Battle Sites and Ghost Towns

PLACES


1. Battle of Round Mountain (November 19, 1861)

This was the first battle of the Civil War in Indian Territory

Opothleyaholo’s a Upper Creek Chief was considered a Neutral Indian

The Confederates were forced to retreat and Opothleyaholo relocated

Present day Yale, Oklahoma 918-387-2815

2. Caving Banks (December 9, 1861) A Creek Indian Settlement Originally called Tulsey Town. This is the current day Tulsa, OK no ill effect from the war because the Creek settlement was on the union side. Known as Battle of Chusto-Talasa. General Cooper of the Confederacy located Opothleyholo’s campsite, and lost to the Neutral Indians for a second time. Opothleyaholo fought but then relocated further north so as not to be bothered with the war.

3. Chustenalah Battle of Chustenalah (December 26, 1861)

Confederate forces once again attacked Opothleyaholo’s men and only because Opothleyaholo ran out of ammo was this considered a Confederate victory. Leading his people into the wilderness and suffering in cold weather, until Confederate troops retreated, Opothleyaholo then moved into Kansas



Thus concludes the first year of the war.



4. Pea Ridge first settlement of Elkhorn Tavern located near western border of AK

March 6, 1862 confederates led by Watie, bloody battle lasted two days rebel troops last to leave the battle field, Waties men were among last to leave



5. Battle of Honey Springs (July 17, 1863) This occurred just South of Fort Gibson General James G. Blunt captured this fort and remained in Oklahoma for the rest of the war.

July 1863 Cooper’s Confederates attacked Fort Gibson, Blunt’s Union met at Honey Springs July 17 the battle lasted all day after which Blunt headed south and captured and burned Perryville which was a confederate supply depot. Perryville did not have an established post office and there for was not considered a town this was near present day Checotah Oklahoma 918-473-5572 honeysprings.org • Considered the largest military clash to have occurred in Indian Territory. After this battle the Confederates no longer controlled Indian Territory north of the Arkansas River.

6. Fort Smith this post was captured by Blunt on September 1, 1863

7. 1862 Comanche and Kiowa raiders captured union supplies from General James Carleton who ordered Colonel Kit Carson to guard the wagon trains There really isn’t a specific location for these attacks, they were mainly located in Western Plains Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle

8. November 25, 1864 bloodiest battle ADOBE WALLS an old trading post on the Canadian river in the Texas panhandle day of fighting union withdrew failing to defeat the Indians

9. Doaksville cemetery Fort Towson 580-873-2634 Choctaw County East of present day Hugo from 1850-63 Doaksville was the capital of the Choctaw Nation This was one of three important towns in the Choctaw area. The Civil War began the decline of Doaksville, in 1963 the Choctaw capital moved to Chahta Tamaha (Academy)



10. Boggy Depot or Old Boggy Depot where the Middle Boggy Civil War occurred in Atoka Oklahoma 580-889-7192 Atoka County Battle of Middle Boggy Depot (February, 1864) Confederate battle defeated by Union forces. This was an important town in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory situated between the Clear Boggy and Sandy Creeks 14 miles SW of Atoka. This was along the Texas Road on a trail that led from Fort Smith AK to Fort Washita and a station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. The post office opened on November 5, 1849 and closed on March 22, 1872 there were two local newspapers

This was the location of the first Chickasaw agency in the west. Capital of the Choctaw Nation from 1858 to 1860. Served as a Confederate Supply depot in Indian Territory during the Civil War. Boggy Depot State Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places(NR 72001050).





11. 1864 September 300 wagon union supply train headed to Fort Gibson the spoils were shared among the confederate Indian refuges that lived in camps along the red river

12. Skullyville, Oklahoma located in LeFlore County North of Poteau 14 miles southwest of Fort Smith Arkansas. This town grew in importance until the Civil War as a confederate outpost then when the union captured the town it was destroyed and never fully recovered from the ravages of war

PEOPLE

Confederates: Texas was a Confederate State (they wanted to use Oklahoma as a buffer against Union invasion.

Colonel Tandy Walker Choctaw-Chickasaw confederate brigade commander

General Douglas H Cooper – commander confederate Indian troops

General Stand Watie confederate Cherokee

Union side: Kansas was a Union State

General James G. Blunt, commander of Union troops in Indian Territory

Opotheyaholo

James Carleton a commander of Union troops in New Mexico who ordered Kit Carson to take an army and gurad the wagon trains on the plains.

Kit Carson was a Union Soldier mainly in the western parts of Oklahoma he ran from Kansas, the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico, he protected the supply trains

* General Lee surrendered April 9, 1965

* General Stand Watie surrendered June 23 1865 offered his sword to union officials at Doaksville





BACKGROUND

Jefferson Davis of Mississippi president of the Confederate States of America

Abraham Lincoln president of United States



Much fighting took place in Oklahoma. The Civil War weakened the Indian Tribes of Oklahoma. It caused destruction and ruin. In 1861, Indian Territory was prosperous. Roads, ferries and river steamers connected Oklahoma with towns in the east and south. Tribal leaders had written constitutions & created governments based on the constitutions. Many Indians in the Five Civilized Tribes were slaveholders and the end of slavery would have been a severe loss to them as much of their wealth was in slaves. A slave was valued at $1,200.00 in 1861 and there were over 5,000 of them in Indian Territory. Thinking that the Confederate government would protect slavery many Indian citizens joined or supported the Confederacy. In return the Confederacy promised to protect their land.



Works Cited

"Doaksville," Vertical File, Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Gibson, Arrell M., The Oklahoma Story(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1978).

Morris, John W., Ghost Towns of Oklahoma (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1977).