Warriors in Mr. Lincoln'S Army: Native American Soldiers Who Fought in the Civil War

by Quita V. Shier

Overview

The American Civil War ended 152 years ago. Of the military men who served in this drama of untold suffering, little has been written about the experiences of the American Indian (indigenous) participants. Indigenous soldiers and sailors from various states served bravely for both the Union and the Confederacy.

One such unit for the north was Company K of the First Michigan Sharpshooters called the all-Indian Company. Company K was unique because it was the only company in the entire sharpshooter regiment, and in all other military units in Michigan, that had only indigenous enlisted men on its roster.

In Warriors in Mr. Lincolns Army, author Quita V. Shier offers a comprehensive profile study of each officer and enlisted American Indian soldier in Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters, who served in the Civil War from 1863 to 1865. The profiles of this all-Indian Company include information taken from military service records, medical files, biographical and family data extracted from pension files, and personal interviews with some of the soldiers descendants.

The profiles feature the infantrymen known as grunts, who bore the burden of fighting, and dying in this conflict, and the officers who led them into battle. Shier shares insight into who these fighting men were, who loved them, and what happened to them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781532027178
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/11/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	574
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Quita V. Shier is a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and a resident of Michigan who has a lifelong interest in American Indian cultures and life ways. She taught a course about Michigan Indian history and culture at Delta College, University Center, and is a frequent guest speaker.

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

Company K, First Michigan Sharpshooters

The American Civil War ended 152 years ago. There has been a renewed interest in all aspects of this war as witness to the many books, articles, movies, and television presentations. It seems that people need to reflect upon the meaning and the tragedy of a conflict so uniquely American in order to understand the greatness of this country.

New information has been discovered from heretofore unknown diaries and personal accounts. Battles have been scrutinized, analyzed, and described in the most sanguine manner, impressing upon our people that this war was tragic because it was so personal. Friendships were destroyed, and many families were forever separated due to divided loyalties. But in the end, the Union was preserved, and time itself brought healing to this nation.

The Anishinabek

Of the military men who served in this drama of untold suffering, little has been written about the experiences of the American Indian (indigenous) participants. Indigenous soldiers and sailors from various states served bravely for both the Union and the Confederacy. One such brave fighting unit for the north was Company K of the First Michigan Sharpshooters called the all-Indian Company.

Company K was unique because it was the only company in the entire sharpshooter regiment, and in all other military units in Michigan, that had only indigenous enlisted men on its roster. There were Anishinabek men of the state who did serve in other Michigan units of artillery, cavalry, and infantry, but they were in companies with nonindigenous men.

Company K of the First Michigan Sharpshooters consisted of 137 enlisted indigenous men, one Anishinabe officer and two non-Anishinabe officers, which gives the total count of 140 men in that company. The first line officers of Company K were in command by July 1863. There were changes in the line officers as the war progressed due to illness, resignation and death.

With the exception of three American Indian men who were members of other tribes in other states and those Anishinabek from Canada, the rest of the warriors who enlisted in Company K were all members of the three main tribes of Michigan: the Ojibwa or Ojibwe (also referred to as Chippewa), the Odaawaa (or Odawa/Ottawa), and the Bodawatomi (or Potawatomi). Together these main tribes are known as the People of the Three Fires and refer to themselves as the Anishinabe (singular) or Anishinabek in the plural form. The feminine singular form is Anishinabekwe. Anishinabe means man (human being) and denotes a man, woman or child.

Forty one enlisted men and one Anishinabe officer in Company K were killed in battle or died of wounds or disease while in the military.

Anishinabek Attempt to Join the Military

At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, many young Michigan Anishinabek men who, by law, were not subject to wartime draft flocked to the induction centers to try to enlist in the Union army. A well-known American Indian of his day, Dr. George Copway, who was an educated Methodist missionary, visited Michigan in May 1861 to enlist a company of chosen Anishinabek men to serve as scouts for the Union army. It was reported that over two hundred Anishinabek offered their services at the Straits of Mackinac to answer his call but were refused by the Michigan authorities who succumbed to their prejudicial feelings. Even the state Indian agent, D. C. Leach, strongly disagreed with any Indian involvement in the war. But also in 1861, many Michigan newspapers and numerous neighbors of the Anishinabek reported that these people were known to be loyal and trustworthy and would be good soldiers if allowed to enlist in the army.

Organization of the First Michigan sharpshooters

The First Michigan Sharpshooters began its organization in the winter of 1862/63. The regiment was headed by Captain Charles V. DeLand of Michigan's Ninth Infantry, who was commissioned as colonel of this new regiment. By this time, the enlistments had changed from three months to three years, as it became apparent that the war would not end soon.

Bounties were offered to volunteers to encourage enlistments. The federal government offered a hundred-dollar bounty in which twenty-five dollars was given upon enlistment, and the balance was to be paid when mustered in. In some local areas such as Detroit, there were additional monetary inducements ranging from ten to thirty dollars.

In January 1863, the sharpshooter regiment was ordered to its headquarters at Camp Chandler in Kalamazoo, and recruitment was pursued with vigor.

By March 1863, the state offered a fifty-dollar bounty to enlistees. Also, according to the Enrollment Act of March 3, 1863, those non-Anishinabek men who were drafted (ages twenty-one to forty-five) could hire substitutes and pay them $300 or be exempted from military duty by paying the government $300. When a substitute accepted the draftee's money and enlisted, he was not entitled to a bounty at enlistment because of the lump sum he had received from the draftee.

With local area money, state and federal bounties, in addition to a private's pay of thirteen dollars a month, a recruit would have sufficient funds to support his family in his absence. As a comparison, a laborer's pay in the nineteenth century was about fifty cents a day when he could find work.

The regiment left Kalamazoo in April 1863 and moved its camp to Dearborn near Detroit, Wayne County, to guard the US Arsenal.

Memories of the 1862 Santee Sioux Uprising

As the numbers of Union wounded and dead mounted daily, there was another call for additional troops from Michigan. This time the army reconsidered the enlistment of Anishinabek men into the Union ranks. However, memories of the 1862 Santee Sioux uprising in Minnesota were still vivid in the minds of many non-Anishinabek in Michigan. The uprising and subsequent killing of many settlers by Santee braves was due mostly to the callous indifference and bungling government bureaucracy in the distribution of food and supplies that were to be given to the Sioux families in the treaty agreements for ceding the Santee lands to the US government. The lack of concern and the display of apathy were not only despicable and inhumane but also deprived the desperate, starving Santee of the basic necessities they so badly needed. Feeling helpless in finding supplies and the food that they needed to feed their families, the Santee warriors rebelled and went to war with the recent settlers and the US Army. Sadly, many Santee and members of their families also died in this brutal and unnecessary conflict.

In the minds of many of Michigan's non-Anishinabek, the thought of arming the Anishinabek men was unthinkable. Michigan newspapers were full of accounts of "Shall the Indians Be Armed?" and the debate raged throughout the state. Fear and prejudice against the Anishinabek was very evident at this time. However, the need for more men prevailed over fears of armed Indians, and it was decided that Anishinabek men would be encouraged to enlist in Michigan military units, especially Company K.

Enlistment of the Anishinabek

By the end of April 1863, there was an effort to get the word out that Anishinabek men were wanted to form an all-Indian company, Company K, for the First Michigan Sharpshooters. Also, there was a special need for bilingual leaders for this company, as there would be enlisted men who did not speak English or who were not comfortable speaking a language that they did not know very well.

As the word spread, the Anishinabek men began to arrive at various state enlistment centers in May to join Company K. As the number of enlistments increased throughout May, June, and July, some Native American men from other US tribes and from Canada would also join their brethren in this company.

Before they left for training and guard duty at the US arsenal in Dearborn, the enlisted men were feted to "drum feasts" hosted by their families in their respective settlements. The drum kept the rhythm during the dances and was always considered the heartbeat of the people.

At these war dances and feasts, the enlistees' families gave the men gifts of specially decorated, beaded leather pouches that contained sacred items, including tobacco. These gatherings, which were celebrated for centuries, honored the warriors as they prepared for war. Speeches were given, and special prayers were said, not only for the men but for their families who would be left behind. The men of the Christian faith also received small testaments printed in the Anishinabe language. Farewells were said as the enlistees embarked for Dearborn. Aching hearts feared that this departure would be the last time that some of the soldiers and their families would see each other. In separation, the families would suffer desolation and hardship. These situations were compounded by the knowledge that some of their soldier boys would lie under strange soil in battlefields and prison cemeteries far from home and not in family ancestral burial grounds.

As the Anishinabek men arrived at Dearborn, they were taken in small groups to Detroit for their muster-in and were to be given the remainder of their enlistment bounty (seventy-five dollars) due at that time.

The soldiers of Company K were promised the same pay and benefits as their non-Anishinabek comrades, and the US government honored that promise. The men received their uniforms, accoutrements, and .58-caliber Springfield Rifle Muskets from the regimental quartermaster. They wasted no time in personalizing their gun stocks with carvings of birds, animals, and floral designs. These decorated rifles would become highly prized trophies for the Confederates who captured Anishinabek soldiers. The rifles would not be relinquished by the rebels until General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.

Enlistments for Company K increased after July 4, 1863. Patriotic speeches were given by recruiting officers at various Anishinabek settlements and reservations around the state. These officers were accompanied by some of the Anishinabek men who had already enlisted into Company K and were resplendent in their uniforms. The presence of these soldiers in Union blue added a touch of excitement to the gatherings.

The recruitment for the First Michigan Sharpshooters was only partially completed by July 7, 1863, when the regiment was mustered into United States service. Companies that had been mustered were A, B (which did have the only other Anishinabek members, William Duverney and John Kedgnal, who were half brothers), C, D, E, and F. Companies G, H, I, and K would subsequently be mustered when most of the recruitment was completed.

Reasons Why the Anishinabek Enlisted

What would induce the young Anishinabek men of Michigan to want to join the military of a country that didn't recognize them as citizens of the United States? Several reasons can be stated.

First, Michigan was their home even though they were uprooted from their original places of habitation and relocated to other parts of the state due to treaties and subterfuge. They would fight for their homeland.

Second, many Anishinabek were finding it harder to make a living for their families. Many of the families were desperately poor. They were becoming marginalized both socially and economically. Money offered as an incentive for enlistment was hard to refuse, and the Anishinabek were promised (as previously mentioned) that they would be paid on the same scale as non-Anishinabek soldiers of their regiment.

Third, the Anishinabek genuinely feared that they would become slaves like the African Americans in the south if the Confederates won the war.

Then there was a young man's dream of going on an adventure. Good friends and relatives from the same home areas would enlist together as they felt a sense of pride and camaraderie in representing their people in the war. But this adventure would turn to sheer hell with untold agony, disease, death, and disillusionment for many of the soldiers.

Lastly, there was the time-honored warrior tradition. Young Anishinabek men considered themselves to be warriors (Ogitchedaw) and knew that it was their duty and sense of honor to protect their homes and families from any and all harm.

Occupations and Life Ways

The occupations of the Anishinabek men who enlisted in Company K were varied in scope and included hunters, farmers, fishermen, lumberjacks, boatmen who sailed the Great Lakes and also ferried passengers from the mainland to nearby islands, teamsters, mechanics, skilled carpenters, ministers, and laborers. Among this group was an Anishinabe second lieutenant who, being well educated, was a school teacher and gifted in the fields of art and music.

The name given to an individual Anishinabe or Anishinabequa in a ceremony after a child's birth was very important, and its meaning was sacred to Anishinabek culture and traditions. A name was the very essence of a person's being and an indicator of the values a boy or girl would embody in life.

In addition to the names given to them at birth, many of the Company K men would also take several different names in their lifetimes for various cultural, traditional, and religious reasons as well as for military service. Sometimes this practice of taking several names would cause difficulties for the widows when they submitted pension applications for their deceased husbands' military service.

The men of Company K also came from a variety of religious backgrounds. A number of the men were educated in missionary schools associated with Baptist, Congregational, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic churches. In addition to their Anishinabek names, many of the men adopted English names upon Christian baptism. There were also those men who retained the practice of their Anishinabek traditional religious and cultural beliefs.

Marksmanship Required for Enlistment

The requirements for enlisting as a sharpshooter were stringent, extremely difficult, and centered on a man's ability to be an outstanding marksman. In practice sessions, the men were required to make a "string," or a line of five shots, a hundred yards off hand or two hundred yards at rest within an eleven- inch bull's-eye. The best marksman could hit the bull's-eye at three hundred yards. Since ammunition was expensive, most of the Anishinabek were crack shots who learned to make every bullet count when hunting to supply food for their families.

The sharpshooters were trained to be skirmishers who harassed the enemy with sniper fire. When needed, they would defend and lend their support to artillery and other regiments. But their main duty was to kill the officers of the opposing forces and thereby cause confusion and disunity in the enemy's ranks.

Chief Naugechegumme Addresses the Men of Company K

When the regiment was stationed at the Dearborn Arsenal, the well-respected Anishinabe leader, Ojibwe Chief Naugechegumme (also spelled Naugjekomeh), spoke to the men of Company K. The following extract is from the chief 's speech on July 11, 1863, and is found on page 13 of the Detroit Advertiser and Tribune. The microfilm copy of the chief 's speech is held in the Clarke Library on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County. An extraction from the chief 's speech is as follows:

The company was called together and sat under the shade trees on the arsenal grounds. The chief arose and addressed the men by calling them "My Children" and told them that he had traveled quite far to see them and to counsel them. He told them that he had observed them in camp and on the parade grounds to see if they had behaved like true sons and noble braves.

The chief admonished the men to listen to his words and he would advise them. He emphasized the importance of obeying their officers, to discharge every duty to their country and to be loyal to the great father — the President of the United States — who was paying them for their service.

The men were told to abandon evil of all kinds and to throw away any liquor as it would disgrace them, their fathers, their families and their chiefs.

The chief also told them to rise early in the morning, work, train and leave nothing undone in the evening.

They were told to save their money because their fathers, who took care of them and gave them instructions, were growing old and, being left behind, they would need assistance.

Challenged to face the enemy, to drive them away and not to turn their backs, the chief reinforced their bravery as men and not boys. He reminded them that they were descendants of great chiefs and brave warriors who fought and died with honor.

When faced with death the chief told the men to have confidence in the Great Spirit and, if they died, their forefathers would welcome them into the spirit world as brave sons. The chief concluded his speech by instructing the men to bring honor, and not disgrace, to their families, to the President and to their homeland.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Warriors in MR. Lincoln's Army"
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Copyright © 2017 Quita V. Shier.
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Table of Contents

Preface, ix,
Acknowledgments, xi,
Introduction, 1,
The Oath Taken at Enlistment, 17,
Enlistment Papers, 18,
Officers of Company K, 20,
Enlisted Men — Letter A, 33,
Enlisted Men — Letters B and C, 70,
Enlisted Men — Letters D and E, 111,
Enlisted Men — Letters G, H, I, and J, 122,
Enlisted Men — Letters K, L, and M, 181,
Enlisted Men — Letters N, O, P, Q, and R, 261,
Enlisted Men — Letters S, T, V, and W, 316,
Discharge Papers, 474,
Photographs, 476,
Selected Names for Handwriting Analysis, 485,
Bibliography, 493,
Index, 543,