, 1863-09-24
The War in Western arkansas
and the Indian Country.
REVIEW OF OPERATIONS.


from. Fort Scott, Col. Phillips, with three
regiments Of Indifferent and partially disor
gapized Indians, d four-gun battery, and u
few companies Of nearly d3smounted cavalry,
hid for four months besn facing an enemy
numbering not less than 1000 men, Who, #
their leaders had had one 1.-THE Of the plack
up lis entire force: There is not in the
annals Of this war more striking example Of
t9uacity and daring courage than that dis
played By Col Phillips ID SO untlinchfngly
6be.irg the Instructions Of Gen. Blunt and
Loldit the Cherokee Territory, and thereby
kteping Southtrn Kansas and Missouri from
ogain being oyer1un.
Gen. Blunt Immediately pressed forward
what troops he could gather, taking even the
poorly armed and undrl1 ed recruits just raised
for the 18th Kansas cavalry. Fortunately the
WAS ordered to rendezvous at Fort Scott, with
tie intention of leaving the district. The
emergency waITanting it, Gen. Blunt cent Il
10 the field. Here commenced the rebel de-
ftats. On The 1st and ID Of July, Col. VII
ljams, Of: the 1st Kansas colored regiment,
Ct mn.anding escort, had seyere engagements
with The rebels under Sand Waite, who with
d superior force was strongly posted at Cabin
Geek The rebels we're defeated and driven
eff In utter rout Blunt reached Fort Gibson
$500 men, crossed the Arkaufas, himself
nakipg detour with cavalry, fifty miles, to
onttank the enemy's advance, which be sue
cetced in doing, ard on the morning Of the
18th attacked the rebel Cooper, hav-
ilg force Of nearly 6,0oo, In strong po-
titsn; The rebels we're badly beaten, io.iog
150 killed, 800 wounded and 100 prisouere,
With two guns. q flag, 500 stand Of arms, and
lot of sIoree, &c.
On TIC Goth the rebels were largely rein
forced, and numbering nearly 12,600, again
advanced to Honey springe, their .pickets oc.
cu+Jipg the south bank Of the Arkansas, and
me1aced Gen. Blunt in rather formidable
style. The latter, knowing; that some rein
furcements we're on the w1Y from Fort Scott,
determined On their arrival to again attack
the enemy.
|. Fortunately, willie waiting for his own re-
Inducements, Gel. Cloud, Second Kansas,
commanding a;a9g g brigade, ,,,s was moving to his
arrived, Gen. Blunt, on the ed Of Augutt,
crossed the river, and moved upon tho enc.
my. though Gen. Steele had at least 1000
white troops, beside Indians, he had fallen
back to Briar Town, North Fork, Canadian
Rirer, Greek Nation, fifty miles southeast Of
ment he fed In haste to Per1yrille, south Of
the Canadian River, in the Choctaw Nation,
not more than fifty miles from the Red River
Of Texas. Gen. Blunt pressed on in hot
haste, with bis cavalry, on the 25th ult,, max
Ing, in one day, a march Of fifty miles. sur
hnd destroying alt Of steele's and Coopcr's
stotes. The enemy had already broken in
different bodies, and were fleeing In disorder.
Steele was fleeing With portion Of his army
in the direction Of Boggy Depot, sixty miles
southN est Of Perryyil1e. about eighteen miles
from The Red River, and within few miles
Of Fort Mccullough, the only poiut left
the Confederares fn the entise Indian Terri
tory.
The Creek regiments (rebeD under Chilli
and Uni Mcintosh. retreated BY way Of Moth
Fork Town. Gei. Blunt, understanding thcir
Judscn and the first brigade to meet them,
This Was successfully accomplished, and the
restoration of the Greek Nation to the IA
'tional Government is now assured. The lay.
ing down Of their arms on the part Of tho fol-
lovers Of the Greek chief, Chill and UEi Nc.
Of thirty. fire Years standing, which has more
to do with the Indians esponsipg blaqery aud
tie rebellion than direct interest therein.
Cooper, Tandy Walker (Chocta xs), and
Stand Waite {Cletokee), a:d directly south
to tic Red River, notifying the Indians that
cd By the rebels us enemies. The result Of
this notification vas to Induce the ChoctaWs
to report to Col Clond In bodies. asking pro.
lection.
Gen. Blunt returned to Briar Town NTH
the "a and Sd b1igades. The I'd brigade, under
Col. Bowen, 18Th Kansas, was sent 10 Web
bcr's Falls, about half way between Forts
Smith and Gibson. With the Sd brigade, Col,
Cloud, Gen. Blunt puehed after Cabell, Nho
was moving on to Fort Smith. Cabe1l vas
met NTH 5000 or 1900 men, twelve miles
from the fort. It was night, and our troops
csmped two miles from him. Cabeu left in
the night. Col. Cloud, wit bis owu regiment,
Capt. Crawford commanding, the 1st ArkAn.
sas cavalry, aud Rabb's battery, pushed after
C2bell, who was travelling sonthwasd. Cloud
chased him fifteen or twenty miles, and hsd
brief engagement. The enemy ded In dis
o1dt1, titer few rounds. Capt. Ed. Lines,
Of the 2d Kaneas, Was Killed BY m ambush,
as was also Sinclair, one Of Gen. Blupt'e
scouts. Pushing On with the rest Of the brl-
gade, the Ge1crai had in the meantime enter
I'd the fort and hoisted the flag, which Capt.
Stu1Eis (now General removed when he
evacuated that post in June, 1861.
This Is hasty 4essuHs Of the last campaign
| Of Gen. Blunt, one whose results for peace
ana security of The Southwest, and IN the
'te1Iitorial,slea Of the region restored to the
very great, though not Of As paramount i'm
Fortance as other campaigns In the Mlssls-
| tippt Valley OF the western slopes oftho Ap.
| palAchian range, under Grant. Banks, Rose
crans and Burnside It has been made aganst
| Commander, but also thst from powerful
| poliuco- speculative combination interested In
| preventing the return Of the 0,000 loyal In
| dials who-~ere being fed as refugees in KIN
sas. With miserably neagra forces, long
line Of communication indlflerent1y guarded,
. foe largely ontnumbsriDg his own fJrccs,
Ger. Blunt has within Two months advanced
the National lines Sonthward tNo hundred
! miles to the borders Of Texas. He has restor-
cd Western Arkansas as well as the Indian
Nations. 4 brief historical summary will
I best illustrate the value Of the work done By
| his gallant army.
| Fort Smith is in Sebastian county, Arkan.
sas. en- tne Arka1.eas, at the mouth Of the
Po1teau rirer, one hundred and sixty d re miles
west By north Of Little Rock. lisa place of
| great importance to the rebels Gen. Blunt
| found here an extensive cartridge factory. ns
also. other works: The post buildings are fine,
| 500 600. The centre Of the plateau On which
| ttey are built is enclosed By heavy stone
| vail, ditched AID strengthened BY ear;nwork.
f! Fort Smith is tie head Of navigation on the
| ArEnpeas. Gibson Is e6 miles west by laad
| AID 1G0 by water. The trode Of Fort Smith
is large, and rs military position aud depot
| it was and Is the controlling point on the
6outhwest Border. It was here that Ben Nc
Cu]lough assembled the army which cooper
ated with Price in the campaign thas cuImins-
ted At Springfield, Mo.
ern Arkansas were at frat strongly opposed
to secession. A meeting held at Van Baren
on the 18Th of January, 1861. opposed it and
declared that the election Of Lincoln was not
sufficient cause tor separation. The vote
QUESTION Of secession stood 27,4l2, for, and
| IS, ,69G against. Nine, tenths OF the latte,
votes were cast west Of Little Rock. The
vote on de!egltes stood: Union, Is GEL; Sc
cession, Il, 81. While the convention was
In session = test vote resulted, 50 against Sc
at Fort Smith and Van Barren in hoaor Of the
thi!ty line Union votes Under the excite
ment Ct Sumter tbs ordinance Of secession
was passed. The Union feeling has always
remained strong. Gen. Blunt and Col. Phi!
lips raised three regiments in the northwest
been Union guerilla force Of 200 for som'
meuths past. The presence Of Gen. Blunt
army, and the movements Of Davidson aut
Steele will insure success. Western Arkan
sas certainly, and probably the entire State
will soon bs applying, with loyal officers, TO-
restoration to its old rank in the Fedora
unfon.
The extent Of the Indian Territory ma,
be readily seen when 1t Is known that +
| txttn1e cast and west from the Arkansa
west line to the east line Of New Mexico,
distance Of five hundred miles; and from
KapEas to Texae, moth and south, about t IT
hu1dred and fifty miles. It Is watered By tn
humber ct Important minor streams, such =!
the Illinois, Neosho and VerdIgris. It is II
the same Latitude IS Southern Tennessee aat
Northern Mississippi and Alabama, resiol
admirably lifted for cereal grains, ftuits, cot
tor, tobacco, snd other Southern staples. l
was, preyions to the wAr, one Of the grca
grsztrg regions Of the West. -.
There is present population Qndian) Q
G, ESQ; wbies. Loss; slaves, 1850, {accord
to census OF 1860, but according TO pEesen
| state oi af1h1rt, 70: mole than half Of tba
nunber) These tlaves were divided Chero
KEGS, 2,504; Creekz, 1,C5l; Chtckasaws, 9I7
Choetaws, 2,294. The semlnoles owned "
tl.vet, and but eight whites were resident 4