Apr 22, 2023

The Civil War in Indian Territory – Parts 1 & 2 - Podcast

The Civil War in Indian Territory was the most devastating tragedy in Oklahoma History, yet it was packed with unforgettable heroes and legends. Here are the first TWO episodes of our first four-part epic.

Join John and KTOK/iHeartRadio star Gwin Faulconer-Lippert and learn whom Indian Territory Natives sided with in the War Between the States and why, as the conflict explodes across modern-day Oklahoma. These are the 67th and 68th episodes of our original OKLAHOMA GOLD! radio program and podcast. Thank you Atwoods Stores for making it possible! Go HERE to listen to them all! Future episodes explore more great heroes, events, and movements of Oklahoma History.

CHEROKEE MOUNTED RIFLES SINK J. R. WILLIAMS

The Federal supply ship J. R. Williams goes up in flames after Stand Watie and his mounted Confederate Indian guerillas ambushed, plundered, and fired it in Durant artist Neal Taylor’s Capture of Union Riverboat J. R. Williams.

Indian Territory 1861.

The legendary Cherokee Mounted Rifle.

Blue-clad Federals and Confederates shoot it out face to face in N. C. Wyeth’s famed Battle of Wilson’s Creek, from a mural in the Missouri State Capitol. A big early Confederate victory in the Western Theater fought just across the Missouri line from Indian Territory, it helped cement the five Native republics’ alliance with the South. Though Stand Watie did not participate, Joel B. Mayes and others in his Cherokee Mounted Rifles command did. Mayes brought with him his friend William Quantrill, the future guerrilla legend.

Many thanks to Atwoods Stores, a farm and ranch supply company based in Enid, Oklahoma, for their support of the Red River Institute of History and OKLAHOMA GOLD! Please support them as you are able! Wherever you are, you can order online from thousands of quality products on their terrific website HERE. Atwoods also has 66 stores in 5 states: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. In addition to farm and ranch supplies, Atwoods stores sell clothing, lawn and garden items, tools, hardware, automotive supplies, sporting goods, pet supplies, firearms, and seasonal items.