Exploring Opothleyahola's Rebellion - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. Battle of Round Mountain

During the Civil War, the Confederacy secured treaties of alliance with the Native American tribes of Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma). Yet many Indians, especially among the Creek and Seminole tribes, disavowed the Confederate alliances in hopes of remaining neutral. Thousands of "Loyal Indians" gathered under Creek chief Opothleyahola in protest. Confederate Colonel Douglas Cooper set out with 1,400 men to defeat these rebellious Indians. On November 19, 1861, Opothleyahola's forces ambushed the vanguard of Cooper's force near the Arkansas River. In the brief but sharp engagement, Loyal Indians clashed with Confederate Indians and Texans amid burning prairies. Nightfall ended the engagement. While the Confederacy won the battle, Opothleyahola's forces survived to fight twice more that winter. Today, the Round Mountain battlefield is thought to be located near Yale, Oklahoma, and a state historical marker stands near the site's historic location.

2. The Battle of Chusto-Talasah

During the Civil War, the Native American tribes of Indian Territory (present Oklahoma) primarily allied with the Confederacy. Yet in 1861, thousands of rebellious Natives gathered under Chief Opothleyahola in rejection of Confederate alliances. Confederate forces under Colonel Douglas Cooper attempted to quash this rebellion. On December 9, 1861, 1,100 Confederates (including Confederate Indians) clashed with several thousand of Opothleyahola's warriors along the banks of Bird Creek. The four-hour Battle of Chusto-Talasah (also known as Caving Banks) proved indecisive. Opothleyahola's forces were decisively defeated later in the month at the Battle of Chustenahlah.

3. Fort Smith National Historic Site

The Fort Smith National Historic Site covers around 80 years of Fort Smith, Arkansas history from 1817 to 1896. This site primarily focuses on the years in which Judge Isaac C. Parker served the Federal Court of the Western District of Arkansas, 1875-1896. This site includes an indoor museum, several outdoor exhibits, and a walking trail that leads visitors to the foundations of the First Fort Smith. This National Park Site is a great place to take friends and family to learn more about the history of the town.

4. Battle of Chustenahlah

The Battle of Chustenahlah constituted the last engagement between Creek Chief Opothleyahola and the Confederate States. Unwilling to acquiesce to the alliances between tribal governments and the Confederacy, thousands of Native Americans joined Opothleyahola in rejecting the alliances. Confederate forces waged a campaign to defeat Opothleyahola, and after two inconclusive clashes at Round Mountain and Chusto-Talasah, Colonel James McQueen finally defeated the rebellious Indians at Chustenahlah on December 26, 1861. The defeated shattered Opothleyahola's rebellion and forced his followers into exile in Kansas. A historical marker in Skiatook acknowledges the battle; the battlefield itself is located on private property.

5. Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott was established in 1842. Named for General Winfield Scott, the fort was part of a line of forts in what was then called Indian Country. Established as part of a boundary between the settlers and the Plains Indians, the fort became the basis for a large community. The fort served as a town after it was abandoned by the army in 1853 and was contested by the Jayhawkers and Border Ruffians during the Bleeding Kansas era. At the start of the Civil War, the town was reoccupied by the Union Army to prevent Confederate forces from marching north into Kansas and Missouri.

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Exploring Opothleyahola's Rebellion

Created by Zachery Cowsert on December 31st 2020, 8:47:04 pm.

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Description

These five Clio entries, arranged in chronological order, share the history of an important chapter of Native American history within the Civil War. As the Civil War loomed on the horizon in 1861, Confederate commissioner Albert Pike sought to create alliances with the Native tribes of Indian Territory (present Oklahoma). Particularly important were the Five Tribes—Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole—who possessed many aspects of American culture, including agriculture, representative government, and chattel slavery. By autumn, Pike secured alliances with all Five Tribes. Yet his diplomacy papered over serious resistance to the Confederacy, as many Natives desired neutrality. In response, thousands of Creeks, Seminoles, runaway slaves, and other Indians gathered under Creek Chief Opothleyahola in resistance to Confederate authorities; his followers included several thousand Indian warriors. The Confederacy dispatched over 1,000 men under Colonel Douglas Cooper to quash Opothleyahola’s Rebellion. The first clash, a small skirmish at Round Mountain on November 19, proved inconclusive [STOP 1]. So too did the second, much larger engagement at Chusto-Talasah on December 9 [STOP 2]. Unable to defeat Opothleyahola, Col. Cooper requested the aid of Colonel James McIntosh, who left Fort Smith [STOP 3] and decisively defeated Opothleyahola’s forces at Chustenahlah on December 26 [STOP 4]. The rebellion broken, thousands of Opothleyahola’s followers fled to refugee camps in Kansas. Eventually, however, many of these Loyal Indians served in the Union Indian Home Guard regiments in expeditions to liberate Indian Territory, for which Fort Scott was a central hub [STOP 5]. Often forgotten, Opothleyahola’s Rebellion constituted a significant event in local Native-American, Civil War, and Indian Territory/Oklahoma history.

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