Native American Stand Watie was last
Confederate commander to stand down

The last Confederate field general to stand down was a Cherokee Indian.

That happened June 23, 1865, following the Battle of Doaksville at Fort Towson in the Indian Territory’s Choctaw Nation, when Brig. Gen. Stand Watie signed a cease-fire agreement with Union representatives.

The Native American commander already had distinguished himself, however, and was a prominent force in the 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge (Ark.). Although the Union prevailed in the battle, then Col. Watie covered the retreat of Confederate forces and he and his troops were singled out for their capture of Federal artillery positions.

Col. Watie later was promoted to CSA brigadier general, one of only two Native Americans to rise to such a rank. The other was Ely S. Parker, a Seneca who was adjutant to Union Gen. U.S. Grant.

Watie, who was born in what now is Calhoun, Ga., organized a regiment of cavalry after a majority of the Cherokee Nation voted to support the Confederacy. In October 1861, he was commissioned a colonel of the First Cherokee Mounted Rifles and, after his promotion to brigadier general in 1864, was given command of the First Indian Brigade, which was composed of two regiments of mounted rifles and three battalions of Cherokee, Seminole and Osage infantry.

The First Indian Brigade fought in a number of battles and skirmishes in the western Confederate states, including the Indian Territory, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Texas. Watie’s forces reportedly fought in more battles west of the Mississippi River than any other unit. They also participated in what is considered the greatest Confederate victory in Indian Territory. At the battle of Cabin Creek in September 1864, he and Gen. Richard M. Gano led a raid that captured a Federal wagon train and netted approximately $1 million worth of wagons, mules, commissary supplies and other items.

During the war, Gen. Watie's family remained with other Confederate Cherokees in Rusk and Smith Counties of east Texas. The community, known at times as the Mount Tabor Community and also by the town name of Bellview, allowed warriors to stay out on campaigns, knowing that their wives and children were in relative safety. Although hardships in east Texas did exist, this knowledge helped form the Cherokee and allied warriors into a potent Confederate fighting force that held Union troops out of southern Indian Territory and large parts of north Texas throughout the war.