participated in the
Battle of Round Mountain
The Battle of Round Mountain was the first battle in the Trail of Blood on Ice campaign for the control of Indian Territory during the American Civil War that occurred on November 19, 1861. Its main purpose was to prevent Union supporters of th ...
, the
Battle of Chusto-Talasah
The Battle of Chusto-Talasah, also known as Bird Creek, Caving Banks, and High Shoal, was fought December 9, 1861, in what is now Tulsa County, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory) during the American Civil War. It was the second of three battles ...
, and the
Battle of Chustenahlah
The Battle of Chustenahlah was fought in Osage County, Oklahoma, (then Unassigned Lands, Indian Territory) on December 26, 1861, during the American Civil War. A band of 9,000 Union (American Civil War), pro-Union Native Americans in the United ...
, they made known their dislike for fighting the Creeks, who had done the Cherokees no harm. They had expected to be fighting the invading Yankees, instead.
Consolidation
A portion of Drew's regiment deserted in late 1861. Following the Battle of Old Fort Wayne in October 1862, most of the remainder of Drew's men, including Maj. Thomas Pegg, deserted to the Union army. What remained of his troops were consolidated with 2d Cherokee Mounted Rifles and reorganized as the 1st Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles with
Stand Watie
Brigadier-General Stand Watie (; December 12, 1806September 9, 1871), also known as Standhope Uwatie and Isaac S. Watie, was a Cherokee politician who served as the second principal chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1862 to 1866. The Cherokee ...
in command."Clash at Chusto-Talasah; Hundreds of Rebel Indians Defect." Civil War Daily Gazette". Accessed January 10, 2016.
1862–1865
During the war, Watie's troops participated in twenty-seven major engagements and numerous smaller skirmishes. Although some of the engagements were set-piece battles, most of their activities utilized guerrilla tactics. Watie's men launched raids from south of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .brigadier general in May 1864.''Civil War in the Indian Territory''. Cottrell, Steve. Pelican Books, pp. 94–95. Retrieved September 7, 2014. /ref>
Watie's most spectacular victories included the Ambush of the steamboat J. R. Williams, in June 1864, and the capture of a Union wagon train at the Second Battle of Cabin Creek in September 1864. His three most infamous actions were the burning of Rose Cottage, home of Chief John Ross, and the Cherokee Council House in October 1863, and the massacre of detachments of the First Kansas Colored Infantry and 2nd Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry at the Hay Camp Action (a.k.a. the
Battle of Flat Rock
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
) in September 1864.
In February 1865 Stand Watie was given command of the Indian Division of
Indian Territory
Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...
but was unable to launch any offensive operations. He released most of his troops following the collapse of Confederate resistance in the spring of 1865. After participating in the Camp Napoleon Council in May, Stand Watie officially surrendered on June 23, 1865, becoming the last Confederate general to lay down his arms. The regiment was disbanded.
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...