1st Choctaw Battalion, Mississippi Cavalry

Brief History
The 1st Choctaw Battalion was raised by John W. Pierce, a white planter from Copiah County, Mississippi. The battalion was headquartered at Newton Station, Mississippi where it mustered 101 Native American soldiers from the Choctaw tribe. The Indian soldiers were from the Mississippi counties of Jasper, Kemper, Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott, and Smith. The battalion served in John Adam's 4th district which consisted of Mississippi and East Louisiana. The 1st Choctaw Battalion served from February 17th of 1863 until May 9th of 1863. This battalion served exclusively in the Western Theater. The Trans-Mississippi Theater also had battalions called the 1st Choctaw Battalion from the Choctaw Nation; they are not to be confused with the 1st Choctaw Battalion in Mississippi.

All commissioned officers were white. Some of the officers were Major John W. Pierce, Captain Benjamin F. Duckworth, Captain Simon F. Williams, and Captain Nathan W. Slay. The battalion consisted of both infantry and cavalry. The battalion served in a scouting and tracking fashion.

After a train wreck occurred on the Southern Rail Road a few miles east of Newton Station, the battalion was ordered to rescue and recover victims. A month later, the battalion was ordered to Ponchatoula, Louisiana where they participated in the Battle of Ponchatoula. Another month passed and a skeleton crew was left to guard the Ponchatoula, Louisiana area. This skeleton crew included the 1st Choctaw Battalion which was diminished in size because of desertion.

In May of 1863, the battalion was ordered to disband on the recommendation of Generals John Adams and John C. Pemberton. The disbanded 1st Choctaw Battalion was caught off guard during a second Union raid on Ponchatoula but most soldiers barely escaped. Captured Indians were sent to New Orleans and later to New York City where they spent the summer of 1863. In the fall, the Choctaw Indian prisoners were sent back to New Orleans. It is believed none returned to Mississippi alive.

After a petition was sent to Richmond, Virginia in August of 1863, some former 1st Choctaw Battalion members were transferred to Spann's Independent Scouts which was headquartered in Mobile, Alabama.

The 1st Choctaw Battalion muster rolls are believed to be lost; however, several Indian names who were apart of the John W. Pierce's battalion survive to this day. Some names are Jack Amos, Elder Jackson, and Isaac Johnson. Most had Choctaw Indian names as well as their English names.

There are many errors about this battalion in contemporary accounts.

Regiment Companies with the County 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. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Mississippi 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.


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


 * 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.


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


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


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains Confederate States (CSA) and United States (USA) records, rather than state records, plus 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.
 * Wikipedia page for the John W. Pierce's 1st Choctaw Battalion.