Ardmore Confederate Monument

In the mid-19th century, the land that today constitutes the state of Oklahoma was known as Indian Territory. Home to many Native American tribes (some forcibly removed westward), the most prominent were the Five Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (or Muscogee), and Seminole. These tribes inhabited roughly the eastern half of Indian Territory, and although they were subordinate to the United States, they possessed a wide degree of sovereignty and governed their own internal affairs. The present city of Ardmore, not founded until 1887, is located within Chickasaw Nation.

During the Civil War, the Five Tribes found themselves trapped between the United States and the Confederacy. Tribal members were torn between factions who supported the Confederacy (especially wealthy tribal leaders who held African American slaves) and those who preferred remaining either neutral or loyal to the United States. By the autumn of 1861, all Five Tribes allied with the Confederate States, although over the course of the war, thousands of Indians fought for the United States. Perhaps as many as 10,000 Native Americans enlisted in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Cherokee leader Stand Watie rose to the rank of brigadier general, the only Indian to rise to that rank in the Confederate army. The region saw numerous campaigns, battles, skirmishes, guerrilla actions, and refugee crises during the war.

The Civil War substantially weakened the Five Tribes' sovereignty over the region. In the late 19th century, much of Indian Territory was opened to white settlement and formed into Oklahoma Territory. The two "twin territories"—Indian and Oklahoma—existed side by side until 1907, when the two were merged into the state of Oklahoma.

As Civil War veterans aged, many states created veterans' or soldiers homes for their care. In 1909, the United Confederate Veterans (UCV) organization began raising funds to build a home for Confederate veterans and their families in Oklahoma. Ardmore was chosen as the site's future home, and construction began in 1910. The home opened its doors in 1911 at a final cost of nearly $25,000. The home initially housed 85 veterans their families. (The home still stands today, now serving as the Ardmore Veterans Center.) As the veterans passed away, many of them were buried in the Confederate section of local Rose Hill (sometimes stylized Rosehill) Cemetery. Today, 190 Confederate veterans are buried in the cemetery, 10 of whom hailed from Indian Territory.

On June 22, 2013, the Oklahoma Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) dedicated a monument in Rose Hill Cemetery to Confederate veterans. Approximately 150-200 people attended the dedication, and the dedication speech was given by SCV Division Commander Larry Logan. Referencing Ardmore's Confederate Home and the new monument, Logan said, "The home was so special to the State of Oklahoma, but now to have this—almost 100 years after some of these men died—is fantastic."[1]

The square, stone monument contains inscriptions on two sides. The inscription facing east reads:

"Dedicated to the veterans of the War for Southern Independence[.] Those interred here and those resting in the countless and forgotten corners of Oklahoma in grateful memory of their devotion and service to the Confederacy to their home states and the indispensable contributions to the settlement of the Twin Territories and Statehood" [1]

The western inscription reads:

"In recognition[.] The Sesquicentennial of the War for Southern Independence[.] Deo Vindice ["Deo Vindice" is the Confederate motto, meaning "God Vindicates"] [1]

The use of the term "War of Southern Independence" (as opposed to the more commonly used "Civil War") is often deployed by Lost Cause heritage groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy, which downplay slavery's role in causing the Civil War and praise the righteousness of the Confederate cause, its military forces, and leaders.

In June 2020, during nationwide protests over systemic racism and the reexamination and removal of Confederate monuments, the Ardmore Confederate Monument was vandalized with red paint.

1. Kevin Kerr. "Monument to Confederate soldiers dedicated Saturday." June 23, 2013. The Daily Ardmoreite. Web. Accessed August 25, 2020. https://www.ardmoreite.com/article/20130623/NEWS/130629911

2. Sierra Rains. "Confederate monument at Ardmore cemetery damaged, graffitied." July 6, 2020. The Daily Ardmoreite. Web. Accessed August 25, 2020. https://www.ardmoreite.com/story/news/2020/07/06/confederate-monument-ardmore-cemetery-damaged-graffiti/5385512002/

3. Daniel M. Hailey. Confederate Veterans of the State of Oklahoma. McAlester, OK: 1913. Digitized. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009535676

4. Clarissa Confer. The Cherokee Nation in the Civil War. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.

5. Mary Jane Warde. When the Wolf Came: The Civil War and the Indian Territory. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2013.

6. Zachery Cowsert. "The Civil War in Indian Territory, 1861-1865." PhD Dissertation. West Virginia University, 2020.

7. William B. Lees. "Oklahoma's Civil War Monuments and Memorial Landscapes." 2004.

8. Mrs. Herman W. Smith. "The History of Oklahoma Division United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1908-1955." 1955.