David,

Many thanks for a very good summary of the career of Clarkson’s-Buster’s battalion. I would like to add some comments, however:

1. Capt. Winfrey’s Company C was also divided on 4 August 1862, forming Forrester’s new Co. D. [Record of events, SOR, Pt II, Vol. 73, pgs. 353-360]
2. The muster-in-dates given for the “new” companies G and F, I believe reflect the enlistment (or commission) date of the company officers, i.e. as members of Capt. Stone’s Co. A, from which date their company’s term of service (12 months) would be counted. HOWEVER, since the muster date of McDonel’s Co. F is given as 1 May 1862, and not 1 Feb 1862 as is Stone’s Co. A and Davis’ Co. G, it might be that McDonel’s Company was actually NOT formed from Stone’s Co. A. If it was, why doesn’t have the same muster date as Davis’ Co. (1 February 1862), or a very “recent” date like Forrester’s (6 September 1862)? See also point 3 and 5 below.
3. Moreover, I am convinced that all the company musters made by Capt. J. W. Wells (Cooper’s acting AAG) were actually done at Tahlequah on September 14, 1862 (as noted on the headline of the roll), but the form pre-dated to reflect the date when the company officers enlisted (or were commissioned), as previously mentioned. This is because the original company papers are noted to have been captured at Locust Grove July 3 AND the fact that on four of the rolls made out by Wells, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL M. W. Buster is stated to be the commanding officer of the battalion. [Record of events, SOR, Pt II, Vol. 73, pgs. 353-360] Furthermore, Capt. John William Wells was not appointed AAG until Cooper succeeded General Pike as commander of Indian Territory on July 30, 1862 [Gail E. Balman, Douglas Hancock Cooper: Southerner, p. 191-193, Ph.D. dissertation, Oklahoma State University, 1976] and would not have any mustering authority before that. Wells was a First Lieutenant in 1st Company K of the 1st Choctaw & Chickasaw Mounted Rifles until at least July 8, 1862. [CSR in Monty Olsen, Indices of Choctaw & Chickasaw Confederate Soldiers, p. 92]
4. Re. Capt Ross’ Company, it was largely raised in Crawford County, Arkansas, and enrolled on July 12, 1861, as (1st) Company K of Stand Watie’s 1st Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, under Captain James H. Thompson, with Ross as First Lieutenant. Watie’s regiment was reorganized near Fort Davis, Cherokee Nation, on July 12, 1862, when their initial 12-month time expired. This time, no less than 15 companies were formed (A to P). Ross’ company went back to Van Buren, Ark., to reorganize, and was apparently initially assigned as Company L of Watie’s expanded regiment. The company was probably transferred to Buster’s battalion on August 30, 1862 (when mustered by J.W. Wells at Tahlequah). In fact, Watie’s regiment had a sixteenth company (John Vann’s) mustered on September 1, 1862, as Company Q, indicating that Ross’ men were affiliated with Watie up to that time, because when the next new company (Charles Holt’s) was mustered in December it became Company L, obviously filling the gap created by the departure of Ross’ men. [This according to CSRs etc. found in Grant Foreman, History of the Service and List of Individuals of the Five Civilized Tribes in the Confederate Army Compiled from the Confederate Records in the Office of the Adjutant General; Record of events, SOR, Pt II, Vol. 73, pgs. 353-360; and information from Bryan Howerton]. BTW, I do have all the CSRs for Watie’s regiment, and will be happy to assist you in finding out who of the original members of (1st) Company K reenlisted under Ross and served in Buster’s command.
5. Thus, it seems that Clarkson’s original 6 companies (per May 1862) were Stone’s (A), Minhart’s (B), Winfrey’s (C), Doaks’ (E), M. R. Johnson’s (perhaps D?, which apparently joined Livingston after Locust Grove), and another one. I think the last one might actually have been McDonel’s (F), which bears muster date of 1 May 1862. To this was added (maybe after the battalion arrived in Indian Territory), Livingston’s 3 companies (presumably designated G, H, and I) as well as a company of Osages (which no doubt also left after Locust Grove, and probably became the nucleus of Broke Arm’s Osage Battalion formed in the late fall of 1862).
6. Re. Buster having the rank of major, he is referred to as “Major Buster” in Stand Watie’s report dated July 6, 1862 [SOR Pt. I, vol. 3, p. 20-21] My guess is that Clarkson may have appointed him as such, pending formal muster of his enlarged battalion (or regiment) – which of course was destined not to happen.
7. Re. the battalion’s operations about Locust Grove, it seems to me that Livingston’s companies were not with the rest of the battalion at this time. If one is to trust Clarkson’s and Buster’s reports, they had about 300 men available. That’s hardly more than six companies. Perhaps Livingston served detached the whole time (as he would subsequently do in SW MO) and was not inclined to re-establish his “alliance” with Clarkson’s command following the disaster at Locust Grove.
8. Re. Buster’s battalion being dismounted at Old Fort Wayne, Banasik writes “Cooper had arrived in the Maysville area on October 17 with only Howell’s four-gun Texas battery and Lieutenant Colonel M. W. Buster’s battalion of infantry (his horses having been sent to Texas”. He quotes as sources OR vol. 13, p. 759-760 and Buster’s report of November 4, now in SOR Pt. I, Vol. 3, p. 65-67. [Michael E. Banasik, Embattled Arkansas: The Priarie Grove Campaign of 1862, p. 236]
9. Re. Cooper being drunk at Old Fort Wayne, there is no real evidence to support such an allegation. The issue is discussed at some length in Gail E. Balman, Douglas Hancock Cooper: Southerner, p. 206-211 (Ph.D. dissertation, Oklahoma State University, 1976). His conclusion is, that had there been any proof of drunkenness or dereliction of duty on Cooper’s part, Hindman would have removed him immediately (as he did with Rains, Coffee, Stevens, etc.), but Hindman never mentions this in any of his correspondence. Cooper was clearly not a good field commander, but it was hardly due to habitual intoxication.

And finally a question: do you know the commission date of Major J. Quin Morton?

Lars Gjertveit