Indian Brigade.—Although the United States government had not always treated the western Indians fairly, at the breaking out of the Civil war in 1861 most of them promptly took sides with the North. On Jan. 15, 1862, a party of Union Indians was defeated in the Indian Territory and driven across the line into Kansas. They encamped on Fall river and later in the year these refugee Indians, with some of those living in Kansas, were organized into the "Indian Brigade," or, as it was sometimes called, the "Indian Home Guard."

The First Indian regiment was organized at Leroy on May 22, 1862. The Second and Third were organized on Big Creek and Five-mile creek in June and July, and the three regiments were then organized into a brigade, which was commanded successively by William A. Phillips, A. Engleman, C. W. Adams and John Edwards. A fourth regiment was commenced, but was never completed, the men enlisting for service in it being distributed among the other regiments.

The brigade served in the Departments of Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, and in the Army of the Frontier. It participated in the operations about Fort Gibson, Fort Blount and old Fort Wayne; was at Cane Hill and the Boston Mountain engagements in Arkansas; fought at Newtonia and Honey Springs, and in a number of minor actions, and about 500 of the Indians were with Col. James M. Williams and his First Kansas colored regiment at Cabin creek. Much of their service consisted of scouting, in which they were particularly adept, and throughout their entire term of service the Indians proved themselves to be good soldiers. The brigade was mustered out on May 31, 1865.