2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guard (Oklahoma) (Union)

Brief History
The 2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guard was organized in southern Kansas and the Cherokee Nation some time between late June and early July 1862 with Colonel John Ritchie as commander. Wikipedia specifies that the regiment was organized on Big Creek and at Five-Mile Creek, Kansas, June 22 to July 18, 1862. The regiment had one company each of Delaware, Kickapoo, Quapaw, Seneca, and Shawnee, as well as two companies of Osage, and two of Cherokee.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Oklahoma in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Oklahoma in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Oklahoma, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * American Indians in the Civil War gives information about Indian fighters in the war and records created about them.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * For help with American Indian genealogical research, see the Wiki article, American Indian Genealogy.