Prior to the battle, Confederate
camps were located along either
side of Elk Creek and near the
Honey Springs Depot. Six
thousand men needed ample
room for themselves, their
equipment, tents, wagons, and horses.
With the battle and the . . . — — Map (db m243463) HM
The infantry bore the brunt of the heaviest fighting. The
concentrated fire of disciplined, well-armed, and drilled
infantrymen proved devastating to the ill-equipped American
Indian and Texas Confederates. An infantry regiment
consisted of . . . — — Map (db m243492) HM
In 1861 there were two Confederate Cherokee regiments: the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles under the command of Col. John Drew and the 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles commanded by Col. Stand Watie. Confederate authorities promised both regiments they would . . . — — Map (db m243655) HM
The 1st Regiment of Creek Mounted Volunteers was organized in August 1861 under the command of Col. Daniel N. McIntosh. The regiment saw action at Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, and Van Buren in Arkansas, and Round Mountain, Chusto-Talasah, Chustenahlah, . . . — — Map (db m243649) HM
The Creek Indians loyal to the Union
were driven out of the Indian Territory
into Kansas in December 1861. They
suffered through the next winter with
little food and shelter. Following the
Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, they were
anxious to . . . — — Map (db m243522) HM
The 1st Kansas was one of the first
African American units organized
in the Federal Army. Members were
recruited in August 1862 under the
authority of Kansas Senator James
Lane, but without permission of President
Lincoln. These soldiers were . . . — — Map (db m243516) HM
29th Texas Cavalry
This regiment was organized
in July 1862 by Clarksville, Texas,
newspaper publisher Charles
DeMorse, who served as its colonel.
In March 1863 Col. DeMorse
received orders to move his regiment
to Indian Territory . . . — — Map (db m243611) HM
These Federal soldiers, recruited in
the summer of 1862 from the Colorado
gold mining districts, were stationed
at Fort Lyons, Colorado; Forts Larned,
Scott, and Leavenworth, Kansas; and
Kansas City, Missouri, before marching
to Indian . . . — — Map (db m243521) HM
Organized along with the 1st Indian Home
Guard in May 1862, the 2nd Indian Home Guard
consisted of one company each of Delaware,
Kickapoo, Quapaw, Seneca, and Shawnee, two
companies of Osage, and two of Cherokee. It
took longer to organize, due . . . — — Map (db m243513) HM
The 3rd Indian Home Guard, composed of ten companies
of Federal Cherokee commanded by Col. William A. Phillips,
was organized at Fort Scott, Kansas, in the summer of 1862.
They saw action in several northwest Arkansas engagements. In
Indian . . . — — Map (db m243518) HM
The 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry was organized in January 1862.
The regiment marched to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the three
battalions were stationed throughout the state. The battalion that
fought at Honey Springs was commanded by Capt. Edward . . . — — Map (db m243512) HM
The 9th Texas Cavalry Battalion and the 10th Texas
Cavalry Battalion consolidated to create the 5th Texas
on February 16, 1863, under the command of Col.
Leonidas M. Martin. Most of the companies had been at
Fort Washita in the Chickasaw Nation . . . — — Map (db m243604) HM
In July 1861 self-appointed Brig. Gen. James Lane
resigned from the US Senate and recruited a regiment to
guard the Kansas border towns against raids from Missouri
guerillas. The regiment was mixed cavalry and infantry but
called a cavalry . . . — — Map (db m243525) HM
The 6th Kansas Cavalry and 1st Indian Home Guard turned the
Confederate's right flank. Federal artillery and infantry fire devastated
the center units on the Texas Road. Confederate forces began a
withdrawal toward the bridge. Some soldiers . . . — — Map (db m244788) HM
In the confusion of battle, the 2nd Indian Home Guard on
the right crossed into the line of fire of the 1st Kansas. Lt. Col.
Bowles ordered the 1st Kansas to cease firing so they would
not kill fellow soldiers. Lt. Col. F. W. Schuarte of the . . . — — Map (db m243499) HM
An artillery barrage that lasted more than an hour dismounted
one of the four Confederate cannons and killed most of the gun crew.
After this initial bombardment, the Federal soldiers advanced upon
the Confederate positions. As the Confederate . . . — — Map (db m243637) HM
After the Confederates gave
way and the main line collapsed,
the fighting became frantic as they
made several stands at the bridge
and along the creek to halt or slow
the Federal advance. The remaining
three Confederate cannons retired
across . . . — — Map (db m243562) HM
The landscape up and down the Texas Road was part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. It was dotted with homes, barns, orchards, pastures, and trading posts. On both sides of Elk Creek are remnants of farmhouses and family cemeteries.
The area is . . . — — Map (db m243564) HM
Soldiers recruited at Quindaro, Kansas, in late
1861 were assigned to the 9th Kansas Cavalry and
stationed in Kansas. They joined Blunt's brigade
and fought in Missouri and Arkansas. Company B
was detached from the regiment and designated . . . — — Map (db m243527) HM
Newspapermen, sketch artists, and even photographers reported on the Civil War. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper was represented at the Battle of Honey Springs by James R. O'Neill, whose sketch and report on the battle appeared in that . . . — — Map (db m243557) HM
Many resources provide information including battle reports, diaries,
letters, and newspapers. Interviews with those who participated in or were
affected by the war, as well as their published memoirs, also provide firsthand
information. During . . . — — Map (db m243543) HM
The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies is a series of books edited by former Union and Confederate officers. It consists of 128 thick volumes, published by the US Government . . . — — Map (db m243563) HM
In July 1863, Confederate troops commanded
by Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper waited at
Honey Springs supply depot for Brig. Gen.
William L. Cabells 3,000 reinforcements from
Fort Smith, Arkansas. The combined forces
planned to capture the Federal . . . — — Map (db m244789) HM
At the next interpretive trail turnout, about one-half mile
south, Trail #4 will offer you a gravel path to the south side
of Elk Creek leading to an area of combat near the historic
bridge site. However, if you are adventurous, you may want
to . . . — — Map (db m243659) HM
This short trail leads
to an area where a
shelf of bedrock forms
a place to cross this
creek.
A bench for resting is
located near the creek. — — Map (db m243528) HM
Smith's Kansas Battery was organized in August 1862
as light artillery. The battery was equipped with two
12-pounder field howitzers and four 6-pounder guns,
all captured from Confederate units. First stationed at
Fort Scott, Kansas, the battery . . . — — Map (db m243514) HM
In January 1863, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Indian Home
Guard, consisting of Cherokee, Creek, Seminole,
Kickapoo, Quapaw, Seneca, Shawnee, Osage, and
Delaware soldiers, were organized into the Federal
Indian Brigade commanded by Col. William . . . — — Map (db m243509) HM
A field artillery unit was called a battery and consisted
of two or more sections, each section having two guns.
Seven or eight cannoneers were necessary to serve
a gun. It took 25 to 30 men to keep a single gun in
operating condition. At Honey . . . — — Map (db m243497) HM
After a brief rest, the Federal Army moved south toward the Confederate
forces concealed in the timber north of Elk Creek. They formed a battle line
about one mile wide centered on the Texas Road. Artillery opened the battle;
12 Federal guns . . . — — Map (db m244790) HM
Cavalry troops served as the army's "eyes," scouting
enemy troop movements. They formed the army's
advance guard, making first contact. When serving
with infantry and artillery, they dismounted and fought
as skirmishers on foot. The 20th Texas . . . — — Map (db m243493) HM
Brig. Gen. Cooper alerted his troops to the coming battle and
positioned his men to the left and right of the Texas Road with his
seasoned veterans in the center. Three cavalry regiments presented a front
about one-quarter mile in width. This . . . — — Map (db m243597) HM
Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper alerted his troops to the coming battle
and positioned his men to the left and right of the Texas Road, with his
seasoned veterans in the center to oppose the Federal troops. On his right
were the men of the two . . . — — Map (db m243641) HM
Col. William Phillips, Federal Indian Brigade
commander, led the left wing of the attack east of the
Texas Road. His main force consisting of a battalion
of the 2nd Colorado Infantry and the 1st Indian Home
Guard engaged Confederate Texas and . . . — — Map (db m243500) HM
Col. William R. Judson, 6th Kansas
Cavalry, commanded the attacking
brigade on the right, west of the Texas
Road. His command consisted of the
1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry
Regiment and 2nd Indian Home Guard
supporting Smith's Kansas . . . — — Map (db m243491) HM
Federal troops crossed the rain-swollen Arkansas
River on flatboats on the night of July 16, 1863. The
cavalry led the way as the column marched south on
the Texas Road toward Honey Springs. At daybreak on
July 17, advance units engaged rebel . . . — — Map (db m243510) HM
Long before the resettlement of the Cherokee and Muscogee
Creek, the Osage and other tribes used this region for hunting.
The trail, known as the Osage Trace, was a major route used by
American Indians for travel between winter and summer . . . — — Map (db m243607) HM
Elk Creek is normally shallow enough to wade
across, but can flood over its banks following even
moderate rains. Wagons pulled by mule teams or
oxen often forded the creek by going down the
steep banks east or west of the bridge at the . . . — — Map (db m243560) HM
The timber and brush concealed the main Confederate force aligned on
either side of the Texas Road. The 20th and 29th Texas Cavalry, the 5th Texas
Partisan Rangers, and four guns of Capt. Roswell W. Lee's battery waited
to repel the advance of . . . — — Map (db m244793) HM
