Tandy Walker

Tandy Walker (1814–1877) was a Choctaw military commander of the Confederacy during the American Civil War who attained the rank of colonial. He served as Governor of the Choctaw Nation.

Tandy Walker
Governor of the Choctaw Nation
In office 1858–1859
Preceded by	Alfred Wade
Succeeded by	Basil LeFlore
Personal details
Born	1814 (1814) Mississippi, USA
Died	1877 (aged 62–63) Skullyville, Oklahoma

Biography

Walker was born in 1814 in Mississippi. He was of mixed descent.^[1] He was Chief of Choctaw Nation between 1858 and 1859.^[2] Walker served as a lieutenant colonial in the First Choctaw and Chickasaw Mounted Rifles under Douglas H. Cooper of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Walker was given control over the regiment in early 1863, and he was promoted to colonel. In 1864, the regiment was reorganized as the Second Indian Cavalry Brigade.^[1] Walker and his troops played important roles in the First Battle of Newtonia, the Battle of Poison Spring,^[1] and the Battle of Honey Springs.

Walker's troops were known for their intensity.^[3] During the Battle of Poison Spring, also known as the Poison Spring massacre, Walker stated that his men were motivated by the thought of shedding "the blood of their despised enemy...the ravagers of their country, the despoilers of their homes, and the murderers of their women and children."^[4] His Choctaw troops were accused of desecrating corpses and scalping.^[5][6]

Walker died in Skullyville, Oklahoma in 1877.^[1]

Legacy

Walker was described by Waterman L. Ormsby, a correspondent of The New York Herald, as having the look of "a full-blooded white man. He had a very comfortable house, owned a farm of several hundred acres and, also, several hundred head of cattle. In personal appearance he looks like a well-to-do farmer... He has considerable influence over [Choctaw] Nation, and is favorably disposed toward the Overland Mail Company."^[7]

Walker's Station was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. It served as Walker's residence and office.^[7] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The University of Oklahoma maintains the Tandy C. Walker Collection, a collection of news articles pertaining to Walker's life and career.^[8]