The Indian Territory in the Civil War Message Board

Young, runaway slaves, Canadian River

This thread is getting confusing so I just picked the last message posted:

Regarding Young's comment about runaway slaves and free-Blacks on the "Canadian River" in the "Cherokee Nation":

Young is very likely mistaken. This may be due to being misinformed, through his own ignorance, simple human error, or perhaps an error in transcription by the War Dept. It seems most likely to me that this relates to runaway slaves and free-Blacks with the Seminole and Creeks who are gravitating to Opothleyahola.

As to their location, it seems most likely to me that this group would be in the Creek Nation between the Canadian (which is now called South Canadian but back then just "Canadian") and the North Fork of the Canadian River (now called North Canadian). It seems unlikely they were in the Cherokee Nation or on the Canadian below North Fork Town but if they were near North Fork Town they were, of course, near the Cherokee-Creek boundary. ...OR within the realm of unlikely possibility, there may have been a large group of runaway slaves in the Cherokee Nation.

So, I am assuming:

-He's referring to the Blacks with Opothleyahola. Some radical abolitionists were proponents of arming slaves to exterminate their former masters or any white person in a slave state.

-He's referring to the 'South Canadian River' though he may be mistaken or misinformed as to what river or how close they are to the river.

-He's mistaken or misinformed or it's mistranscribed as to what Nation they are in. The Creek Nation seems most likely.

As for these assumptions, I'm not aware of contemporaneous documents that suggest otherwise so if anyone is aware of contrary information POST IT!

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Patti
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Colonel Wm. Cocke Young, 11th Texas Cavalry Regt.
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Young, runaway slaves, Canadian River
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The "Canadian" north, south, and otherwise
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Pike and Hindman
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ADMIN! The Official Records Online
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Colonel Wm. Cocke Young, 11th Texas Cavalry Regt.