home guards in the mountain region along the Tennessee-
Carolina border, where, according to the testimony of Colonel String-
1 Tin- history of the events leading to the organization of the "Thomas Legion " is chiefly man the
author's conversations with Colonel Thomas himself, corroborated and supplemented from other
sources. In the words of Thomas, " If it had nol been for the Indians I would not have been in the
war."
-This is believed i" be i correct statement of the strength and make-up of tin- Thomas Legion,
Owing !■■ i in- Imperfection of the records and the absence of reliable memoranda among the surviv-
ing officers, no two accounts exactly coincide. The mil given in the North Carolina Confederate
Roster, handed in by captain Terrell, assistant quartermaster, was compiled early in the war and
- itice "f tlu' engineer company "i "i the second Infantry regiment, which Included tun
[ndian companies, The information therein contained is supplemented Er :onversations
and personal letter laptain Terrell, and from letters and newspaper articles by Lieutenant Colonel
Stringfleld of the Sixty-ninth. Another statement isgivenin Mrs Avery's sketch of Colonel n as
in thi Sorth Carolina University Magazine for May, 1899.
170 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKEE [eth.ass.1S
field, "they did good work and service for the South." The most
important engagement in which they were concerned occurred at
Baptist yap, Tennessee, September 15, 1862, where Lieutenant Astu'-
gata'ga, "a splendid specimen of Indian manhood," was killed in a
charge. The Indians were furious at his death, and before they could
he restrained they scalped one or two of the Federal dead. For this
action ample apologies were afterward given by