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Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: March 22, 1938
Investigator: Gus Hummingbird
Location: Stilwell, Adair Co. Oklahoma
 
A REPORT ON A SOLDIER CEMETERY

This is the story told to me by several old timers in the community among whom are Blackbird DOUBLEHEAD, John LIVERS and George COCHRAN. I also interviewed several more concerning this cemetery.

The soldiers who are buried at this place are all buried in a row on a high hill on Little Lees Creek, about ten miles southeast of Stilwell. According to the Old Timers, Doublehead, a fullblood Cherokee who was living in this part of the country all during the Civil War except for a few months at Fort Gibson, says that these soldiers all died of the black smallpox on this mountain.

They were all Federals who had been sent out on a scouting expedition in the eastern part of the Cherokee Nation. They were all stationed at Fort Gibson. They were all here scouting the country to find out about the Southern men who were also in this part pillaging the farm houses and driving away stock.

There were about twenty in the bunch and these seven died on this mountain. At that time there was a small house at this place. After their death they buried them near this old house place. There is only one rock that is marked in Cherokee, interpreted it means "AUGERHOLE". This was the name of one of the soldiers who is buried at this place. Several people know of this one man. There are families of this name now residing in Adair County.

Not far away from this old cemetery is an old battlefield of the Civil War. This cemetery is located in the NW-NW-NW, Section 29, Twp. 15, and Range 26.

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Gwen (Cochran) Nolte <Gwennolte@aol.com> 03-2000.