Stand Watie was not at Wilson’s Creek or Lexington. His regiment – the First Cherokee Mounted Volunteers - was organized at Old Fort Wayne in late July 1861, under authority from Gen. Ben McCulloch. McCulloch’s first orders to Watie was to safeguard the Cherokee Neutral lands, the border region between Kansas and the Cherokee Nation.

Some individual members of Watie’s regiment, with Watie’s permission, accompanied McCulloch’s army when the latter moved to Missouri to assist Price. A small number of Cherokee volunteers were thus present at Wilson’s Creek, perhaps amounting to a company (ad hoc), and probably led by Captain John Thompson Mayes of Co. H, 1st Cherokee Mounted Volunteers. They were employed primarily as scouts. This pretty much sums up everything that can be reasonably documented in relation to Watie’s men at Wilson’s Creek, and is based on veteran’s memoirs. None of the after action (Union or Confederate) reports mention Cherokee units at Wilson’s Creek, so obviously their presence was insignificant.

As to Lexington, no reports, memoirs or other primary sources mention Cherokee units there. Watie’s regiment received their orders from McCulloch, not Price – Price had no authority over Watie, and could not give Watie orders unless approved by McCulloch first (he might try anyway, but Watie would not be obligated to comply). McCulloch took his army back to Arkansas while Price went to Lexington. Moreover, all Confederate Indian units were raised expressly for defense of the Indian Territory. They could not be ordered to operate far from their home nation (although they were active in adjacent areas of Missouri and Arkansas).

Any source, primary or otherwise, including the Official Records, must be used with caution, and is of little use if one is not familiar with its context. Harry Drago is obviously not familiar with the campaigns of the War Between the States.