Post-Civil War council at Fort Smith compelled Confederate-allied tribes to renegotiate treaties and land rights with the United States government.
Key Facts
- Dates held
- September 8–21, 1865
- Organized by
- Dennis N. Cooley, U.S. Commissioner of Indian Affairs
- Tribes required to attend
- 12 tribes including Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole
- Relevant legislation cited
- Congressional act of July 5, 1862
- Cherokee chief impeached
- John Ross, on September 15, 1865
- Location
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Civil War, several Indian tribes—including the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole—had signed treaties with the Confederate States. After the Union's victory, the U.S. government held that these tribes had abrogated their existing federal treaties and forfeited their lands and annuities by siding with the Confederacy.
Beginning September 8, 1865, Commissioner Dennis N. Cooley convened mandatory meetings at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for tribes east of the Rockies that had allied with the Confederacy. U.S. representatives informed tribal leaders that prior treaties were void and new agreements governing land allocations and annuities would need to be negotiated. John Ross was impeached as Cherokee spokesman on September 15.
The council established the framework for a new round of post-war treaties with the affected tribes, requiring them to accept revised land arrangements. Some lands previously held by Indian Territory tribes were designated for tribes being relocated from Kansas reservations, reshaping the territorial boundaries and political standing of multiple Native nations in the region.