Cherokee in the American Civil War were active in the Trans-Mississippi and Western Theaters . In the east , Confederate Cherokees led by William Holland Thomas hindered Union forces trying to use the Appalachian mountain passes of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee . Out west , Confederate Cherokee Stand Watie led primarily Native Confederate forces in the Indian Territory , in what is now the state of Oklahoma . The Cherokee partnered with the Confederacy in order to get funds , as well as ultimately full recognition as a sovereign , independent state . Before Indian Removal , the Cherokee Nation was centered in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains — southwestern North Carolina , southeastern Tennessee , western South Carolina and northeastern Georgia . The Cherokee attempted to address their grievances by taking their problems to the American Federal judicial system . In 1830 , a delegation led by Chief John Ross defended Cherokee rights before the U.S. Supreme Court in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia . The Indian cases set a precedent in Indian Country but was in vain as the Cherokee Nation was set upon the Trail of Tears . After the removals , the Cherokee Nation was found west of the Mississippi River , and some Cherokee were still found in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Cherokee in the American Civil War