Hello List Members, I went by the Confederate War Museum today to see if it was still open because a relative of mine from Alabama wanted me to look up some of his great grandfathers who fought in the Civil War. Thankfully, it was still open and I was able to research the names he gave me and came up with some excellent info about them. The museum has books of Rolls of Louisiana Confederate Soldiers and Louisiana Commands with thousands of names and little paragraphs of info about each name. While there, the curator showed me the most recent issue of Confederate Veteran Magazine, Vol. Four, 2002, which had the following very long article inside: "War Whoops & Battle Cries: Native American Involvement in the War" by Robert P. Broadwater. This article is 25 pages long. It seems to be excellently researched and does mention the Five Civilized Tribes, the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles, CSA, Chief Little Crow, Ely Parker and others. The article asks: "Why did they fight? What were their reasons for going to war when neither side offered to make them equals in the white controlled society?" If you are interested in obtaining this article you can contact the Sons of the Confederate Veterans web site at http://www.scv.org While I was at the Confederate Museum, I learned that the museum was a lot older than I thought. I was under the impression it was around since the 1930's but it was actually opened on the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1891, making it over 111 years old. It is the second largest Civil War collection in the nation only behind the one in Richmond, Virginia. The building it is in was specifically constructed for the purpose of housing the Confederate War Museum and the opening dedication address by the man who donated the building, Frank T. Howard, who donated a library to Tulane Univesity, clearly states this. "It is with deep satisfaction that I perform the act of formally putting into your possession the Building which while it is an Adjunct of the Howard Memorial Library Association, is to be set apart forever for the use of your organization." -- Frank T. Howard at the dedication of the Confederate Memorial Hall, January 8, 1891. It's important that archival records of Confederate Memorial Hall never be lost to the political correctness of our day with the following example in mind. I also went to the Louisiana State Museum at The Cabildo here in the French Quarter to look into the availability of the Archives of Spanish West Florida, 1782 to 1810. I was told that these records are kept at the US Mint here in New Orleans and is only available by appointment and at specific times during the week. I do not know if you must be a credentialled geneaologist or historian to view them but obviously access to these records is limited. And this will happen to the records of Confederate Memorial Hall if they are forced to relinquish their possessions fo the University of New Orleans foundation. They will be locked away never to be seen again except by those who are deemed worthy to look at them. You all need to be aware of this if you come across ancestors who served in the Civil War and need help in finding out more info about them. John Craven New Orleans