United States. Army. Michigan Sharpshooters Regiment, 1st (1863-1865), Company K.

<p>The Native Americans of Michigan's Company K fought bravely in defense of the Union Fort Stedman during the American Civil War. On June 1, 1863, the state of Michigan began recruiting Native Americans for service in the Civil War. The result was the famous Company K, an all-Indian company of soldiers. By the end of the war, roughly 150 Native Americans had served in Company K. Choosing to fly a tethered live eagle instead of a flag, these soldiers fought bravely and distinctly on many occasions in the fight to end slavery.<p/>

<p>The collection includes a five-page article (copy) from the Crawford County Avalanche (newspaper), Aug. 21, 2003, about Thomas Ke-chit-ti-go, who served in Co. K, First Michigan Sharpshooters. Photographs of members of his unit and related Civil War images are included in the article. Also included is a page (copy) of his service record.<p/>

<p>Though "Natives were not U.S. citizens at the onset of the Civil War," it is "estimated that over twenty thousand Native men fought... for both the North and the South." Deadly Aim tells the story of the Odawa, Ojibwe and Potawatomi men (as a group, the Anishinaabek) who enlisted in the First Michigan Sharpshooters Company K, the "only company in the Union army east of the Mississippi River whose enlisted men were solely American Indians."<p/>

<p>Beginning before the Civil War, Walker brings readers through the detestable Indian Removal Act of 1830, the 1838 Potawatomi Trail of Death and the 1855 Treaty of Detroit, which seemingly ended "the threat of forced removal" but instead spurred a massive grab of Anishinaabek land. The first few chapters build suspense as they introduce the men of Company K; once they reach the front lines, Walker's crisp, compelling account highlights the men's humanity and heroism in the face of brutality, terror and ceaseless, aggressive racism.<p/>