Second Battle of Cabin Creek facts for kids

The Second Battle of Cabin Creek was an important event during the American Civil War. It happened on September 19, 1864, in what was then called Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory (which is now part of Oklahoma). This battle was part of a bigger plan by Confederate Brigadier General Stand Watie. His idea was to attack central Kansas from Indian Territory. He hoped to raid Union Army bases and encourage Native American tribes in Western Kansas to join the fight against the Union. General Watie shared his plan with his commander, General S. B. Maxey, who approved it. The attack was planned to happen by October 1, at the same time as another Confederate attack on Missouri led by General Sterling Price.

Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Cabin Creek
Part of American Civil War
Date September 19, 1864 Location Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
CSA (Confederacy) Fifth Texas Cavalry Brigade (made up of the 29th, 30th, and 31st Texas Cavalry and the 11th Field Battery (Howell's Company, Light Artillery)) 1st Indian Brigade (made up of 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles and three battalions of Cherokee, Seminole and Osage infantry)	United States (Union) 2nd Kansas Cavalry 6th Kansas Cavalry 14th Kansas Cavalry 2nd Indian Home Guard Regiment 3rd Indian Home Guard Regiment 50 pro-Union Cherokees
Commanders and leaders
Richard M. Gano Stand Watie	Henry Hopkins
Strength
1,600	about 330
Casualties and losses
9 killed, 38 wounded	20 killed, 26 captured, wounded not reported

Planning the Attack

On September 13, 1864, Confederate Brigadier General Richard Montgomery Gano and General Watie met. They met at Camp Pike in the Choctaw Nation to plan the attack. General Gano commanded several Texas Confederate units. He agreed to join Watie as a co-leader for the mission.

However, Watie knew that many Texans did not like Native Americans, even their allies. They also didn't like that Watie had been promoted. Because of this, Watie decided to let Gano be the main commander of the expedition. Both Gano and General Maxey praised Watie for this decision. Gano also had more experience as a Confederate general. Watie continued to lead his Indian Brigade, which had about 800 men. Gano's brigade included Texas cavalry and artillery units, with about 1,200 men.

The Target: A Supply Train

The Confederates planned to attack a Union wagon train. This train had left Fort Scott on September 12. It was carrying important supplies and food for Native Americans who had left their homes. These people were camped near Fort Gibson.

Major Henry Hopkins led the train. It was protected by 80 soldiers from the Second Kansas Cavalry. There were also 50 men from the 6th Kansas Cavalry and 130 men from the Fourteenth Kansas Cavalry. A group of 100 pro-Union Cherokees joined the train later. Half of them stayed behind to guard the rear. The plan was for more soldiers to join the escort. These included 170 Union Cherokees from the Second Indian Regiment and 140 Cherokees from the Third Indian Regiment.

Major Hopkins received a message telling him to move the train to Cabin Creek quickly. He was told to wait there for more orders. The message also said that Major John A. Foreman was coming with a relief force. This force included six companies of men and two howitzers (a type of cannon). The wagon train reached Cabin Creek station on the afternoon of September 18.

Flat Rock Skirmish

While waiting for the supply train, the Confederates had another encounter. On September 16, they found a group of Union soldiers. These soldiers were African American and were making hay at Flat Rock. This area was about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of present-day Wagoner, Oklahoma.

Captain E. A. Barker led a small group of the 2nd Kansas Cavalry and some soldiers from the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. They were guarding the hay-making operation. The Confederates quickly surrounded and attacked them. Captain Barker ordered his men with horses to try and escape. Only 15 out of 65 men who tried to break out made it to the fort. The Union troops lost all their hay-making equipment and hundreds of tons of hay. Over 100 Union soldiers were killed or captured.

The Main Confederate Attack

The main attack began at 1:00 A.M. on September 19. The Confederates moved forward. The Texans were on the left side, and the Indian Brigade was on the right. When the Union troops started firing, the Confederate artillery fired back. The loud noise and explosions made the mules pulling the wagons panic. Many mules ran away, dragging their wagons with them. Some were so scared they fell off a bluff into Cabin Creek. The teamsters (people driving the wagons) managed to cut many mules free. Some men jumped on the mules and rode across the creek to a safer place.

When the sun came up, the Union positions became clear. General Gano moved some of his artillery to his right side. This way, the wagon train would be caught in a crossfire. The two Cherokee regiments crossed the creek. Their goal was to capture the wagons that had escaped in the dark. The Texans, led by Gano himself, attacked the Union side. They pushed the Union defenders back until they were scattered in the woods along the creek. By 9:00 A.M., the Union forces were completely defeated. Major Hopkins escaped to Fort Gibson. He hoped to meet Major Foreman's relief force and get the train back. But he couldn't find the relief force, so he continued to Fort Gibson to report the disaster.

What Happened After

The Confederate forces, led by Generals Watie and Gano, captured the Union wagon train. It was worth about $1 million in wagons, mules, food, and other important supplies. Specifically, they took 740 mules and 130 wagons. Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Congress praised Watie and his troops for their success. However, this battle did not change the overall outcome of the Civil War in Indian Territory very much.