This is a very scholarly site and I appreciate all the valuable material you all have provided. I believe the actual presence of Watie at Wilson’s Creek in of lesser importance than the overriding question of why was there such a big battle so early in the war just west of here (Springfield). I believe the main reason of the battle was directly related to the disposition of the Cherokee & other Indian elements and how they could affect the North/South forces in the war. The direction and leadership of the Cherokee was definitely changed by the outcome of the battle and I think it was not an accident that “Treaty Party” supporters are thought to have been there. There are letters from young E.C. Bodinot written in 1849 when he was staying at a blooded horse farm outside of Springfield that urged his uncle Stand to join him and many other folks from around here to ride to Tahlequah and kill Ross in retaliation for earlier assassinations. I think the reasons for the Wilson’s Creek battle cannot be separated from Cherokee history and should be considered a pivotal moment in analyzing tsaligi history.