James Ramsey was a Presbyterian missionary to the Seminole. He married the daughter of fellow missionary John Lilley. John Bemo was a famous Seminole, educated in Philadelphia. Ramsey's sister-in-law married Henry Earl Alfred Washburn, brother of pre-war US Indian Agent Josiah Washbourne. Henry was born at Dwight Mission, Cherokee Nation, where his father was a missionary, Cephus Washburn. Henry became 1st Lt., co. A, 1st Seminole Mtd Rifles. John Chupco or Long John was Seminole who followed Opothleyahola to late 1861 and was at Chustenalah. He served in the 1st IHG. Robert Foster was a Creek slave who went by the name 'Robin' and later changed his last name to Johnson. The Mission got a loan from John Jumper to purchase him and then he was to buy his freedom by serving as interpreter for the Mission but the war intervened and he became Jumper's servant. He escaped to Ft Gibson during the war and was an interpreter for the 1st IHG.

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James Ross Ramsey Autobiography
OU Western History Collection

I with my family had fortunately escaped from the Territory before the war broke out. But Mr. Lilley [John, Ramsey's father-in-law] and his family were not so fortunate and remained at the Mission and lived in the midst of alarms during all that time, from the outbreak of the war until the winter of 1863-4. Finally a detachment of soldiers was sent from Ft Gibson to the Oak Ridge Mission [three miles SE of present Holdenville OK] and vicinity to take out two men and deliver them from the Rebels. Those two men were Mr. Lilley and John Bemo [a Seminole native preacher]. Henry Washburn [Lt. co. A, 1st Seminole Mtd Rifles - brother of Indian Agent Josiah Washbourne], who had joined the Rebel army under [Col. John] Jumper was then at the Mission on a furlough on the sick list. By the way, Jumper had joined the Baptists after I left, taking with him a large portion of our church membership. He also joined the Rebel army, taking them all with him into rebellion. He had been promoted under Jeff Davis to the rank of Colonel. And Henry Washburn was a Lieutenant in on of his companies composing the regiment of rebels. It so happened that while he was at the Mission on furlough, that this detachment of soldiers came to the Mission. He also was a marked man, and it was to kill him if they found him. The morning that the soldiers, or a portion of them, arrived at the Mission, Robin Johnson [aka Robert Johnson, a former slave in 1st IHG], who accompanied them, had gone with another portion to take Mr. Bemo. And I have often heard him say that he thought that if he had been along that morning, he could have saved Henry Washburn. But the detachment, headed by John Chupco [aka Long John, 1st IHG] knew no mercy and although Henry threw up his hands he ordered him to be shot. I understood they shot him in the eye and he fell dead in the yard. Then they robbed Mrs. Washburn [nee Lilley, daughter of John Lilley] and she did not have a dress left that was decent. They told Mr. Lilley that they wished him to tell them what were his most valuable effects and being thus informed they loaded his wagon with what he considered most valuable, harnessed his mules to the wagon and told him to follow on, as they were in danger of being attacked by a superior force of Rebels who were in the neighborhood. After they had left, and Mr. Lilley found that the coast was clear, he called down young Thompson, the nephew of Henry Washburn, who was there at the time and who was hiding up in the collar beams of the house, lying on a broad board. And they helped each other in carrying Henry Washburn's body into the house, into the room that I used to occupy, and laid it on the feather bed. Young Thompson started for the South alone. Mr. Lilley got all his family in the wagon, and then set fire to the house, and started to follow the soldiers. They tried to overtake them but the load being heavy, and the soldiers going fast, they failed in their attempt. They were in constant danger of being overhauled by the rebels and one time some men met them. They thought they were rebels, and probably would have killed them, if it had not been for an Indian woman who was riding with them. She used her influence and probably told them what was not true, and they let them past. They went on into the night to the Wewoka [Creek] but they could not get the team up the bank, so they had to get out and unload the wagon, and draw the wagon up, and then carry up the things afterwards and reload. On the second day, they overtook the soldiers at Hilloughby Town, where they stopped and encamped. And from Hilloughby Town they had an escort of soldiers to Ft Gibson which was the Headquarters of the Union army in that region. They had to remain there some weeks before there was a provision train going north to Lawrence [KS]. It was while they were waiting for the train to go north and accompany them that they got the smallpox. When the train went, they accompanied it to Lawrence and from there hired a conveyance to haul them and their effects up to Rock Creek [KS].