When the Wolf Came

The Civil War and the Indian Territory (The Civil War in the West)

By: Mary Jane Warde

Narrated by: Robert E. Anderson

Winner of the 2014 Oklahoma Book Award for nonfiction. Winner of the 2014 Pate Award from the Fort Worth Civil War Round Table.

When the peoples of the Indian Territory found themselves in the midst of the American Civil War, squeezed between union Kansas, confederate Texas, and Arkansas, they had no way to escape a conflict not of their choosing - and no alternative but to suffer its consequences.

When the Wolf Came explores how the war in the Indian Territory involved almost every resident, killed many civilians as well as soldiers, left the country stripped and devastated, and cost Indian nations millions of acres of land. Using a solid foundation of both published and unpublished sources, including the records of Cherokee, Choctaw, and Creek nations, Mary Jane Warde details how the coming of the war set off a wave of migration into neighboring Kansas, the Red River Valley, and Texas. She describes how Indian Territory troops in Unionist regiments or as Confederate allies battled enemies - some from their own nations - in the territory and in neighboring Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. And she shows how post-war land cessions forced by the federal government on Indian nations formerly allied with the Confederacy allowed the removal of still more tribes to the Indian Territory, leaving millions of acres open for homesteads, railroads, and development in at least 10 states.

©2013 The University of Arkansas Press (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

Interesting perspective on the Civil War

A well-rounded and informative account of wheeling, dealing and posturing between Americans, Union and Confederate, and native peoples, the Muskogee, Cherokee and the "civilized tribes" along with many others. While it's clear the Civil War was fought entirely over the issue of slavery, the issue of Indian Territory and the alliances of those peoples presents a far more complex story. It's not simply a question of morality over slavery, as that institution was common in many areas of Indian territory, with native peoples engaged in both capacities. It may be easy to forget that the majority of American political relations with native tribes would have been under the flag of the USA, which goes a long way to explaining how they might have been adverse to siding with the Union, even if the Confederacy, as constituted, would be just as devious and untrustworthy. Similarly, internecine conflict of the native tribes are also detailed, pitting opposing motivations for their survival into the question of to whom to show their favor in the American war. The book certainly presents the war in a new and interesting light, even if it does get a bit dry in some accounts of the military campaigns.

When the Wolf Came

Enjoyable listen. The details of the couple of battles got a bit dragging my my taste. However quite a bit good information I learned. Some of the items were hand me down stories from descendants which added a a good perspective. Worth the time invested.