Well, after all the hot air I expelled the other day, I went back to the ORs and find Blunt's second paragraph pretty explicit:

"The rebels, under General Cooper (6,000), were posted on Elk Creek, 25 miles south of the Arkansas, on the Texas road, with strong outposts guarding every crossing of the river from behind rifle-pits. General Cabell, with 3,000 men, was expected to join him on the 17th, when they proposed attacking this place. I could not muster 3,000 effective men for a fight, but determined, if I could effect a crossing, to give them battle on the other side of the river."

We're still not convinced that there were 6,000 southern troops here though I see that my argument about Blunt's assumptions was all wet! One of our staff members at HQ is researching Cabell and concludes (initally) that Cabell had only 1,500 men instead of 3,000 as stated by Blunt.

Of course, in his own OR, Cooper states that Lieutenant Heiston's count of 4,000 advancing Federals was "some 500 under the mark." Therefore, if the Confederate general can increase the US numbers by 50%, why couldn't the US general increase the CS numbers by 100%???

There'll be more later, but this is scheduled as my winter project -- after the annual Memorial Service, dedication of three new interpretive trails, a September re-enactment, and the dedication of the interpretive center on 9/28. (Yes I know it sounds like getting the cart before the horse to do more research after the labels have gone up -- but thanks to modern computers the labels can be changed.)

Mostly, I just wanted all y'all to know that I can admit it when I goof -- especially when it was so public a goof!