Hi Jack. Thank you for your post. Yes, things got complicated when the Native Americans got involved! I'm a member of the Cherokee Nation, so I guess there are three sides to our stories. As if the Civil War did not pit brother against brother of the north and south (I have some of each), it created a third dimension in the Cherokee Nation in particular, where the loyalties were divided yet again within their ranks. It split the Cherokees right down the middle, and then, as you mentioned, they sort of went back and forth in their loyalties. Couldn't seem to make up their minds who to support, as they were damned if they did, and damned if they didn't. The end result (which many do not associate with the civil war)was that there was no escape for the citizens of the Cherokee Nation. It was a no win situation for them, because there were people on every side possible that asserted themselves on them. They were also in a terrible place geographically. It placed them at the mercy of foraging from both sides, and anything they had was conscripted by one side or the other. At the end of the war, they had nothing - zero - to go "home" to. It was a terrible time for everyone, and a wonder any of them lived at all. It took a long time for people to recover, which of course was true of any and all sides. Furthermore, in my case, I had relatives that were on both sides of the removal as well as their loyalties during the civil war, so it is an amazing story which I will leave for my grandchildren. Their ancestors signed well known Cherokee documents, walked the Trail of Tears, acted as interpreters, slung a few bullets, and went to war for whichever side could help them out the most (and early on, probably took a few scalps and did a little teepee creeping, otherwise I would not be a mixed blood, Scots/Irish/Cherokee/Englishwoman). They also changed the course of history by bringing education (James Bigby (Irish), who was instrumental in obtaining one of the first schools); religion (Reverend Stephen Foreman, who helped translate the bible into Cherokee, and went to prison with the missionaries); and health (Dr. Richard Bark Foreman, "The Cherokee Physician", who as early as 1857 wrote (dictated) a book on herbal medicine, as it was used by the Cherokees, and was a half brother to Reverend Stephen Foreman). I guess it proves that Hilary was right - "It Takes A Village". We have all contributed to the history and making of what we know and love as the US of A. I never fail to be touched by the intricacies of it all, and since none of us know it all, we still need each other. I love these sites, because they give us a chance to do that. So fun.. Thank you.