Sunday, June 23, 2013

last war


When do wars really ever end?  War time communications are unreliable and combatants are always suspicious, battles, skirmishes and deaths continue long after a war's outcome is thought to be settled.  The US Civil War was no exception.

Several days ago, June 19th, was the anniversary of Federal troops returning to Texas, two and half months after Appomattox, and almost a month (May 26) after General Smith surrendered his Trans Mississippi troops.

 Today is the anniversary of the 1865 surrender of the last large contingent of Confederate troops, The First Cherokee Mounted Rifles commanded by Brig Gen Stand Waite, Chief of the southern Cherokee Nation.  Waites troops were accomplished guerilla fighters, especially active in southern Missouri, eastern Kansas  and Northern Arkansas.  Gen Waite's troops surrendered near what is now Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The Confederate warship CSS Shenandoah, which fired the last shot of the war and fearing capture as pirates, surrendered in Liverpool England on November 6, 1865.

Toad

2 comments:

JM said...

Actually, Stan Waite surrendered near Ft. Towson in s. e. Oklahoma. It is quite near the Texas line.

Enjoy your blog!

Max said...

Like your blog. However, Stan Waite did not surrender near Ft. Sill. It was near Ft. Towson. I don't believe Waite was ever near Ft. Sill.