The American Indian as Participant in the Civil War. Annie Heloise Abel

get no annuity old U.S. all gone—come to see—find it not so—wants President to send an agent don't know who agent is—wants to appoint agent himself as he knows who he wants. Twelve towns are for the Union

      500 warriors for the Union

       100 do " Secession

      All people who come with Billy Bowlegs are Union—Chief in place of Billy Bowlegs Shoe-Nock-Me-Koe this is his name—Need everything that Creeks need—arms clothing, etc. etc. wants to go with army same way and same road with Creek—This is what we ask of our Great Father live as the Treaty says in peace—and all Seminole warriors will fight for the Union. This is the request of our people of our Great Father They need their annuity have not had any for nearly a year and want it sent.

      Signed: CHOO-LOO-FOE-LOP-HAH-CHOE, his X mark.

      We the Chiefs of the three nations Creeks, Chickasaws and Seminoles who are of this delegation and all for the Union and the majority of our people are for the Union and agree in all that has been said by the Chiefs who have made this talk, and believe all they have said to be true—

      OKE-TAH-HAH-SHAH-HAW-CHOE his X mark Creek

       WHITE CHIEF his X mark Creek

       BOB DEER his X mark Creek

       PHIL DAVID his X mark Creek

      TOE-LAD-KE his X mark Chickasaw

       CHAP-PIA-KE his X mark Chickasaw

       CHOO-LOO-FOE-LOP-HAH-CHOE his X mark Seminole

       OH-CHEN-YAH-HOE-LAH his X mark Seminole

       Witness: C.F. Currier W. Whistler

      LEROY, COFFEY CO. KAN., Nov. 4 1861.

      I do certify that the within statement of the different chiefs were taken before me at a council held at my house at the time stated and that the talk of the Indian was correctly taken down by a competent clerk at the time.

      GEO.A. CUTLER, Agent for the Creek Indians.

      [Indian Office Special Files, no. 201, Southern Superintendency, C 1400 of 1861.]

142. Their acquaintance dated, if not from the antebellum days when Hunter was stationed at Fort Leavenworth and was not particularly magnanimous in his treatment of Southerners, then from those when he had charge, by order of General Scott, of the guard at the White House. Report of the Military Services of General David Hunter, pp. 7, 8.

143. Daily Conservative, November 13, 1861.

144. Coffin to Dole, October 2, 1861, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Report, 1861, p. 39.

145. Daily Conservative, November 17, 1861.

146. —Ibid., November 23,1861.

147. Denver was twice appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs by Buchanan. For details as to his official career, see Biographical Congressional Directory, 499, and Robinson, Kansas Conflict, 424.

148. Robinson, op. cit., 378 ff., 424 ff.

149. Official Records, vol. viii, 456.

150. —Ibid., 832.

151. The Leavenworth Daily Conservative seemed fairly jubilant over the prospect of Lane's early return to military activity. The following extracts from its news items and editorials convey some such idea:

      "General Lane of Kansas has been nominated to the Senate and unanimously confirmed, as Brigadier General, to command Kansas troops; the express understanding being that General Lane's seat in the Senate shall not be vacated until he accepts his new commission, which he will not do until the Legislature of Kansas assembles, next month. He has no idea of doing anything that shall oblige Governor Robinson and his appointee (Stanton) who has been in waiting for several months to take the place."—Daily Conservative, January 1, 1862.

      "Rejoicing in Neosho Battalion over report that Lane appointed to command Kansas troops."—Ibid., January 4, 1862.

      "General Lane will soon be here and General Denver called to another command."—Ibid., January 7, 1862.

152. Cameron to Hunter, January 3, 1862, Official Records, vol. liii, supplement, 512-513.

153. Martin F. Conway, the Kansas representative in Congress, was under no misapprehension as to Lane's true position; for Lincoln had told him personally that Lane was to be under Hunter [Daily Conservative, February 6, 1862].

154. Lane's expedition was variously referred to as "the Southern Expedition," "the Cherokee Expedition," "the great jayhawking expedition," and by many another name, more or less opprobrious.

155. Representations of the great need of the Indians for assistance were made to the government by all sorts of people. Agent after agent wrote to the Indian Office. The Reverend Evan Jones wrote repeatedly and on the second of January had sent information, brought to him at Lawrence by two fugitive Cherokees, of the recent battle in which the loyalists under Opoethle-yo-ho-la had been worsted, at the Big Bend of the Arkansas [Indian Office Special Files, no. 201, Southern Superintendency, J 540 of 1862]. In the early winter, a mixed delegation of Creeks and others had made their way to Washington, hoping by personal entreaty to obtain succor for their distressed people, and justice. Hunter had issued a draft for their individual relief [ibid., J523 of 1861], and passes from Fort Leavenworth to Washington [ibid., C1433 of 1861]. It was not so easy for them to get passes coming back. Application was made to the War Department and referred back to the Interior [ibid., A 434 of 1861]. The estimate, somewhat inaccurately footed up, of the total expense of the return journey as submitted by agents Cutler and Carruth was,

      "11 R.R. Tickets to Fort Leavenworth by way of New York City

       $48 $ 528.00

       11 men $2 ea (incidental expenses) 22.00

       2 1/2 wks board at Washington $5 137.50

       Expenses from Leavenworth to Ind. Nat 50.00

       Pay of Tecumseh for taking care of horses 25.00

       —————

       [Ibid., C 1433 of 1861]. $ 960.50"

      Dole had not encouraged the delegation to come on to Washington. He pleaded lack of funds and the wish that they would wait in Fort Leavenworth and attend Hunter's inter-tribal council so that they might go back to their people carrying definite messages of what was to be done [Indian Office Letter Book, no. 67, p. 107]. Dole had been forwarned of their intention to appear in Washington by the following letter:

      FORT LEAVENWORTH KAN., Nov. 23rd 1861.

       HON WM.P. DOLE, Com. Indian Affs.

      Sir: On my arrival in St. Louis I found Gen'l Hunter at the Planters House and delivered the message to him that you had placed