Oklahoma in the Civil War

"Nowhere was America's Civil War more intense or its impact more severe than in Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. Every able-bodied male in the area fought either with the Confederacy or the United States, and many fought with both. Death and destruction prevailed for four years." LeRoy H.Fischer Professor of History Emeritus at OSU

The Indian Territory


  • Oklahoma during the Civil War


    • Oklahoma was non-existent, instead it was considered Indian Territory


    •  The Indian Territory pre-civil war was thriving


      • Much fighting took place in Oklahoma. The Civil War weakened the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma. It caused destruction and ruin. In 1861, Indian Territory was prosperous. Roads, ferries and river steamers connected Oklahoma with towns in the east and south. Tribal leaders had written constitutions & created governments based on the Constitution.


      •       The Indian Territory occupied most of present day Oklahoma and was created for the relocation of Native Americans.


        •  Tribes that originally lived in Indian Territory
          •  Plains Apache tribe
          • Arapaho tribe
          • Caddo tribe
          • Comanche tribe
          • Kiowa tribe
          • Osage tribe
          • Wichita tribe


        •  Tribes that were relocate


          •  The Arapaho tribe
          • The Cayuga tribe
          • The Cherokee tribe
          • The Cheyenne tribe
          • The Chickasaw tribe
          • The Choctaw tribe
          • The Creek tribe
          • The Delaware tribe
          • The Ioway tribe
          • The Kaw tribe
          • The Kickapoo tribe
          • The Miami/Peoria tribe
          • The Missouria-Otoe tribe
          • The Modoc tribe
          • The Ottawa tribe
          • The Pawnee tribe
          • The Ponca tribe
          • The Potawatomi tribe
          • The Quapaw tribe
          • The Sac and Fox tribe
          • The Seneca tribe
          • The Shawnee tribe
          • The Wyandotte tribe
          • The Tonkawa tribe
          • The Yuchi tribe


      •       Most blacks who lived in The Indian Territory were either slaves of the Indian tribes or were among the tribes themselves such as Seminoles. A brigade of African Americans from Kansas did participate in the war as the First Kansas Colored. Later to be called The Buffalo Soldiers


      •       Primary Indian involvement during this period was in the many skirmishes and battles that took place because of the civil war.


        • Confederacy-Choctaws, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Seminole and part of Creeks.


        • Union-Union sympathetic Seminole, Creek, and Cherokee


      •       Pre-civil war era Indian Territory had U.S. occupied forts set up throughout the territory for protection from plain Indians. After the civil war started, the union withdrew all troops from these forts to occupy more “important” areas of the nation.


      •       Most Native American tribes signed treaties with the Rebels and became a part of the Confederate Military, but they were not supposed to fight outside of the Indian Territory. Though the Union did allow Native Americans to fight along with them Native Americans could not sign on to the Union. Most Native American Participation on the Union side was through


        • Native Americans were thus left without protection to many of the Aggressive Plain Indians and the Confederates.


        • The Confederacy saw the Indian Territory as a means of supplies and resources such as cattle, grain, and soldiers.


        • Many tribal leaders signed treaties with the Confederacy without any consensus of the tribe. 


          •  Choctaw/Chickasaw fully sided with Rebel army


          •       Half of Creek and many Seminole members who wanted to stay neutral followed revered Upper Creek Leader Opothleyaholo.


          •      Cherokee were having internal conflict. General Stand Watie created a battalion of Rebel Sympathizers. Tribal chief John Ross wanted to stay out of the war. With Watie’s pressuring and being surrounded by confederate tribes Ross reluctantly joined the confederacy


          •  Most Native Americans who wanted to stay neutral or were sympathizers of the union were forced to Kansas. 


      • Opothleyaholo, though valiant, was not successful in keeping territory.


        •       He gathered 7,000 men, women, and children into a camp and Deep fork. After constant attacks by Colonel Cooper and the rebel army, Opothleyaholo moved his forces into Kansas and stayed there.


        •       These battles, which all took place in 1861, were the first three of the Indian Territory and were unrelated to the Union campaign.


      •       From that point forward, battles took place between Confederate (Native Americans and Whites) and the Union (Indian Home Guard, Kansas Sympathizers and The first Kansas Colored).


        •  3 Indian Home Guards were created in Kansas. They contained mainly Native Americans.


        •  1 African American regiment was created, the First Kansas Colored Infantry.


        •  Kansas Militia/sympathizers came into the Indian Territory to return the “fugitive” natives.


      •      The Union led two invasions into Indian Territory. Led mainly by sympathetic Kansas militia and Indian refugees being forced back into Indian Territory, the first invasion met easy success. The second invasion saw the climactic battle of Honey Springs and was essentially the winning push for the Union in the Indian Territory


        •       Stand Watie captured hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and supplies throughout his campaign.


        • First Kansas Colored was extremely beneficially for the battle.


      •       Though the Confederacy had many outstanding hit-and-run wins, the Union all but won the battle of Indian Territory.


        •       Most major leaders of the Confederacy surrender to the Union with the exception of Stand Waite.


        •       Though the Union won the war, the Confederacy successfully plundered many outposts and supply trains totaling over $1 million.


        •       Stand Waite continued fighting months after the Civil War was over, but gained nothing and eventually became the last Confederate General to lay down arms.