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42-766: The battleground is about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of what is now Checotah, Oklahoma and 15 miles (24 km) south of Muskogee . It was also about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Fort Gibson . At the start of the American Civil War, the United States had abandoned the Five Civilized Tribes so for cultural and economic reasons, all of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory opted to side with

84-604: A cavalry and as an infantry officer in the Union Army within the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War , and was breveted a brigadier general near the end of the conflict. Williams also helped organize and was the initial commander of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment , the first unit of USCT soldiers to see combat. Following the war, Williams remained

126-519: A Civil War battle site, and a downtown historic district. Checotah claims to be the steer wrestling capital of the world. Early boosters called Checotah "The Gem of the Prairie". The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad (also known as the MKT or Katy) established a railhead on the old Texas Road in 1872 that became the site of present-day Checotah. Although it was named Checote Switch for Samuel Checote ,

168-418: A definite edge in both quantity and quality of weaponry. The Union artillery had ten 1857 12-pounder Napoleon howitzers , two 6-pound howitzers , and plenty of Springfield rifles. The Union troops also had an abundance of shot, shells and canisters. The Confederate troops were poorly armed, typically with obsolete smoothbore muskets and flintlock shotguns. Ammunition for these

210-523: A disciplined withdrawal and sporadic firing continued. Afterwards, Blunt wrote I never saw such fighting as was done by the Negro regiment....The question that negroes will fight is settled; besides they make better soldiers in every respect than any troops I have ever had under my command. During this period the 2nd Indian Home Guards , fighting for the Union, accidentally strayed into no man's land between

252-581: A group of heavily armed men from Chectotah attempted to seize the records from the courthouse in Eufaula, but were beaten back and forced to surrender during the gunfight that followed. Eufaula was designated as the permanent seat of McIntosh County one year later. Checotah was on the route of the Jefferson Highway established in 1915, with that road running more than 2,300 miles from Winnipeg , Manitoba to New Orleans , Louisiana . Checotah

294-556: A later mapmaker spelled the name as Checotah. The town was chartered by the Creek Nation in 1893. The Dawes Commission held its first meeting here. Between 1907 and 1909, the people of Checotah were involved in a dispute with nearby Eufaula known as the McIntosh County Seat War . After Checotah was designated as the new county seat , the people of Eufaula refused to hand over the county records. Soon after,

336-617: A shoe-string budget and with bad equipment, would come to increasingly rely on captured Union war material to keep up the fight. District of the Frontier      Major General James G. Blunt    Colonel William R. Judson    Colonel William A. Phillips    District of Indian Territory      Brigadier General Douglas H. Cooper    Colonel Thomas C. Bass    Brigadier General Douglas Cooper    Colonel Stand Watie

378-471: A soldier until resigning in 1871 to become a rancher , then re-entered the service briefly about twenty years later, and afterwards became a merchant. James M. Williams was born in 1833 in Lowville, New York , and later became a lawyer in that state. On July 12, 1861, Williams entered the Union Army as a captain in the 5th Kansas Cavalry Regiment , and was appointed commander of Company F. The unit

420-470: A stand at a bridge over Elk Creek, roughly 1/4 of a mile south of the original position. Union forces continued driving them back further and gradually beginning to turn Cooper's left, causing a general Confederate retreat. Cooper attempted to fight a rearguard action, making a last stand another 1/2 mile south near Honey Springs Depot. Despite a notable half-hour stand by the Choctaw and Chickasaw regiment,

462-517: A state militia colonel. He led his regiment into battle on October 29 during the Skirmish at Island Mound in Bates County , Missouri , the first instance of Union Army colored soldiers in action. He was commissioned a Union Army lieutenant colonel on January 13, 1863, when his regiment was federalized as the 79th Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops . On May 2 Williams was promoted to

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504-551: Is located at an elevation of 652 feet (199 m) at the intersection of I-40 and U.S. Route 69 . Nearby is Eufaula Lake , the largest-capacity lake wholly within the state of Oklahoma. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 9.0 sq mi (23 km ), of which 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) (0.67%) is covered by water. As of the census of 2000, 3,481 people, 1,389 households, and 912 families were residing in

546-581: The Confederate States of America who had offered them protection, economic resources and sovereignty, raising native troops under the leadership of General Douglas H. Cooper . They drove out pro-Union Creek Indian forces after a short campaign culminating in the Battle of Chustenahlah . However, by 1863, Confederate fortunes in the region had sunk. A Union campaign launched from Kansas led by Major General James G. Blunt drove Confederacy forces from

588-748: The Methodist Episcopal Church (South) (419 W. Gentry St.), the Oklahoma Odd Fellows Home at Checotah (211 W North St.), and the Tabor House (631 W. Lafayette). Checotah considers itself the host of the Honey Springs Battlefield , which is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of town. James Monroe Williams James Monroe Williams (September 12, 1833 – February 15, 1907) was an American lawyer, soldier, and merchant. He served both as

630-1092: The Arkansas River was high and ordered his troops to begin building boats to ferry them across the river. During this time, he apparently contracted encephalitis, because he had to spend July 14 in bed fighting a high fever. Believing they were numerically superior, the Confederates plotted a counteroffensive against Union forces at Fort Gibson, to be launched by Cooper's Indians and some attached Texan troops, and 3,000 soldiers of Brigadier General William Cabell 's brigade, camped in Fort Smith, Arkansas , which were expected to reach Honey Springs by July 17. Cooper moved his army forward to Honey Springs, Indian Territory, an important Confederate supply depot, to rest and equip, while awaiting Cabell's brigade, marching to link up with Cooper. Union forces under General Blunt got wind of Cooper's plan however, and opted to attack him first, before Cabell arrived, which would have given

672-661: The Confederate and Union lines. The Federal commanders gave the order for the Home Guards to fall back, the Confederates assumed it was an order to retreat and attacked. The Confederates charged into an established defensive line held by the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, which repulsed the charge. Cooper pulled his men back towards the depot to obtain new ammunition, but the Federals continued to press his army closely. Heavy fighting occurred when Cooper's men made

714-427: The Confederate army was never even engaged. After the battle, the defeated Confederates withdrew, leaving their dead comrades behind, and met up with Cabell's 3,000 man relief force about 50 miles away. General Blunt did not pursue them because his own troops and horses were very tired. He ordered them to camp overnight at the battlefield, where they could treat the wounded and bury the dead of both sides. Blunt himself

756-470: The Confederates failed to stop a 200-wagon Federal supply train in an engagement known as the Battle of Cabin Creek . The supply train reached Fort Gibson about the same time as General Blunt himself arrived, accompanied by more troops and artillery. Federal forces at the fort totalled only about 3,000 men. According to his after-action report to General Schofield, Blunt arrived in the area on July 11. He found

798-468: The Confederates overwhelming numerical superiority. Blunt's command included three federal Indian Home Guard Regiments recruited from all the Five Nations and the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry , with two white cavalry battalions ( 6th Kansas and 3rd Wisconsin ), one white infantry battalion consisting of six companies of the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment , and two Kansas artillery batteries making

840-526: The District of the Frontier and in the VII Corps for the remainder of 1864 through the fall of 1865. Williams also fought at the Battle of Fort Smith in western Arkansas on July 31, 1864. On October 1, 1865, Williams was mustered out of the volunteer service. He was commissioned a captain in the new 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment of the regular army on July 28, 1866, commanding Company I. The 8th Cavalry

882-593: The Indian Territory, and would indeed prove to be decisive. The Oklahoma Historical Society even compared its importance to the Battle of Gettysburg . The victory opened the way for Blunt's forces to capture Fort Smith and the Arkansas River Valley all the way to the Mississippi River . The Confederates abandoned Fort Smith in August, 1863, leaving it for the Union forces to recover. Despite

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924-837: The Indians and Texans were badly organized, disheartened, and in many cases due to poor powder, unarmed. Most simply continued to flee. The fighting was over by 2 p.m., four hours after it had begun. Victorious Union forces took possession of the Honey Springs depot, burning what couldn't be immediately used, and occupying the field. Blunt trumpeted the battle as a major victory, claiming Union losses of only 76 (17 dead and 60 wounded), with enemy casualties in excess of 500, although Cooper reported only 181 Confederate casualties (134 killed or wounded and 47 taken prisoner). Cooper claimed that his enemy's forces losses were over 200. The Union army, including its black and Native American forces, had

966-666: The Oklahoma Historical Society owned 957 acres (387 ha) in 1997. The northern third is in Muskogee County and the southern two-thirds is in McIntosh County. On August 21, 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced a $ 1.9 million public-private partnership that includes the Oklahoma Historical Society, McIntosh County and an area nonprofit organization to build a 5,000-square-foot (460 m) visitor center to replace

1008-532: The battlefield as of mid-2023. Checotah, Oklahoma Checotah is a town in McIntosh County, Oklahoma , United States. It was named for Samuel Checote , the first chief of the Creek Nation elected after the Civil War . Its population was 3,481 at the 2000 census . According to Census 2010, the population has decreased to 3,335; a 4.19% loss. Checotah is home to numerous antique malls,

1050-496: The beginning of a rain squall intensified the Confederate's ammunition problems. Opposing artillerymen each eliminated one gun on the opposing side during an early artillery duel. Then Blunt saw an opportunity, and ordered the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry to attack. Colonel James M. Williams led the Colored Volunteer infantry forward, but the Confederates held their ground. Williams was wounded, but his troops conducted

1092-734: The cavalry. The other brigade, commanded by Col. William R. Judson, consisted of the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, the Second Regiment of Indian Home Guards, and the First Kansas Colored Infantry with an estimated 700 soldiers, and the remainder of Smith's battery of Kansas Artillery. Blunt's attack began on July 17, with desultory morning skirmishing that revealed many of the Confederate soldiers had wet gunpowder, causing numerous misfires and accidents. The main Union attack began at mid-afternoon, and

1134-724: The city was $ 15,921. About 16.1% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under 18 and 7.6% of those 65 or over. The median house value is $ 50,500. Checotah has multiple sites on the National Register of Historic Places listings in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, including the Checotah Business District (Gentry Ave between W 1st and W Main Sts., and Broadway Ave between Lafayette and Spaulding Aves), Checotah City Hall (201 N Broadway), Checotah MKT Depot (Paul Carr Dr.),

1176-459: The city, the age distribution was 26.1% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 72.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 22,029, and for a family was $ 30,741. Males had a median income of $ 26,094 versus $ 17,298 for females. The per capita income for

1218-407: The city. The population density was 389.3 inhabitants per square mile (150.3/km ). The 1,576 housing units had an average density of 176.3 per square mile (68.1/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 67.91% White, 6.92% African American, 15.91% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 8.53% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.29% of

1260-484: The efforts of notable Confederate officers like Stand Watie , Confederate forces in the region would never regain the initiative or engage the Union army in an open, head-on battle again, instead relying almost entirely on guerrilla warfare and small-scale cavalry actions to fight the Federal Army. The loss of the supplies at Honey Springs depot would likewise prove disastrous. Confederate forces, already operating on

1302-731: The enemy guns in the early light and rushed to inform Cooper. After eating breakfast and resting from the march, Blunt formed his men into two brigades. One brigade, led by William A. Phillips and composed of a battalion of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry, the First and Third Regiments of Indian Home Guards, a battalion of the Second Colorado Infantry, and Capt. Henry Hopkins's (four-gun) battery of Kansas Artillery, plus two guns of Captain Edward A. Smith's battery attached to

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1344-739: The existing facility consisting of a small trailer. A November 2011 story in the Tulsa World newspaper cites the U.S. Department of the Interior report as giving consideration of designating the Honey Springs Battlefield as a U.S. National Battlefield Park. In 2013 the battlefield was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved more than 83 acres (0.34 km) of

1386-624: The north of the region, and many of the Cherokee switched sides to support the Union. Union forces led by Colonel William A. Phillips reoccupied Fort Gibson in Indian Territory during April, threatening Confederate forces at Fort Smith. However, Phillips' supply line stretched from Fort Gibson to Fort Scott, Kansas , 175 miles (282 km) to the north along the old Texas Road cattle trail. Confederate cavalry, operating from Cooper's encampment at Honey Springs, frequently harassed Fort Gibson and attacked its supply trains. The Battle of Honey Springs

1428-413: The population. Of the 1,389 households, 31.5% had children under 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were not families. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.98. In

1470-778: The rank of colonel , and on July 1–2 he fought at the Battle of Cabin Creek in the Indian Territory . About two weeks later he led his regiment during the Battle of Honey Springs , and Williams was wounded in this fight. In December 1863 Williams was assigned command of Roseville, Arkansas , in the District of the Frontier , Department of the Missouri , and he participated in the Camden Expedition in southern and central Arkansas from March 23 to May 2, 1864. He then exercised brigade command at various times in

1512-444: The remainder. Blunt's troops crossed the Arkansas River in the late afternoon of July 16. They began marching toward Honey Springs at 11 P. M., and continued through the night. They encountered a Confederate picket near Chimney Rock, a local landmark. After routing the picket, they met a Confederate scouting party north of Elk Creek. They came upon the Confederate camp on Elk Creek early in the morning on July 17. Confederate pickets saw

1554-693: Was at first based out of Fort Whipple in the Arizona Territory , but later stationed at Fort Selden and Fort Bayard , both in the New Mexico Territory . Williams was brevetted a major on July 9, 1867, for his service during the Indian Wars . He resigned his commission on March 29, 1873, and took up work in the Colorado Territory as a rancher . Williams re-entered the army nearly two decades later, joining

1596-642: Was important for many reasons, among them: Honey Springs was a stage stop on the Texas Road before the Civil War. Its several springs provided water for men and horses. The U.S. Army equipped it with a commissary, log hospital, and numerous tents for troops. To prepare for an invasion, in 1863 the Confederate Army sent 6,000 soldiers to the spot. Provisions were supplied from Fort Smith, Boggy Depot, Fort Cobb, Fort Arbuckle, and Fort Washita. However,

1638-528: Was organized at Leavenworth , Kansas , beginning that summer and into January of the following year. Williams and his regiment served in the Department of Kansas through June 1862, and then with the Department of Missouri that July. Williams resigned from the 5th Kansas Cavalry in the fall of 1862 to help organize and train the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment . The unit was raised that August at Fort Scott, Kansas , and he appointed its commander as

1680-428: Was primarily made with cheap Mexican gunpowder that was very susceptible to damage by rainy weather. The terrible equipment of the Confederates, and the rain squall which ruined their powder, played a large part in the Confederate defeat, although some eyewitness sources, notably future Creek Indian chief George Washington Grayson , claimed Cooper's poor generalship was responsible for the defeat, arguing that about half

1722-492: Was still suffering a high fever from his bout of encephalitis. He finally had to spend the rest of the day in bed. Late the next day Blunt ordered the troops to return to Fort Gibson. Later, Cooper wrote a letter to Blunt, thanking him for burying the Confederate dead. After the war, the Union corpses were exhumed and reburied in Fort Gibson National Cemetery . The battle was the largest ever fought in

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1764-498: Was supposed to have participated in the battle, but just before it began, Cooper sent them toward Webbers Falls as a diversion. The battlefield is located east of U.S. Highway 69 in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, between Rentiesville , and Oktaha . It is managed by the Oklahoma Historical Society . According to the 1997 Master Plan Report, the original battlefield covered 2,997 acres (1,213 ha), of which

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