Stand Watie
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Stand Watie | |
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| Allegiance | Confederate States of America State of Georgia |
| Years of service | 1861–65 (CSA) |
| Rank | Brigadier General (CSA) |
| Commands | First Cherokee Mounted Rifles |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Principal chief of the Southern Cherokee Nation |
Stand Watie (12 December 1806 – 9 September 1871) (also known as Degataga "stand firm" and Isaac S. Watie) was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He commanded the American Indian cavalry made up mostly of Cherokee, Creek and Seminole.
Early life
Watie was born near Rome, Georgia,on December 12, 1806, the son of Oo-watie (whose name in Cherokee means "the ancient one") who went by his Christian name of David Oowatie, and Susanna Reese, who was of Cherokee and European heritage. He was the brother of Gallegina "Buck" Watie (Elias Boudinot). The brothers were nephews of Major Ridge, and cousins to John Ridge. By 1827, David Oowatie had become a wealthy slave-owning planter. Stand Watie, who was also a Christian, was given the name of Isaac Oowatie; however, he preferred the English translation of his Cherokee name Takertawker ("Stand Firm"). Later, the "Oo" was dropped from "Oo-watie" and the family name became Watie.
Stand Watie learned to read and write English at a mission school in Georgia, and occasionally helped write for the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, which led him into the dispute over the Georgia state repressive anti-Indian laws. Later, when gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in northern Georgia, thousands of white settlers encroached on Indian lands. In spite of federal treaties protecting Indians from state actions, in 1832 Georgia confiscated most of the Cherokee land and the Georgia militia destroyed the Cherokee Phoenix.
The Watie brothers stood in favor of the Removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma and were members of the Ridge Party that signed the Treaty of New Echota. The anti-Removal Ross Party (elected democratically by the majority) refused to ratify it. Watie, his family, and many other Cherokees emigrated to the West. Those Cherokees (and their slaves) who remained on tribal lands in the East were forcibly removed by the U.S. government in 1838 in a journey known as the "Trail of Tears," during which thousands died. The Ross Party targeted Stand and Buck Watie and the Ridge family for assassination and, of the four men mentioned above, only Stand Watie managed to escape with his life.
Watie, a slave holder, started a successful plantation on Spavinaw Creek in the Indian Territory. He served on the Cherokee Council from 1845 to 1861, serving part of that time as speaker.
Civil War service
Watie was one of only two Native Americans on either side of the Civil War to rise to a brigadier general's rank. The other was Ely S. Parker, an Iroquois who fought on the Union side.
After Chief John Ross and the Cherokee Council decided to support the Confederacy, Watie organized a regiment of cavalry. In October 1861, he was commissioned as colonel in the First Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Although he fought Federal troops, he also led his men in fighting between factions of the Cherokee, as well as against the Creek and Seminole and others who chose to support the Union. Watie is noted for his role in the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, a Union victory, on March 6–8, 1862. Watie's troops captured Union artillery positions and covered the retreat of Confederate forces from the battlefield.
After Cherokee support for the Confederacy fractured, Watie continued to lead the remnant of his cavalry. He was promoted to brigadier general by General Samuel Bell Maxey, and was given the command of two regiments of Mounted Rifles and three battalions of Cherokee, Seminole and Osage infantry. These troops were based south of the Canadian River, and periodically crossed the river into Union territory. They fought in a number of battles and skirmishes in the western Confederate states, including the Indian Territory, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas. Watie's force reportedly fought in more battles west of the Mississippi River than any other unit.
On June 23, 1865, at Fort Towson in the Choctaw Nation's area of the Indian Territory, Watie signed a cease-fire agreement with Union representatives, becoming the last Confederate general in the field to stand down.
Tribal leadership
In 1862, Stand Watie was elected principal chief of the "Southern Cherokee Nation." After his death in 1871, the Southern Cherokee Nation (SCN) fell into some disarray. The headquarters were moved from Oklahoma to Kentucky by Chief James Martin. In 1893, the Nation was welcomed to Kentucky and "Recognized" as an Indian tribe by Governor John Y. Brown. While many stayed in the same locality, many members of the nation moved to Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas, continuing to live together and govern themselves. This event left many of the southern Cherokee scattered and forgotten to all but a few remaining bands. The persistent tension between the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (CNO) and the Southern Cherokee Nation has yet to be resolved. Except for the 1866 treaty and a handful of other documents, the people of the Southern Cherokee lack recognition. Neither the CNO nor the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) acknowledge the existence of the Southern Cherokee, and many of its members are left hanging in the balance. However, in 2006 Governor Ernie Fletcher paid tribute to the Southern Cherokee Nation for its 114 years of existence in Kentucky.
References
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