1st Cherokee Regiment- Charles Drake Jr.
Similar to the Union enlisting and commissioning African-Americans, the Confederate States would also enlist non-whites to help fight in the Civil War and the battle of Prairie Grove. They would do this by Jefferson Davis(President of the Confederate States) commissioning a native man, Col. Stand Watie, to create the First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Volunteers1. John Ross(Chief of Cherokee Nation)2 however, would sign the Cherokee-Confederate treaty of alliance, which gave Confederate protection and resources to the Cherokee Nation from the Union. While the Confederacy would gain Native troops, in October 18613 and would create the First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Volunteers himself with Col. John Drew at command. This would cause for Watie to command the Second Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles1.
Even though John Drew was the commander of the First Regiment, he would find that many of his troops would desert the regiment at the end of 1861 and most of whatever was left of the First would eventually desert after the battle of Fort Wayne in 1862. Those who remained in the first would then join under Watie's, now being the only Native promoted to general4, command and reinstate the First Cherokee Regiment. Both John Ross and John Drew would flee from the Confederacy, Ross to the North to gain help from Abraham Lincoln stating he created the alliance with the Confederacy due to the Union abandoning the Natives5 and Drew would flee to the Chicksaw Nation.6
While the First Cherokee Regiment were in a lot of battles, the most notable being that of the battle of Prairie Grove in December of 1862. In Watie's After Action Report, he states that he received and order from Jeffereson Davis to proceed to Evansville to open communication with the Confederate Army on the Line road. The next day, Stand, would take 400 men to the place he was instructed. He and his troops would rest, and the next morning they ran in to multiple small parties of Pin Indians and would kill many of them. Stand would send a scout to Evansville but did not find any of the pickets from the army. Instead the pickets were sent to Dutch Mills. The enemys were at Cane Hill and had pickets near Dutch Hill. Stand stayed there until he thought it was a good idea to head to Lee's Creek and communicate with Col. Folsom. On Monday morning, they took hold of Dutch Mill and notified Gen, Hindman. Wednesday evening, Stand received Information that the Pins were ten miles from camp and were planning to attack them the next night.7
The First would attack them the next morning moving them into the mountains with no casualties except three horses being shot. They did not follow them into the mountains, however, three Pins were killed and one wounded. On Friday, the First moved back in the direction of Webber's Fall. On the battle at Prairie Grove, the enemys had sent his trains on a different route from the Dutch Mills. Over this whole expedition, the First Cherokee Regiment had killed ten Pins and had took three prisoners. They released one who was young and another who was badly wounded.7
1Franks, Kenny. “Watie’s Regiment.” Oklahoma Historical Society | OHS. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entryname=WATIE%27S+REGIMENT.
2Moulton, Gary. “Ross, John.” Oklahoma Historical Society | OHS. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=RO031.
3Pollard, Bryan. “How the US Civil War Divided Indian Nations.” History.com. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.history.com/news/civil-war-native-american-indian-territory-cherokee-home-guard.
4People, The. “A Guide to Cherokee Confederate Military Units, 1861 – 1865.” The Peoples Paths, October 16, 2022. http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/history/CherConfed.htm.
5Rowley, Sean. “Ross, Watie Personified Cherokee Schism.” Tahlequah Daily Press, October 7, 2017. https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/ross-watie-personified-cherokee-schism/article_3c370e2e-4a0f-5122-8e33-9768745c163e.html.
6Hughes, Michael. “Drew, John Thompson.” Oklahoma Historical Society | OHS. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=DR002.
7“The War of the Rebellion : A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. / Pub. under the Direction of the ... Secretary of War. ... Ser.1:V.22:Pt.1:Reports.” HathiTrust. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077699704&view=1up&seq=86&q1=stand%2Bwatie.