CHEROKEE REEL

Book 3 in a historical fiction series exploring the Cherokee in the 19th century.

In Humphrey’s previous work, Cherokee Rose (2023), indigenous groups were forcibly relocated by the U.S. government to places west of the Mississippi. This installment begins in one of those places: Fort Smith, Arkansas. The novel centers on Lisa Waters, a half-Cherokee woman who journeyed west with her sisters. While one sister died en route and another was murdered early on, Lisa lives a prosperous life with her husband, a freedman and attorney named Ezra. Lisa and Ezra enjoy nice parties and engage in philanthropy, yet divisions exist within the Cherokee Nation. Not everyone within the nation supports Cherokee Party president John Ross, nor is there consensus on the legality of holding slaves. Some, like a man named Standhope Watie and his followers, are more than willing to resort to violence. Things only get more contentious with the outbreak of the Civil War. Some Cherokee side with the Union, some with the Confederacy. Lisa becomes a nurse for the North and Ezra an army captain. After Ezra is killed, Lisa begins living the life of a guerilla fighter. Even when the war ends, plenty of danger will still come her way in a land “decimated by years of battle.” Humphrey takes a lively look at the complexities of indigenous participation in the Civil War. From antebellum groups like the Knights of the Golden Circle to the federal government’s postwar treatment of tribes, plenty of important historical topics are dealt with here. Early in the novel, in particular, some crucial events, such as the murder trial of Standhope Watie, are light on details and can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding such episodes. Yet as the narrative progresses, the harsh realities of such a brutal period are easily understood.

A fast-paced portrayal of a lesser-known corner of U.S. Civil War history and its aftermath.