Choctaw Civil War facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chocktaw Civil War |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Choctaw Eastern Division Military Support:  France |
Choctaw Western Division Military Support:  Great BritainChakchiuma Chickasaw |
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The Choctaw Civil War was a difficult time for the Choctaw people between 1747 and 1750. It was a fight between two groups within the Choctaw nation. They disagreed about who the Choctaw should trade with: Great Britain or France. Hundreds of Choctaw people died in this war. In the end, the group that supported France kept their power within the Choctaw nation.
Why the War Started
By the early 1700s, the Choctaw people lived in areas that are now Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. They faced threats from other tribes. The Choctaw often fought with the Chickasaw tribe to their north. The Muscogee-Creek tribe also often attacked western Choctaw lands. Both of these rival tribes captured many Choctaw people and forced them into labor far away in the Caribbean. These rival tribes got their weapons, like firearms, from the British. They often paid for these weapons by selling the people they captured.
To protect themselves, the Choctaw also started to get more weapons. They used money from the growing North American fur trade to buy firearms from French settlers in Louisiana. The Choctaw also formed political groups called "divisions." Two main divisions became very powerful in Choctaw politics. These were the Eastern Division (called the Okla Tannap, or "People of the Opposite Side") and the Western Division (the Okla Falaya, or "Long People"). There was also a smaller group, the Southern Division (Okla Hannali, "People of Sixtowns"). But this group usually stayed out of the conflicts between the other two.
The Choctaw and the French settlers in Louisiana had a good relationship for a long time. The Choctaw saw the French as important trading partners. They traded furs for guns and offered guides. The French also bought captured people from the Choctaw. The French saw their friendship with the Choctaw as key to defending Louisiana from Britain and its Chickasaw allies.
In 1731, British traders tried to start trading with the Eastern Division. But this failed when another war broke out between the Choctaw and the Chickasaw. The French worried that Britain was trying to cause trouble between them and the Choctaw. So, the French made their military ties with the Choctaw much stronger. They built Fort Tombecbe in Choctaw land. In 1736, they even worked with the Choctaw on a joint mission to destroy Chickasaw villages.
By the late 1730s, the Choctaw's military situation was more stable. Fighting against the Chickasaw continued, but the fur trade kept making the Choctaw people wealthier. The Choctaw tribes remained friendly with the French and generally tolerated the British. By 1740, about 12,000 Choctaw people lived in around 50 villages.
The Civil War Begins
During the wars with the Chickasaw, a Choctaw warrior named Red Shoes became very famous. He wasn't born into a chief's family, but he became a war-captain because of his bravery in battle. He later became chief of the town of Couechitto. This town became rich from the fur trade.
After some time, Red Shoes felt that trading with the French wasn't going well. So, he decided to start trading with the British. This decision worried other Choctaw leaders because it could harm their relationship with the French. But Red Shoes kept trading with the British. He even traveled to Charleston to meet with them. Red Shoes found that the British sold guns and other goods at lower prices than the French. Soon, Red Shoes, who was part of the Western Division, gained even more political power.
Even though he had fought with the French against the Chickasaw, Red Shoes saw that the French colony of Louisiana seemed weak after a tough battle. He also thought about making his large tribe allies with British settlers in the Carolinas. Plus, Red Shoes wanted to make peace with the Chickasaw. Many Choctaw and French leaders strongly disagreed with this idea.
Red Shoes' new ideas and growing power caused a lot of disagreement among the Choctaw. By the late 1730s, tensions grew between the Eastern and Western divisions. Small fights between Choctaw villages started in November 1739. These fights were quickly stopped, but they showed how divided Choctaw society was becoming.
The year 1742 was difficult because of the war against the Chickasaw. A smallpox disease also spread that summer, killing many Choctaw children and elders. Many farmers had joined war parties, so their fields were not cared for, leading to food shortages. The movement of warriors also helped spread the disease.
To make things worse, in 1745, a new French governor in Louisiana wanted to save money. He cut the yearly gifts given to Choctaw leaders. He also put new rules on French goods. These changes hurt the long-standing trade between the Choctaw and the French. This made the Western Division even more sure that the British would be better trading partners.
In 1746, some warriors loyal to Red Shoes captured and killed three French traders in Couechitto. Soon after, the Western Division forced all French traders out of their lands. This made the Eastern Division and their French allies very angry. Leaders from both groups met to plan military action against the Western Division. The French also sent messages to the Western Division. But pro-French chiefs there said they couldn't stop Red Shoes and his pro-British supporters.
As war seemed certain, the French secretly planned to kill Red Shoes. They offered a large reward for him. On June 23, 1747, a young Choctaw warrior, who was escorting a British merchant, killed Red Shoes while he slept. This caused great confusion in Red Shoes' tribe. However, his group did not break apart. When it was later discovered that the French were involved in the killing, many tribes in the Western Division wanted revenge.
The French made things worse by demanding the deaths of two more Western Division chiefs. This was to make up for the three Frenchmen who were killed. The Eastern and Western divisions didn't attack each other right away. Instead, they attacked their allies. But when a Western-aligned chief was killed during an Eastern raid on a British trade group, open war began. The first big battle happened in July 1748. The Eastern Division attacked Couechitto, Red Shoes' former village.
The War and Its End
The war was very bloody and confusing. Both sides attacked each other's villages and towns. Raids were common. Because Choctaw settlements were spread out, entire villages were often wiped out before help could arrive. Hundreds of Choctaws died. Both sides got weapons from their European allies. The British supported the Western Division, and the French supported the Eastern Division.
The French used Fort Tombecbe as a base. They sent their own soldiers to help their Eastern allies in battle. They even offered three times the usual price for killing enemies. The Eastern Division had more fighters than the Western Division. This allowed them to slowly wear down their opponents in a long, tiring war.
The Western Division had made alliances before the war. They teamed up with the Chakchiuma and the Chickasaw tribes. With British help, the Western Division attacked a key Eastern-aligned town called Oulitacha. This attack failed and cost over 100 warriors from both sides. The Western Division won a few smaller battles. But by 1750, many damaging raids had weakened the Western Division's ability to fight. The war also stopped the fur trade, which hurt the economies of both sides.
The Western Division also ran very low on supplies. The end of King George's War (1744–1748) meant the British didn't need to cause trouble for French Louisiana as much. One British trader said that the Western Division was so short on ammunition that they were firing glass beads instead of bullets.
Facing defeat, the Western Division signed a peace treaty in November 1750. The remaining Choctaw leaders agreed to a treaty that favored the Eastern Division and the French. The treaty said that the Choctaw would get revenge for any Frenchmen killed by killing a rebel Choctaw. They also promised to kill any remaining British traders and their Choctaw supporters. And they agreed to continue the war against the Chickasaw. The Western Division also had to destroy their fortified settlements and exchange prisoners.
After the War
The war left hundreds of Choctaw people dead. Many villages were destroyed, and many more were damaged or left empty. With the Eastern Division now the strongest group among the Choctaw, they stopped trading with Britain. They went back to trading with the French, just like before the war.
However, the war also made the Choctaw think differently about their relationships with European powers. In the years after the war, the Choctaw became more flexible. They dealt with Britain, France, and Spain in a practical way. This led to the Choctaw supporting Britain in the Seven Years' War and both Britain and Spain during the American Revolutionary War.
