Stand Watie was born at New Echota in the Eastern Cherokee Nation of present day Gordon County, Ga., in 1806. He was given the Cherokee name Degadoga, meaning “he stands,” at birth. His father was a full-blood Cherokee, and his mother was half-blood, but they baptized him in the Moravian Church where his Christian and Cherokee names were combined into Stand Watie. Watie had an older brother with the Christian name Elias Boudinot, editor of the newspaper Cherokee Phoenix, the first Native American newspaper in the United States, and his uncle was Major Ridge. Together they formed the powerful Ridge-Watie-Boudinot faction of the Cherokee political system. In 1835, Watie signed the treaty that removed the remaining Cherokee in Georgia and sent them to Oklahoma territory, causing the Indians to be split into two factions. Watie was then named leader of the minority treaty party. When the Civil War began, the Cherokee attempted to remain neutral without success. The majority declared for the Union, and the minority under Watie aligned with the Confederate States of America. In early 1861, Watie raised a company and was appointed colonel of the first Cherokee Mounted Rifles. In May 1864, he was appointed brigadier general. His troops took part in the battles of Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge, and were principally used in raids and skirmishes in the territory and along its borders.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 06:20:01 +0000
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