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Choctaw in the American Civil War | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Pre-War Prosperity And Removal —
Choctaw in the American Civil War.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The Choctaw Nation had removed west of the Mississippi River after the signing of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. After three decades, the nation had become successful in establishing itself in its new country. They made considerable progress in agriculture and education with most of the farm labor being done by slaves. By 1860, the Choctaw Nation lived in a relatively calm and remote society. Many Indian citizen members had become successful farmers, planters, and business men. Angie Debo, author of The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic, wrote: "Taken as a whole the generation from 1833 to 1861 presents a record of orderly development almost unprecedented in the history of any people." Tribal members had become successful cotton planters, owning many slaves. The most famous Choctaw planter was Robert M. Jones. He was part Choctaw and had become influential in politics. Jones eventually supported the Confederacy and became a non-voting member in the Confederacy's House of Representatives. Jones was key for steering the Choctaw Nation in an alliance with the Confederacy.
Political Alignment With The Confederacy
In early February 1861, the Choctaw Nation's General Council instructed their delegates in Washington City to deposit their invested funds in southern banks, if necessary. A few days later, the council elected 12 delegates to meet with the Chickasaw at Boggy Depot, Choctaw Nation. In April, Choctaw officials at Washington City assured Unionists that the Choctaw Nation was to remain neutral. However, by June 1861 the Choctaw Nation had declared itself free and independent and appointed commissioners to make an alliance with the Confederacy. Several reasons explain why the Indians sided with the Confederacy: (1) They believed the United States was on the verge of collapse, (2) They were neglected by the United States, (3) William H. Seward, the United States Secretary of State, advocated the seizing of Indian lands, (4) Their main agent was an advocate for the South, and (5) Their laws supported slavery. Abraham Lincoln considered Indian affairs a low priority when compared to the secession crisis. Lincoln's administration focused their efforts on American military confrontations of early 1861. They had little time to consider the Indian's role in the coming conflict. As soon as the Civil War began, Lincoln's government abandoned Indian Country. By May 18 of 1861, U.S. military posts were abandoned leaving tribes with "no alternative but to join the South." Confederate envoy Albert Pike successfully persuaded much of "Indian Country" to side with the newly formed Confederate states.
Trans-Mississippi Military Campaigns
At the beginning of the American Civil War, Albert Pike was appointed as Confederate envoy to Native Americans. In this capacity he negotiated several treaties, one such treaty was the Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws conducted in July 1861. The treaty covered sixty-four terms covering many subjects like Choctaw and Chickasaw nation sovereignty, Confederate States of America citizenship possibilities, and an entitled delegate in the House of Representatives of the Confederate States of America. On August 1 of 1861, President Jefferson Davis was notified that the First Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles was prepared for battle. They were under the command of Colonel Douglas H. Cooper. The regiment consisted of six Choctaw companies, three Chickasaw companies, and one "half-breed" company. The First Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles were "tardy" and missed the opportunity to engage at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Historian Annie H. Abel wrote that the Choctaws, Chickasaw, and Creeks, "were both fortunate and unfortunate in thus tardily arriving upon the scene." A disgusted officer later acknowledged that "with the exception of a partial supply for the Choctaw regiment, no tents, clothing, or camp and garrison equippage was furnished to any of them." Webb Garrison, a Civil War historian, describes their response: when Confederate Brigadier General Albert Pike authorized the raising of regiments during the fall of 1860, Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees responded with considerable enthusiasm.
Mississippi Choctaw Conscription And Service
In 1861, a Mississippi citizen attempted to raise a volunteer Choctaw company for the Confederacy. The Newton Record, a newspaper based in central Mississippi, reported in 1903 that "many Choctaws volunteered" in 1861. In the summer of 1862, eighty-two Mississippians filed a petition to Mississippi Governor John J. Pettus. The petitioners urged the conscription of the Indians. In that petition, John Harrison, a white planter, was noted to have enrolled about two companies of the Indians. John W. Pierce and Samuel G. Spann, both of whom were white planters, organized the Mississippi Choctaw as Confederates starting in 1862. President Jefferson Davis endorsed the 1st Choctaw Battalion in February 1863. They were under the command of Major John W. Pierce, served in the department of Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, and were placed in Brigadier General John Adams's 4th District. A total of 101 men were mustered in March, 1863. The battalion formed in February and disbanded in May 1863. Members would later transfer to Spann's command in late August 1863.
Post-War Surrender And Treaty Negotiations
On the 19th of June 1865, Principal Chief Peter P. Pitchlynn surrendered the military at Doaksville, Choctaw Nation. The Choctaws laid down their arms, and the Union took control of the territory until a formal peace treaty was signed. The following spring a Reconstruction treaty was drawn up by the United States. The Southern Treaty Commission crafted the 1866 Treaty with the Choctaw and Chickasaw. The treaty had 51 articles. Some provisions in brief included: declaration of permanent peace, amnesty granted for siding with Confederate States of America, slavery abolishment. The Choctaw delegation included Campbell LeFlore, John Page, James Riley, Alfred Wade, and Allen Wright. Also present were Peter P. Pitchlynn, Douglas H. Cooper, and Chickasaw delegates. The treaty was proclaimed in July 1866. In Meridian, Mississippi and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Indian Confederates surrendered after several years of service in the Confederacy. Some individuals may have served as early as 1861. Jack Amos, in his Mississippi pension, stated that he first enrolled in April 1861. The last of the Indian Confederates surrendered in May 1865.
Legacy Of Freedmen And Land Loss
Reconstruction was particularly harsh for the Indian nations found west of the Mississippi. The Choctaw Nation was facing calamity with the loss of vast tracts of land, the "unrestricted colonization of freedmen among them," and the end of their autonomous tribal government. Not long after emancipation, the Choctaw Freedmen were "homeless and penniless." Very few were literate which made them "helpless and dependent." Decades after the War, many Confederate veterans established U.C.V camps. Spann was elected commander of U.C.V. Camp Dabney H. Maury in Newton, Mississippi. John Blakeley, a white teenager during the War, was made camp adjutant and wrote about the Choctaw soldiers. Blakeley wrote in The Meridian Press, a Meridian, Mississippi newspaper, concerning the few surviving Indian members of Camp Maury. He wrote: "On the first Saturday in February, 1901, Camp No. 1312 was organized with ... nineteen Indian braves ... If there is enough interest yet felt by our people for these unfortunate and only genuine Americans yet remaining in Mississippi and of noble record, will it be too much to ask you to please hand this to your excellent paper, the Press, and send a copy of it to Camp Dabney H. Maury." Jack Amos died a few years later in 1906.
Why did the Choctaw Nation side with the Confederacy during the American Civil War?
The Choctaw Nation sided with the Confederacy because they believed the United States was on the verge of collapse, felt neglected by the federal government, and their laws supported slavery. William H. Seward advocated for seizing Indian lands while their main agent supported the South.
When did the Choctaw Nation declare itself free and independent from the Union?
By June 1861 the Choctaw Nation had declared itself free and independent and appointed commissioners to make an alliance with the Confederacy. This decision followed a period where officials in Washington City assured Unionists that the nation would remain neutral.
Who negotiated the Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws in July 1861?
Confederate envoy Albert Pike negotiated the Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws conducted in July 1861. The treaty covered sixty-four terms including sovereignty issues and Confederate citizenship possibilities for the nations.
What happened to the First Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles at the Battle of Pea Ridge?
The First Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles were tardy and missed the opportunity to engage at the Battle of Pea Ridge. A disgusted officer later acknowledged that no tents, clothing, or camp equippage was furnished to any of them except for partial supplies for the Choctaw regiment.
How many men were mustered into the 1st Choctaw Battalion in March 1863?
A total of 101 men were mustered into the 1st Choctaw Battalion in March 1863 under the command of Major John W. Pierce. The battalion formed in February and disbanded in May 1863 before members transferred to Spann's command in late August 1863.
When did Principal Chief Peter P. Pitchlynn surrender the military at Doaksville?
On the 19th of June 1865 Principal Chief Peter P. Pitchlynn surrendered the military at Doaksville in the Choctaw Nation. The Southern Treaty Commission crafted the 1866 Treaty with the Choctaw and Chickasaw which included provisions for slavery abolishment and amnesty for siding with Confederate States of America.