"Cherokee ACW Infantry" Topic

My ancestor was in Company I, Thomas's Legion of Cherokee Indians and Tennessee Volunteers. I am currently building that regiment to play the 25mm skirmish rules Sharpe Practice – the ACW version. Half the Legion infantry were Cherokee. I have the book on the Legion called Storm in the Mountains, and plan on painting 10 figs for each historical company. Here is the question: Any recommendation on figs I can use for Cherokee Confederates? In reality, the Cherokee troops were uniformed properly, but the few photos extant show them with longer hair, and of course each Rebel soldier was a bit improvised in uniform, especially a unit such as this which operated on its own for most of the war. Any suggestions.

I've been looking for suitable figures as well. Dixon has some Confederate cavalry with longer hair, and I've also thought about Indian scouts from the Old West range.

I have done "ethnic" groups or "national" groups for WWII Germans and I play the comic book card. In comic books, well 40 years ago, they would often include ethinc, national or regional characters. They did that by showing the character with some item of kit that would be atypical. For example, an American serving in the British Army in WWII might wear a cowboy hat. A Brit serving in the American Army might wear a bowler hat. An Indian might wear a feather in his kepi. On the TV show the Rat Patrol they gave the Southern guy a Kepi rather than a helmet.

Don't do it with everyone, but give a few representative sample figures "typical" Cherokee Indian items. Perhaps one wears a couple feathers on his head in lieu of his kepi, another wears a couple feathers in addition to his kepi. Perhaps one carries a tomahawk instead of a bayonet or sabre, or handgun. Maybe one wears no shirt or wears a breechcloth over his uniform trousers or even wears wooden armor over his bare chest.

I don't know enough about Cherokee specific history, perhaps the specific items I am mentioning don't fit their history, but to my mind the image of American Indian is brought to mind when I see people or drawings of people wearing these items. I would have them wearing standard Tennessee Volunteer uniform items otherwise. Maybe a few could be painted with warpaint, or even wearing moccasins on their feet. Perhaps a travois could be used to remove wounded or carry supplies? Maybe one of their camps can include a teepee or similar Native American tentage.

Other companies Native Americans can be hacked up to provide a spare head, extra hand, or other bit of kit to help portray that special unit. I think about 20% of the figures with special items would be enough to get your idea across.

Mike "Bunkermeister" Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

I have a few in 15mm

Triplec, like Bunkermeister said, if you can convert a few figures, go for it. I never heard of the Legion, but I'm working on Watie's cav, and my own Choctaw/Chickasaw Mtd Rifles in 15mm, and figures are hard to find.

I'm using a few Plains war scouts and cav, and hope to use slouch hat FIW militia. I wish the manufacturers would make Plains war Warriors in pieces of captured uniforms. If I couls, I'd make em myself. I don't have the vision or dexterity to convert anybody, cept maybe 40mm or more and I doubt that.

I would mix the Foundry Cherokee and the one Delaware pack with some regular Civil War figs. You might also be able to get away with adding some feathers and such to the other mounted figs and painting their skin a tad darker (although I understand a lot of the Cherokee were very light complexioned.) You could also sculpt the long hair fairly easily. Unfortunately most of the figs won't have rifles if you go this route.

If I ever started my own figure company, the first thing i would do is mounted native american rifles for the ACW. Maybe Conquest or someone else will do them someday…

AX

It depends on whether you want to be accurate or colorful. the Cherokee were very much assimilated by the time of the ACW. For example you can look at photos and there is very little difference between a Native American Soldier and any other, even in CDVs you generaly don't see tomahawks or war bonnets or the like. But if you want to be colorful you obviously can go however you want. You might want to research their Regimental colors to see if there was anything outstanding about them, or maybe their finials.

Thanks for all the responses. The battle flag is currently located at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and is a standard battle flag. I will just use standard figures – with maybe a couple of Foundry mountain man figs thrown in for flavor. As this is a skirmish game, I am going to place historical names from each represented company on each fig. How often do you get to use names such as Pheasant, Big Indian, How ee Nehe, Tahsekeyahgee and Owl Woteeh in an ACW game? Companies A, B and C were Cherokee. My ancestors were in Companies I and H and were named Wilson and Nelson. They became friends, and after the war they visited each other's homes. One had a sister the other liked and, well, nature took its course and I am here.