No one questions the horrific impact of the Civil War on America, but few realize its effect on American Indians. Their homeland was beset not only by regular army operations but also by guerillas and bushwhackers. Complicating the situation even further, Cherokee men fought for the Union as well as the Confederacy and created their own "brothers' war." This book offers a broad overview of the war as it affected the Cherokees--a social history of a people plunged into crisis. "The Cherokee Nation in the Civil War" shows how the Cherokee people, who had only just begun to recover from the ordeal of removal, faced an equally devastating upheaval in the Civil War

Prelude to war -- Decision for war -- War in the territory -- Cherokees in service and at home -- Refugees.