The Civil Warriors

Frederick Douglass and Stand Watie, two men on opposite sides of the American Civil War, may seem to have little in common. Yet in ’The Civil Warriors’, Reagan Fancher seeks to help students of American History understand the nuances of both men’s actions and decisions while calling attention to the striking similarities between Douglass, an abolitionist leader and adviser to President Abraham Lincoln, and Watie, a 'mixed-blood' Cherokee slaveholder who became the last Confederate general to surrender. Despite their stark contrasts, these two men proved more similar than different in their character and courage in striving to aid their respective peoples. Douglass’s liberty message contributed to the enfranchisement of the freedmen and the breaking of political barriers, while Watie’s wisdom in laying aside his personal grievances against the Northern Cherokee rivals of his Southern Cherokee people helped heal the Cherokee Nation’s simmering sectarianism, reignited by the Civil War and paved the way for intratribal peace. In contrast to previous works, ’The Civil Warriors’ examines the wartime and postwar lives and actions of both Douglass and Watie in a single volume for the first time, calling scholars’ attention to the similar paths on which each man embarked in serving his respective republic. Through this book, Fancher seeks to both inform collegiate-level students about Watie and Douglass’s lasting contributions that often seem to be overlooked or underemphasized in many other recent works and provide a useful classroom teaching tool for scholars while exploring both men’s lives and legacies. Revisiting and rebutting some popular misperceptions of each man, the book also fills a gap in Watie scholarship and seeks to both inform and inspire casual readers and scholars alike, bringing together those of different perceptions of the Civil War and Reconstruction and guiding today’s Americans in casting aside their differences and working together.