On December 26, 1861, Confederate forces again attacked, this time driving Opothleyahola and his people to Kansas during a snowstorm.[9]. However, the Union supply train failed to arrive and supplies of food, forage and ammunition ran low. The problem with volunteering, however, was its serious lack of planning, leadership, and organization at the highest levels. Using the term "Union" to apply to the non-secessionist side carried a connot… At the same time, Lee's chief northern thrust was turned back at Gettysburg. It served as an unorganized region that had been set aside specifically for Native American tribes and was occupied mostly by tribes which had been removed from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. ", Steven L. Warren, "Middle Boggy, Battle of,", Indian Territory in the American Civil War, List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials, List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic, List of Confederate monuments and memorials, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. [4], Before the outbreak of war, the United States government relocated all soldiers in the Indian Territory to other key areas, leaving the territory unprotected from Texas and Arkansas, which had already joined the Confederacy. [85], There were numerous children's magazines, such as Merry's Museum, The Student and Schoolmate, Our Young Folks, The Little Pilgrim, Forrester's Playmate and The Little Corporal. Confederate Colonel William Quantrill and his gang committed a number of raids throughout the lands of the Five Civilized Tribes. For the first time bonds in small denominations were sold directly to the people, with publicity and patriotism as key factors, as designed by banker Jay Cooke. The Union controlled territories in April 1861 were:[103], The Indian Territory saw its own civil war, as the major tribes held slaves and endorsed the Confederacy. After refusing to allow Creek lands to be annexed by the Confederacy, the Creek Principal Chief Opothleyahola led the Creek supporters of the Union to Kansas, having to fight along the way. [12] The expedition camped at Locust Grove for two weeks, waiting for a Union supply train. The Union was dedicated to the defeat and termination of the Confederate States of America, informally called "the Confederacy" or "the South". The first battle in the territory occurred on November 19, 1861. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Two military engagements were fought at the Cabin Creek Battlefield in the Cherokee Nation within Indian Territory. In 1862, Union General James G. Blunt ordered Colonel William Weer to lead an expedition into the Indian Territory. Another goal was to foster latent Unionism in Southern border states. [40], The Christian Commission comprised 6,000 volunteers who aided chaplains in many ways. [21] The encounter had no strategic impact on the outcome of the Civil War. Many never returned and the affected counties were economically devastated for years after the end of the war. [41] For example, its agents distributed Bibles, delivered sermons, helped with sending letters home, taught men to read and write, and set up camp libraries. [20][21] The violent New York City draft riots of 1863 were suppressed by the U.S. Army firing grape shot down cobblestone city streets. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_Territory_in_the_American_Civil_War&oldid=974855476, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Gibson, Arrell Morgan. The Union forces quickly scattered the Confederates, who eventually retreated again, leaving their supplies behind. The states of the American South seceded in protest of Lincoln's election as president in 1860, and the nation plunged into a 4-year Civil War (1861-1865). Bragg was able to choke off supplies to the point that Union troops were starving. The Union's great advantages in population and industry would prove to be vital long-term factors in its victory over the Confederacy, but it took the Union a long while to fully mobilize these resources.