Customer Reviews

The Confederate Cherokees: John Drew's Regiment of Mounted Rifles

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Being of Cherokee decent and having been raised in the heart of the Cherokee nation, I was immediately intrigued when I saw this title. The mystery of the internal conflicts and relations within the Cherokee Nation has been an interest of mine ever since I was a child hearing the oral stories. The stories were confusing then, and after reading Gaines' book, I now have a better grasp of the situation that was responsible for tearing apart the land I was reared-in and the people who were rearing me. Gaines does an excellent job of researching a subject that has very few sources available, and his writing style is smooth and concise. This is a very dense book; the information is packed in tightly. However, for a book on regimental history, I found it an easy read full of insight into a nation that to this day is still divided on issues that plagued them before the Civil War.

Stand Watie's confederate Cherokees are widely known and little importance is generally attached to the particular story of John Drew's 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Thanks to Craig Gaines, the gap is filled. His book is precise, wonderfully detailed and his sources are remarkable. Henceforth, Craig Gaines' book is a must for all the buffs of the Civil War in Indian Territory.
Serge Noirsain, writer and historian, Brussels-Belgium.