This collection contains the Resolutions of Pin League to John Ross Document, which is a copy of a resolution of the Cherokee Nation's Pin League regarding Major General James G. Blunt's General Order Number 7 and the dismissal of Colonel William A. Phillips. Written in 1864 to John Ross, the Pin League requested that Ross represent the Cherokee and Creek Nations to the Secretary of War requesting the reinstatement of Phillips as commander of the Cherokee and Creek forces and help cease Blunt's confiscation of Cherokee and Creek cattle. This document includes a vivid description of Phillips and provides details of Civil War life of Cherokees.The collection also contains a treasury warrant dated February 3, 1857 from John Ross to National Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation, Lewis Ross, to pay William Campbell for teaching. John Ross (1790-1866) was the Cherokee Nation Principal Chief who led the Cherokees from their homeland in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to Oklahoma. In regards to his response to the Civil War, he initially declared neutrality, however, in August 1861, the Cherokee Nation general assembly voted to support the Confederacy. Ross was exiled from the Cherokee Nation apparently due to the Confederate Cherokees' guerilla warfare. The Cherokee Loyal League, also known as the Pin Indians, supported the Union during the Civil War rather than the Confederacy. The Pin League evidently was another name for the Loyal League. In 1862, while Ross was in exile, Stand Watie was elected Principal Chief and remained allied with the Confederate States of America.

Select items from the John Ross Collection