David,

Some rather quick answers to your recent questions (numbers follow your latest post):

2) One point-could the difference in dates be a case of different original enlistment dates(not necessarily as an officer) within the Bn.
--- That's possible, but that would mean that there was another company in Clarkson's original battalion which disappeared without a trace after Locust Grove. That's hardly likely in a battalion of volunteers, they might be routed and even suffer a large number of desertions, but an entire company? Some men would remain or at least return to fight another day, as was the case with the other companies. Those who left, the Missouri companies (Livingston's), it must be recalled, did not quit the fight, they went elsewhere to carry on where they might have greater possibilities of success - as they apparently saw it. That's why I figure McDonel's company - given their peculiar muster date - might have been the sixth company of Clarkson's battalion before Locust Grove. I could be wrong, but then I'd rather believe Clarkson only had 5 companies to begin with. It's not likely that a whole company should just vanish, as long as the battalion was reorganized.

5.)Question-where do you get Cpt M.R. Johnson's Co as part(possibily Co'D') of Clarkson's Bn from. Do you know the company commanders of Livingston's 3 Cos and of the Osage Co.
--- This I base on the source you quoted "Confederate Organizations, Officers and Posts: 1861-1865, Missouri Units", in which it is stated that M. R. Johnson's Company of Clarkson's Battalion joined Livingston after Locust Grove, but was not among the 3 companies originally recruited by Livingston. It might very well have been Comapny D since there was obviously a need to recreate Co. D (Forrester) when Buster reformed the battalion. Company D would necessarily have existed in the first organization as long as Clarkson had 6 companies before Livingston's command was affiliated. I don't know Livingston's company commanders except as stated in the source above.

7.)Outside of Clarkson's Feb 64 report of Locust Grove, do any other primary sources exist of Livingston's command actually being w/ Clarkson? Since about this time BG Rains and his MSG troops were HQ at Tahlequah, could Livingston's command been w/ BG Rains and intending to join Clarkson's Bn, but never actually did?
---- I don't know of any other sources, except the previously mentioned "Confederate Organizations, Officers and Posts: 1861-1865, Missouri Units". Whether that qualifies as primary I can't say (I've just ordered a copy, though, and will take a close look at it). It is possible that Livingston was actually with Rains, although Rains stayed in NW Arkansas and did not move into I.T. until mid-July 1862 (see Banasik, p. 100). That may of course be the explanation for Livingston's apparent absence at Locust Grove, but it's hard to tell.

8.) One question- why would Cpt Minhart's Sqd still be mounted?
--- I can't offer any explanation to that one, I'm afraid.

Lars Gjertveit