Another great read involving the interviewing of many actual WBTS veterans is Harold Keith's "Rifles for Watie." It won the 1957 Newberry Medal and is a crackerjack novel. He interviewed some 25 or so former members of the Cherokee Mounted Rifles CSA for the book. There is the wildcat love interest, who bears the name of Washbourne, which is how my family used to spell the name. In the book, she is a real spitfire, not the Supermarine variety mind you, just the kind who's a pain in the butt to be around--like high maintenance if you know what I mean.
Book's action takes place in the West, Pea Ridge, etc. and Stand Watie is one of the central characters.
IMHO, if you could get school kids these days to actively seek this kind of stuff, they'd be a lot more well-rounded than they are, in addition to being better edjumacated.