April is Confederate History Month.<br />
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Let me tell you about Cherokee born Gen. Stand Watie who was the highest ranking Native American serving on either side, Union or Confederate, during the War Between the States.<br />
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Stand Watie was born at Oothcaloga in the Cherokee Nation, near Rome, Georgia, on December 12, 1806. His Cherokee name was De-ga-ta-ga, which means, "He Stands." Watie joined the Confederate cause at the<br />
outbreak of the War Between the States. He was commissioned a colonel on July 12, 1861, and raised a regiment of Cherokee for Confederate service.<br />
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Gen. Stand Watie, or his troops in command, participated in eighteen battles and skirmishes against Union troops during the war that included: Cowskin Prairie, Old Fort Wayne, Webber's Falls, Fort Gibson and Cabin Creek.<br />
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Two of Watie's victories were: the capture of the Union Steam Boat J.R. Williams on June 15, 1864 and the seizure of supplies of a Union wagon train at the 2nd Battle of Cabin Creek on September 19, 1864.<br />
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Gen. Stand Watie was the last general to stop fighting on June 23, 1865. It is written that he did not actually surrender his troops but just ceased the fighting.<br />
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American-Indian units that were commissioned for the Confederacy included: First Cherokee Mounted Rifles, First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, Cherokee Regiment--Special Services, Third Cherokee Regiment of Volunteer Cavalry, Cherokee Special Services Battalion, Scales Battalion of Cherokee Cavalry, Meyer's Battalion<br />
of Cherokee Cavalry, Cherokee Battalion of Infantry, Second Cherokee Artillery, First Regiment Creek Mounted Volunteers, Second Regiment Creek Mounted Volunteers, First Battalion Creek Confederate Cavalry, First Battalion Seminole Mounted Volunteers and First Regiment Seminole Mounted Volunteers.<br />
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What is your community doing for Confederate History Month.<br />
See what is going on at: http://confederateheritagemonth.com<br />
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Lest We Forget!!
