Stand Waitie was a Cherokee national and a General during the Civil War. He was part of a minority of the Cherokee nation that initially backed the Confederacy. The majority of the Cherokee nation supported the Union forces and later large numbers of those who initially pledged support to the South changed their stance and joined Union forces.

Waite remained loyal to the Confederacy and lead a number of raids and operations for the Confederate Army. Among these was the ill-fated raid of Wagoner, Oklahoma. Here General Watie's forces massacred black hay-cutters at during the raid. Union reports said that Watie's Indian cavalry "killed all the Negroes they could find", including wounded men.