PESHAWBESTOWN, Mich. — More than 300 Native Americans and allies gathered Wednesday afternoon at the Leelanau Sands Casino & Resort for the dedication of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway.
The ceremony came 160 years after 139 Native Americans — primarily Odawa and Ojibwe men from northern Michigan who made up Company K — fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. They fought for a nation that did not even recognize them as citizens at the time. The soldiers served in some of the war’s bloodiest battles, including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg campaigns.
Fifteen members of Company K were captured and held as prisoners of war at Anderson Prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, in southwestern Georgia. Seven died there.
The memorial highway designation honors a stretch of M-22 that passes through the tribal lands of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The designation was approved through legislation passed by the Michigan Legislature and signed into law in December by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Among those attending Wednesday’s ceremony were Matthew Wesaw, chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians; Jamie Stuck of the Nottawasepi Huron Band of the Potawatomi; 90-year-old Ogitchedaw George Martin; representatives from the State of Michigan; the Sons of Civil War Veterans Honor Guard; Cherryland Honor Guard Post; Sons of Veterans Reserve; and other ogitchedaws (warriors) from tribes across Michigan.
Sandra Witherspoon, chairwoman of the Grand Traverse Band, carried the tribe’s eagle staff into the ceremony and welcomed attendees. She spoke about the significance of the memorial signs placed at both entrances to the tribe’s boundaries along M-22.
“As travelers drive this stretch of highway, my hope is that they will ask questions. Who is Company K? Why were they honored? What is their story? And through these questions, history continues to live,” Witherspoon said.
“When we honor Company K, we honor not only the sacrifice of these warriors, but the enduring strength of the Anishinaabe people, and the responsibility that we carry to remember those who came before us,” she continued.
Scott Schwander, a great great grandson of a Company K soldier, delivered the keynote address, offering what amounted to a history lesson on Michigan’s Native sharpshooters. Schwander, a retired county sheriff’s deputy, has spent decades researching Company K. He recounted how some of the sharpshooters were initially rejected when they attempted to volunteer for service in the Union Army. However, as the Civil War’s mounting casualties created an urgent need for additional soldiers, they were eventually allowed to enlist.
Schwander recalled receiving a phone call a decade ago from former Michigan State Rep. Jack O’Malley (R), whose district included M-22.
During the conversation, O’Malley told Schwander he wanted to introduce legislation to honor the Native soldiers of Company K. Because of politics, O’Malley’s bill lingered in the Michigan Legislature for nearly 10 years. Finally, there was a breakthrough, even though O’Malley was out of office.
After the dedication on Wednesday, O’Malley spoke with Native News Online about the genesis of his idea to name a portion of M-22 in honor of Company K.
“I’m a bit of a history person. When I heard Scott explain to me about Company K — that they weren’t even recognized as citizens, and they went to fight for the country — and I was chair of transportation at the time, I said, ‘I can help. I name roads. Let’s name one after Company K,’ and that’s how the whole thing got started,” O’Malley said.
Schwander spoke about being a descendant of a soldier who served in Company K and survived.
“Many of us here — if it weren’t for our ancestors who served in Company K and survived the Civil War — wouldn’t be here today,” Schwander said. “Now think about all of these men who were killed in action, and look around you: they can’t be here because of the sacrifices these soldiers made.”
At the conclusion, there was a 21-gun salute to honor the members of Company K.
Historians estimate that 25,000 Native Americans served in the Civil War. Wednesday’s dedication provided a meaningful opportunity to highlight Company K’s contributions to the nation — even though its members were not recognized as U.S. citizens at the time.
