Opothleyahola

Portrait of Opothleyahola

Opothleyahola (* around 1798 in Tuckabatchee, Alabama ; † March 27, 1863 near Quenemo , Kansas ), other spellings Opothle Yohola , Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola and Hopoeitheyohola, was an important chief of the Indian people of the Muskogee . He was known as a brilliant storyteller and acted as spokesman for the Upper Creek Council. He fought against the United States of America during the first two Seminole Wars and joined the Union during the American Civil War . Opothleyahola was also known by its nickname "Old Gouge".

Life

Opothleyahola was born in the Muskogee village of Tuckabatchee in what is now Elmore County , Alabama. He is believed to have fought the white settlers as early as the War of 1812 and during the Creek War in 1813-1814. He was probably also involved in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and fought against Andrew Jackson .

After the Creek War, some of the Lower Creek signed a series of treaties that ceded much of the Muskogee land to Georgia . Eventually, the Muskogee Confederation passed law that threatened further land sales and assignments with death. In 1825, some chiefs signed the Indian Springs Treaty , with which they ceded most of the remaining settlement area to Georgia. The Muskogee Council, led by Opothleyahola, protested to the United States government against this treaty, which they considered treason. President John Quincy Adams supported this position and the treaty was annulled by another agreement, the Washington Treaty . Georgia, however, did not recognize this annulment and began the Muskogee forcible relocation .

The Alabama government began enacting laws aimed at abolishing tribal governments and extending state law to the Muskogee. Opothleyahola then turned to Andrew Jackson, now elected president, to put a stop to the Alabama legislature. Instead, Jackson forced the Cusseta Treaty to be signed on March 24th . This agreement divided the land of the Muskogee into individual pieces of land that could be sold by the owners or given to the government for a fee. Should they fail to do so and remain in Alabama, they were expected to bow to the Alabama government and law.

In 1834 Opothleyahola traveled to Nacogdoches , Texas, in the hope of buying land for his people . After an initial payment of $ 20,000, he was forced to abandon the plan under pressure from the American and Mexican governments. In 1836 he joined the war against the Seminoles with 1,500 of his warriors on the American side. Shortly thereafter, the forcible relocation of the Five Civilized Nations , known as the Path of Tears , began. During that displacement in 1837, Opothleyahola led 8,000 members of his people from Alabama to areas north of the Canadian River in Indian Territory.

Opothleyahola became a member of the Masons and Baptists . He became a wealthy trader and owned an eight square kilometer plantation near North Fork Town, which he worked with the help of slaves . He led violent arguments with the Lower Creek, which advocated rapprochement with the white settlers who had advocated Indian resettlement. In the Muskogee Council, he supported the decision to carry out the death sentence on one of these men, William McIntosh . He was accused of illegally selling Muskogee land to the white settlers.

American Civil War

When the American Civil War broke out, Opothleyahola, unlike many of the other tribes and the Lower Creek, refused to support the Confederates . Runaway slaves, free African Americans , Chickasaw and Seminoles gathered on Opothleyahola's plantation. They all hoped to be able to remain neutral in the conflict between the northern and southern states . On August 15, 1861, Opothleyahola and Chief Micco Hutko contacted President Abraham Lincoln for help and support for the assembled loyalists . On September 10th, they received a positive answer and were told to go to Fort Row, Wilson County , Kansas, for help and assistance.

On November 15, former Indian agent and Confederate officer Douglas H. Cooper led 1,400 men north to persuade Opothleyahola and his supporters to support the Confederates. Otherwise, he threatened to chase his group out of the country. Believing in the government's assurance of support, Opothleyahola led his men, including the Seminoles under Halleck Tustenuggee, to Kansas. On the way they fought three battles against their pursuers, he succeeded in the Battle of Round Mountain to push the Confederates back to Fort Gibson , Oklahoma.

In December he first lost the battle of Chusto-Talasah , then he was defeated in the battle of Chustenahlah . Only around 7,000 of his estimated 9,000 supporters survived these battles, the diseases and the winter storms on the fateful march to Fort Row. Once there, they found that there was neither medical care nor sufficient supplies for them. The refugees were moved to Fort Belmont, but found no better conditions there. Many more of the group died, including their daughter Opothleyahola.

Opothleyahola died on March 27, 1863 at the Muskogee refugee camp near Quenemo in Osage County , Kansas. He was buried next to his daughter near Fort Belmont.

literature

• David C. Downing: A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy . Cumberland House, 2007, ISBN 978-1-58182-587-9
• Christine Schultz White, Benton R. White: Now The Wolf Has Come: The Creek Nation in the Civil War. Texas A&M University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-89096-689-3 .
• US War Department: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 70 volumes in 4 series, United States Government Printing Office , 1880–1901. Series 1, Volume 8, Part 1.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Woodson County history ( Memento of the original from June 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ Official Records , Series 1, Volume 8, Part 1, pages 5–12
3. ↑ Christine Schultz White, Benton R. White: Now The Wolf Has Come: The Creek Nation in the Civil War. Texas A&M University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-89096-689-3 , page 297.