John C Rigdon

Historical Sketch And Roster Of The Kansas 3rd Indian Regiment Home Guard John C Rigdon

The Indian Home Guard were volunteer infantry regiments recruited from the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory to support the Union during the American Civil War. The Third Regiment, under Col. William A. Phillips, was formed at Tahlequah and Park Hill in July 1862. Its ranks were filled with Cherokee Pins, including some former disaffected Confederate soldiers of Col. John Drew's First Cherokee Mounted Rifles. These regiments remained to defend the Cherokee Nation after the Union Indian Expedition retreated from the area in late 1862. Thereafter, the Indian units were generally attached to the District of the Frontier, although jurisdictional lines fluctuated. The regiment served primarily in Indian Territory but also ventured into Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.