Stand Watie: The Life and Legacy of the Cherokee Chief Who Became a Confederate General

Stand Watie's life connects the traditional Cherokee homeland in Tennessee and Georgia, the fight within the tribe over leaving for the West or staying on their homeland and trying to resist, and the Trail of Tears. At the same time, his life also includes the ongoing split between mixed-blood and full-blood Cherokee in the Cherokee Nation, and the chaos of Indian Territory during the Civil War.

On the surface, Indian Territory was peaceful and fairly prosperous, but old resentments simme...