Research Topics: for Watie

Following is a list of suggested topics for your research paper, that are relevant to the novel Rifles for Watie. You may choose from this list, or approach Mr. Nevins with your own topic. Topics not on this list are subject to approval, before being used.

1. The Cherokee Indians, focusing on their role in the Civil War, on the side of the Confederacy

2. The Trail of Tears, when President Jackson removed the Cherokee Indians from Georgia and forced them to march to Oklahoma

3. Battles of the Western Theater, making sure to include the Battle at Wilson's Creek and Battle at Prairie Grove

4. The Role of the Western Theater in the Civil War, possibly focusing on bushwackers, guerilla warfare tactics, the development of the railroad, etc.

5. Bloody Kansas (or Bleeding Kansas), which was a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, allowing settlers to vote on the issue of slavery within their own territory

6. Slavery, from the Union's point of view, as the main cause of the Civil War

7. Development of Weaponry from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, possibly including , the Spencer Repeating , the Gatling Gun, etc. May also touch on how northern manufacturers sold weapons to seceding states, to profit from the war.

8. Medical procedures and advancements during the course of the Civil War, from 1861-65, possibly including ambulance wagons, field hospitals, battlefield surgical techniques, drug substitutes, etc.

9. Although it's been said that there are two sides in every conflict, during the Civil War, it's apparent that there were three: the Union, the Confederacy and the Cherokee Indians. Describe the different reasons each group had for going to war.

10. Soldier's Daily Life, describing what serving in the military was life for the average soldier. Choose either a Confederate or Union soldier to describe, since their serving conditions were quite different. Possible details may include food, camp life, reasons for enlisting, wartime experiences, payment, entertainment, uniforms, having to billet with civilians, etc.

11. Compare and contrast the daily life of a Confederate solider vs. a Union soldier. What supplies could Union soldiers get quite easily (coffee), compared to Confederate soldiers (tobacco). Were rations and camping conditions the same for both sides? If there were shortages, explain the reasons why (blockades of sourthern ports, etc.) Include information about both sides, focusing on similarities and differences.