Bryan,
The letter from Camp Wells, Cherokee Nation was dated Sept 14, 1861. I'm trying to determine where the 1st Ark MR were (and why) during this period. The Keetoowah Society (the Pins) were hostile to Watie and the Southern Cherokee and friends with their Northern Baptist missionaries so they were presumed "pro-Union" (though it is more precise to call them anti-Southern Cherokee, dating back to the removals and the violence between the Treaty Party and Ross Party). I am not aware of any Indian attacks on whites though this fear was hyped in Arkansas (in part by Treaty Party members living in Northwest Arkansas who wanted to oust Chief John Ross). Of course, western Arkansas didn't want a pro-Union Indian Nation on their border so they were very concerned about the Cherokee's "neutrality", the influence of the abolitionist missionaries, and the hostility toward their friends the Southern Cherokee. I'm suspecting that the 1st Ark MR may have been moved into the Cherokee Nation to influence the Cherokee to ally with the Confederacy though it occurs to me they may have been up near Benton County and Maysville to watch for threats from Kansas, especially since they were near Carthage MO in October. (Watie's battalion was near Maysville at the same time and some members fought at Wilson's Creek "unofficially"). There were some Southern Cherokee in the 1st Ark Cavalry too, including Elias C. Boudinot who became the Cherokee delegate to the Confederate Congress.

The three battles with Opothleyahola and his followers was to either bring them under the control of the Creek government (who had already signed a treaty with the Confederacy) or expel them from the territory, per Cooper's reports. Cooper asked for support from Arkansas which lead to McIntosh's expedition in late December. The three battles with Opothleyahola's band were Round Mountain on Nov 19th (west of Tulsa near Keystone Lake), Chusto Talasah (aka Horseshoe Bend or Bird Creek near Sperry OK)on Dec 9th, and Chustenalah (west of Skiatook OK) on Dec 26th (McIntosh's route of remnants of Opothleyahola's band) and on the 27th Watie chases the scattered members another 20 miles north, capturing and killing many. McIntosh apparently didn't want to cooperate with Cooper so he attacked Opothleyahola's camp before Cooper could arrive. Opothleyahola's band included many warriors but was not "soldiers" but was multiple large bands of citizens, commonly called the Loyal Creeks but containing Creek, Seminole, slaves and free Blacks, and small bands from other tribes. Opothleyahola was a good friend of the Cherokee Keetoowah Society and the pro-Confederates didn't want his influence to sway the Keetoowah to pro-Union -- which it ultimately did. At Chusto Talasah, members of Drew's Regiment defected to Opothleyahola or refused to fight. (They enlisted as Home Guards to keep jayhawkers out, not to fight fellow Indians). Though most returned to Drew's Regt following the battle, practically the entire regiment (all but about 80 men) defected in July 1862 and filled out the 2nd Indian Home Guard and created the 3rd Indian Home Guard (the Pin Regiment). The 1st Indian Home Guard and half the 2nd were mostly from Opothleyahola's followers.

Back to my original question, though.... I'm trying to learn about the 1st Ark Mtd Rifles in Sept 1861 before McCulloch's trip to Richmond and the battles with Opothleyahola.