The drafting of Indians

[major bill]

In 1863 Connecticut draft officials attempted to draft some Mohegan. The Mohegan fought this in court saying they were not citizens and should not be subject to the draft. The Mohegan are related to the Pequot. I know the Pequot served in USCT units but can not find out if any were drafted. I do know some Pequot enlisted in the USCT. Does anyone have sources for them being drafted?

 

[Waterloo50]

In 1863 Connecticut draft officials attempted to draft some Mohegan. The Mohegan fought this in court saying they were not citizens and should not be subject to the draft. The Mohegan are related to the Pequot. I know the Pequot served in USCT units but can not find out if any were drafted. I do know some Pequot enlisted in the USCT. Does anyone have sources for them being drafted?

This may be of some interest to you, Page 609 discussed the Mohegan and Pequot and their resistance to the draft.

Its in pdf ... http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/tneq.2008.81.4.596

 

[Keiri]

Well I know some WI indians were -- not Mohegan. 17th Wisconsin co K: Orlando Dick of the actually volunteered for a different unit, did his time, and was then drafted into the 17th - he was a Brothertown Indian. Sanford LaPrarie, Menominee, same group, drafted. Abram Matott, Chippewa, drafted. Leander Murdock, Brothertown, drafted. John Passenger, Stockbridge, drafted. David Shelley, Brothertown, drafted. Lowell Waffle, brothertown, drafted.

 

[lamm]

In 1863 Connecticut draft officials attempted to draft some Mohegan. The Mohegan fought this in court saying they were not citizens and should not be subject to the draft. The Mohegan are related to the Pequot. I know the Pequot served in USCT units but can not find out if any were drafted. I do know some Pequot enlisted in the USCT. Does anyone have sources for them being drafted?

Not certain if you want to know about Mohegan or Pequot ancestry in the civil war or just the Connecticut connection. The Brothertown in Wisconsin (Keiri mentions this group) was a tribe of Christian Indians from the East Coast. This tribe included members that were Mohegan and Pequot and a few other Eastern tribes. They were always a very patriotic tribe serving in many US wars including the Revolution. The Civil War desimated the Brothertown numbers. "Letters Home From The Brothertown Boys" by Andrea R. Brucker and Caroline K. Andler is a good reference for what the Civil War was like for the Brothertown tribe and a good listing of names and regiments. They were probably all drafted as this tribe chose citizenship instead of a forced westward drive across the Mississippi River. Keiri included a Lowell Waffle below in her list of Brothertowns but I do not believe Lowell was a member of the tribe. His family once lived in the Mohawk Valley NY before coming to Brothertown WI but he was of Dutch descent.

 

[diane]

It wasn't until Congress passed the Nationality Act in 1940 that Indians were required to register for the draft. Until then, there was back and forth about it. Some tribes went with sovereignty, being their own nations and therefore not to be drafted; some insisted on being included; some were resistant to the draft because they would be in 'colored', or segregated, units; some resisted the draft because they had no civil rights - if I can't vote, I can't be drafted; still others had a more interesting problem. The US government tried to draft some Apaches for service in WWI and that proved interesting indeed - the Apache War did not end until 1915. The Vietnam War was a very big bone of contention about the draft as pertains to Natives - they were drafted in larger numbers per capita than any other minority in the country.

 

[Don Dixon]

The following is the text from the 2nd Militia Act of 1792, which was the effective Federal law at the time of the Civil War regarding the Militia. The draft was essentially a calling forth by the President of the unorganized Militia of the United States:

"Chap. ⅩⅩⅩⅢ.—An Act more effectually to provide for the National Defence by establishing an Uniform Militia throughout the United States.

"Militia how and by whom to be enrolled. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That each and every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective states, resident therein, who is or shall be of the age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years (except as is herein after excepted) shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia by the captain or commanding officer of the company, within whose bounds such citizen shall reside..." [my emphasis added in the black highlights]

The Indians were free, but they weren't white, and they weren't citizens. Ego they were not subject to a Federal draft, but possibly were under state laws. Coming from a historic warrior culture, many of them across the United States volunteered. Likewise, blacks were not subject to the draft, but a great many enlisted.

Regards,
Don Dixon

 

[JOHN42768]

Not certain if you want to know about Mohegan or Pequot ancestry in the civil war or just the Connecticut connection. The Brothertown in Wisconsin (Keiri mentions this group) was a tribe of Christian Indians from the East Coast. This tribe included members that were Mohegan and Pequot and a few other Eastern tribes. They were always a very patriotic tribe serving in many US wars including the Revolution. The Civil War desimated the Brothertown numbers. "Letters Home From The Brothertown Boys" by Andrea R. Brucker and Caroline K. Andler is a good reference for what the Civil War was like for the Brothertown tribe and a good listing of names and regiments. They were probably all drafted as this tribe chose citizenship instead of a forced westward drive across the Mississippi River. Keiri included a Lowell Waffle below in her list of Brothertowns but I do not believe Lowell was a member of the tribe. His family once lived in the Mohawk Valley NY before coming to Brothertown WI but he was of Dutch descent.

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