If Only They Could Talk

The cemetery is filled with the remains of many people who were leaders in the Cherokee Nation which came to Oklahoma over the Trail of Tears and in other marches or migrations.

Stories of the Cherokee people are filled with names such as Ridge, Bushyhead, Ross and Bell. Some of these names are carved on the headstones in Polson Cemetery.

But the most famous name in this cemetery is Stand Watie, who was both a Cherokee leader and a famous Civil War general.

Stand Watie was born near Calhoun, Georgia, in 1806. He and his brother, Buck Watie (who took the name Elias Boudinot) were educated at a mission school there. Stand and Buck's father, David Watie, was the brother of a man known as Major Ridge whose own son was John Ridge.
With much upheaval among the Cherokees in the Southeast, especially after the discovery of gold on Cherokee land, Stand and Buck Watie and their Uncle Major Ridge and their cousin, John Ridge, encouraged the Cherokee to move to the West. Their efforts to move the tribe from East to West put the family at odds with other tribal members, mostly led by John Ross, who did not want to move West.

Eventually the Cherokees were forced to remove to the West on what became known as the Trail of Tears. In 1837, Stand Watie, his brother Elias Boudinot, Major Ridge and his son John Ridge moved to Indian Territory. In June 1839, three of these four men were assassinated. Only Stand Watie survived the assassin squad.

In 1861, with the outbreak of the Civil War, Stand Watie threw in with the Confederacy and was commissioned a colonel. He eventually gained the rank of brigadier general, some say the only Native American to achieve that rank.

But Civil War historians best know General Watie as the last Confederate general to give up his sword in surrender at the end of the war. As the commander of the Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, Watie's outfit fought in Arkansas, Missouri and Indian Territory. His troops fought in the first battle of Newtonia, but apparently General Watie himself was not at the battle. Records indicate General Watie was in Neosho on the day of the battle.

If there were such things as "graveyard ghosts," it would be an interesting night to sit and listen to the night whispers at the Polson Cemetery. This cemetery is located in Oklahoma just a couple of miles from Southwest City, MO.

The cemetery is filled with the remains of many people who were leaders in the Cherokee Nation which came to Oklahoma over the Trail of Tears and in other marches or migrations.

Stories of the Cherokee people are filled with names such as Ridge, Bushyhead, Ross and Bell. Some of these names are carved on the headstones in Polson Cemetery.

But the most famous name in this cemetery is Stand Watie, who was both a Cherokee leader and a famous Civil War general.

Stand Watie was born near Calhoun, Georgia, in 1806. He and his brother, Buck Watie (who took the name Elias Boudinot) were educated at a mission school there. Stand and Buck's father, David Watie, was the brother of a man known as Major Ridge whose own son was John Ridge.
With much upheaval among the Cherokees in the Southeast, especially after the discovery of gold on Cherokee land, Stand and Buck Watie and their Uncle Major Ridge and their cousin, John Ridge, encouraged the Cherokee to move to the West. Their efforts to move the tribe from East to West put the family at odds with other tribal members, mostly led by John Ross, who did not want to move West.

Eventually the Cherokees were forced to remove to the West on what became known as the Trail of Tears. In 1837, Stand Watie, his brother Elias Boudinot, Major Ridge and his son John Ridge moved to Indian Territory. In June 1839, three of these four men were assassinated. Only Stand Watie survived the assassin squad.

In 1861, with the outbreak of the Civil War, Stand Watie threw in with the Confederacy and was commissioned a colonel. He eventually gained the rank of brigadier general, some say the only Native American to achieve that rank.

But Civil War historians best know General Watie as the last Confederate general to give up his sword in surrender at the end of the war. As the commander of the Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, Watie's outfit fought in Arkansas, Missouri and Indian Territory. His troops fought in the first battle of Newtonia, but apparently General Watie himself was not at the battle. Records indicate General Watie was in Neosho on the day of the battle.

Watie's grave is marked with a slender tall white stone in Polson Cemetery near a memorial marker which was established by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

General Watie is also honored with a tall red marker near the front gate of the cemetery. This marker was erected by the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Not far from Watie's grave are the graves of Major Ridge and his son, John, who were assassinated not long after arriving in Indian Territory.

Also in this cemetery is another general, Lee Bird Washbourne, the great-grandson of John Ridge. General Washbourne was a Major General in the United States Air Force, serving in both World War II and in the Korean Conflict.

Now wouldn't it be something to sit off to the side and hear the stories these men could tell if they could rise from their graves and speak to each other. From the wild and wooly days of the Trail of Tears to the cold and snow-covered battle slopes of Korea, these men could tell stories that no fiction writer could ever scheme up with pen and paper.