Native Sharpshooters Receive Honor 160 Years Late

Recently, Native American communities in Michigan were honored for their service as Civil War sharpshooters, with a memorial highway dedicated to Company K’s service.

Native American Involvement in the Civil War

An estimated 20,000 to 28,000 Native Americans served in the Civil War, fighting for both the Union and the Confederacy. Despite many initially seeking neutrality to avoid further conflict and protect their communities before being compelled to take sides.

Native Americans served as soldiers, scouts, and guides. They were driven by desires to protect tribal sovereignty, gain political favor, and secure their territorial borders.

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A group of Native Americans in Michigan known as Company K were recently honored for their efforts as sharpshooters in the Civil War.

Indian Veteran Sharpshooters Honored After 160 Years

According to Up North Live, after 160 years, Company K will finally be honored with a memorial recognizing their service as sharpshooters during the Civil War. The effort took several years and required the bill to be voted on three separate times before it ultimately passed. This will be the only Native American Civil War highway dedication in the United States.

Scott Schwander, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, has been one of the leading advocates for honoring Company K’s service during the Civil War. The Native American volunteers in this unit fought in several major battles of the war, including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and the Battle of the Crater, demonstrating their involvement in some of the conflict’s most intense engagements.

The Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway is a designated section of M-22 located in Peshawbestown.

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This group of men from northern Michigan has finally been formally recognized and given the respect they earned for serving a country they loved, despite not always receiving that same regard in return.

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