Long remembered in these parts for orchestrating the Thomas’ Legion, a Confederate group of mountain men and Cherokee Indians who fought during the Civil War, William Holland Thomas has been reduced to a footnote in history book pages.

However, with the upcoming release of acclaimed author Charles Fraizer’s novel based on Thomas’ life, historians are saying that Thomas’ relegated status is about to change. To celebrate this pending fame, the Cashiers Historical Society has planned a three-day symposium on the life and times of Thomas, which will be held May 5, 6 and 7.

According to an article written by E. Stanly Godbold, who will serve as the moderator of the symposium, Thomas was born in Haywood County to a fatherless family (his father died before his birth) and was taken in by the Cherokee people, who taught him their language and customs. Cherokee Chief Yonaguska treated Wil-Usdi, or Little Will, as he was called, as his own son.

During the removal crisis of the 1830s — a precursor to the Trail of Tears — Thomas was chosen to serve as the Oconaluftee Indians agent in negotiating and argued that they should be allowed to remain in their native state.

Thomas lead a dual life of sorts, adopting native culture but maintaining a home with his mother and his wife as a traditional, prominent, white citizen. As an entrepreneur and politician, he dreamed of a transcontinental railroad and thought that the economic future of the South rested with transportation and mercantile development, not slavery and agriculture.

When the Civil War began, Thomas’ ideals drove him to support the Confederacy. He joined the army and organized two regiments of Indians and nine more of mountaineers into Thomas’ Legion, which he commanded as colonel.

More loyal to his men and to his region than the Confederacy, Thomas was court-martialed twice for refusing to obey orders. However, in the end, it was the Union that ended Thomas’ military career as he surrendered with honor on May 7, 1865.

The war destroyed Thomas as a man — physically, mentally and financially — and he was committed to the state asylum in Raleigh in 1867. While in the asylum Thomas was visited by Smithsonian Institution ethnologist James Mooney. Thomas told Mooney his story about growing up with the Indians and the information later became a part of Myths of the Cherokee, published in 1900.

The symposium on Thomas’ life will include speakers and historians from throughout North Carolina. Presenters will include:

• Dr. William Anderson, professor emeritus at Western Carolina University and editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies. Anderson will speak about Thomas as a white man who was part of the inner circle of Ross and the Patriot Party and who led the fight against removal of the Cherokee people.

• Jane Gibson Nardy, registered genealogist and past president of the Cashiers Historical Society. Nardy will speak about personal and professional connections between Thomas and the Cashiers Valley, including excerpts from Thomas’ diary.

• Dr. Gordon McKinney, a professor and director of the Appalachian Center at Berea College, Kentucky. McKinney will discuss connections between Thomas and fellow N.C. politician Zebulon Baird Vance, who bitterly opposed one another.

• George Ellison, a noted naturalist who writes a weekly natural history column for The Smoky Mountain News, will discuss “Tsali vs. Thomas: Who Saved the Cherokee?” Tsali was a Cherokee martyr who was killed in return for other Cherokees being allowed to remain in Western North Carolina prior to the Trail of Tears.

• George Frizzell, archivist and head of special collections at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library, will speak about Thomas as a businessman and review store ledgers, which reflect on the community’s needs at the time.

• Dr. Richard Iobst, retired professor and museum director, will present “A Mountain Man’s Legacy: The William H. Thomas Papers and Diaries in the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.” His talk will focus on his personal relationship with Thomas developed through transcribing and cataloguing Thomas’ writing.

• Dr. Barbara Duncan, director of education at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, will present a look at Thomas and other men who helped the Cherokee buy back their land during the post-Removal period.

Cost for all three days of the symposium is $175 or $250 to also become a patron. Participants also may choose to register for Saturday and Sunday events separately at a cost of $75. For more information call 828.743.7710 or visit www.cashiershistoricalsociety.org.