I have for a number of years researched the skirmish on Cow Creek, present Crawford Co., Kansas, that occurred 23 October 1864. The guerilla Confederates, Missouri 1st Battalion, Indian Brigade, under command of Andrew J. Piercy, attached a wagon train of Arkansas refugees and Union troops of the 6th Kansas Cavalry, under command of Col. William T. Campbell. The Union troops were on their way to Ft. Leavenworth to be discharged. The Confederates had just burned the town and killed several men at Marmaton, Bourbon Co., Kansas, the night before and were heading back across the Cherokee Neutral Lands toward Spring River in Missouri when they ran into the Union wagon train, surprising them, and completely routing them. Probably 16 men were killed, but only 3 Union soldiers, including Capt. Henry Dobyns. It's thought one Confederate was killed.

Piercy's group was made up of remnents of Tom Livingston's troops (then Pichler's Battalion) and some of Stand Watie's half blood Cherokee.

The skirmish is well reported in Robert M. Peck's account in the National Tribune in 1904. Robert Peck was a civilian wagon master (actually a herder) with the Union wagon train. He also had some half blood Cherokees with him herding cattle and horses with the wagon train.

After the war, Col. Campbell returned home to Ft. Scott, went insane, and died there in 1872. Andrew Piercy returned home to W. Virginia and died there much later. Robert Peck went to California and did a certain amount of writing.

Would be happy to exchange information.