In lieu of an abstract, here is a preview of the article.

A noted Oklahoma historian, E. E. Dale, made a comment in 1944 regarding the troubles of women in time of war. In a letter to the widow of a prominent colleague, Frederick Jackson Turner, he said, “The letters of Mrs. Sarah C. Watie, as well as some others, show that the problems and emotions of those who must stay at home during the Civil War were very much the same as today.” 1 Such a glib reading of Cherokee women’s letters from the Civil War era and after indicate that the historian’s examination was a cursory one at best; the letters show clearly that the tribulations of those “who must stay at home” more resembled the situations of people living in combat zones than those of women keeping the home fires burning.

When the Cherokees joined one of the Indian regiments and went away to fight, they left women with huge responsibilities; many women were required to act with as much courage and valor as any soldier on any battlefield. The “Southern” Cherokee women—as represented by Sallie Watie and others—defended the land against Yankee soldiers, border ruffians, and rival Indians; kept the family together and provided food and shelter; made clothes and other materials for the fighting men; fled to Texas and other areas to escape marauders; managed to survive, for the most part, in that strange land; and returned after the war to rebuild their farms and their lives. Then, as the men resumed their political and economic intrigues, the women were left to manage the business, ranch, or farm; bear the babies; raise the family; teach the children; and bury the dead when the old prejudices broke out in the Nation again.

The present study focuses on the life of Sarah C. (Sallie) Watie, wife of General Stand Watie, leader of the Cherokees fighting for the Confederate cause, and of the Ridge-Boudinot-Watie faction that opposed Chief John Ross.

Tags: Cherokee  Civil War