***
From report of Col. D.H. Cooper, Jan. 20, 1862 (regarding the Battle of Chusto Talasah, Dec. 9, 1861 -- aka Caving Banks, Bird Creek, Horseshoe) ORs, Series 1, Vol. 8, p.5
At Tulsey Town [present Tulsa] information was received from a prisoner escaped from Hopoeithleyhola's camp [Opothleyahola] that an immediate attack was intended by the enemy, 2,000 strong. Col. [John] Drew [1st Cherokee Mtd Rifles, CSA] was ordered to march from Coody's [Coody's Bluff just east of present Nowata] and form a junction with my command [1st Choctaw & Chickasaw Mtd Rifles] somewhere on the road to James McDaniels' [Captain, Reserve Company, Drew's Regt]. Col. [William B.] Sims [9th Texas Cavalry], then at Mrs. McNairs, on Verdigris, was ordered to join me at David Van's. From some misunderstanding Col. Drew marched direct to Melton's, 6 miles northeast from Hopoeithleyohola. While following the direction contained in his reply I marched north from Van's to Musgrove's, on Caney. Thus he arrived in the immediate vicinity of the enemy twenty-four hours or more in advance of the main body. On the 8th of December, about 12 o'clock, I found him encamped on Bird's Creek.
...[Dec. 10, 1861] After burying our dead we followed the train, which had been sent with the wounded, under Col. Sims, to Vanes [Van's], and encamped again for the night within a few miles of the battle-field.
...My supply of ammunition being nearly exhausted, and having on my arrival at Van's the night of December 10, learned that a body of Cherokees from Fort Gibson, about 100, who passed up the previous evening, had put on the shuck badge (Hopoeithleyohola's) [i.e., a cornshuck worn on the hat or clothing to identify themselves to friends and foes as "Loyal Indians", as opposed to Confederate allies] and gone direct to his camp at Shoal Creek [Hominy Creek], I was impressed with the necessity of placing the force under my command as soon as possible in position to counteract any movement among the people in aid of Hopoeithleyohola and his Northern allies.
***
Memoirs of Robt Peck, Wagon Master, 2nd IHG
National Tribune
On arriving at [Fort] Gibson I found that Simpson, my Assistant Wagon Boss, and Al my brother in-law had finished up the hay hauling, and moved the train in to the Shaw place, in the timbered bottom just north of Gibson, on the Fort Scott road. This was a snug place for Winter quarters, a large and commodious house of the old-fashioned Southern style, with comfortable roomy porches, and the usual plantation annex in the background in the shape of cabins for negro-quarters, an other outbuildings with a large barn, wherein I found stabling for my whole train.
Mr. Shaw, the owner of this place, was a rebel, and abandoning his place, he and family had gone South with his kind, on the advent of the Federals. The boys had kindly reserved the best part of the dwelling for my use; and here I concluded to establish my family for the winter; the skinners-many of whom had their families with them making themselves at home in the negro quarters.
In taking up my residence at the Shaw place I again showed that lack of discretion, or consideration for the safety of my family, which in after years I have severely censured myself for, because it was an exposed position, two and a half miles from the fort, with Grand River between us and the garrison, where, throughout the Winter and Spring, we were in constant danger from rebel raids. But, fortunately, although small parties of the rebel Indians made forays in our vicinity several times, they never chanced to find out our location. I could just as well have had good, safe quarters for my wife and little one in town, but did not realize the danger I was exposing them to and thought it best to be with my train.
...
On taking possession of the Shaw place before my arrival from Fort Scott, Simpson had found an old lady, Mrs. Martha Van [nee McNair], and her family, occupying a part of the house. This family was of the rebel persuasion-most of their male relatives being in the Confederate army-but as they were quiet, inoffensive folks, and ther was plenty of room, I not only allowed them to stay, but as I and my wife became better acquainted with them we learned to have a great deal of sympathy and respect for these people, who had experienced a good deal of sorrow and misery since the war began; and we helped them along in every way we could. The family consisted of Mrs. Van, a recently made widow, about 30 years old; Mrs. [Mary Delilah] Drew [nee Vann], a widowed daughter of 24, whose husband [George Washington Drew] had been killed in the early part of the war; another daughter of 15, called Sissy [Martha Elizabeth Vann?], and William[?], a boy of 12.
They were intelligent, genteel people, and from being wealthy at the beginning of the war, like many another Southern family, they now found themselves almost bereft of all their worldly goods; and from being accustomed to the luxuries of life, they were now, as a result of the war, dependent on the kindness of charitable friends for absolute necessities.
Although I had no sympathy for real rebels in arms against what I believed to be the best Government in the world, I never could carry my hostility so far as to ill treat the women and children of rebels who came within the range of our influence; and it has always been a pleasant recollection that my wife and I were kind to these people, and befriended them when their friends were very scarce indeed; and no doubt they have often remembered us with kindly gratitude. I procured rations for them, and had wood hauled to them, while my wife often shared with them some appreciated luxuries from our own supplies.
They had been of a proud and aristocratic family, and it was often with reluctance that they accepted such favors as we knowing their necessities, almost forced upon them. We found them very pleasant neighbors, and though rebels in sentiment, they never obtruded their political opinions in an offensive manner.
The robberies and other harsh treatment those folks had been subjected to from marauding parties of our men, while they were still living on the old farm, 40 miles up Grand River, had induced them to leave the old home-after Mr. Van had been murdered before their eyes, and they had been robbed of nearly everything that was movable, and they had come to Fort Gibson, where they would be able to appeal to the officers for protection, and eke out an existence until better times. Some few, a very few-of our officers and soldiers showed their sympathy. Among these Colonel [William A.] Phillips [commanding Union Indian Brigade] always treated the Van family with respect. Some barely tolerated them, while the majority treated them harshly, and spoke of them with abusive epithets.
At the beginning of the war Dave Van, as he was usually called, the head of the family, a man of about 65, was considered one of the wealthiest men of the Cherokee Nation. He owned a great many slaves, had several farms and stock ranches, and the D. V. brand was to be found on a multitude of cattle, horses, mules and other stock ranging through the country.
Although his interest seemed to be with the Confederates in this struggle, he declined to take an active part, hoping that the difficulty would soon be adjusted between the North and South, and made the fatal mistake-made by so many others in the South-of staying at home and trying to play neutral; relying on his age and the well known fact that he had refused to take sides, to protect him from harm. His slaves had all left him, his stock and other property had been swept away, and with his old wife and children he had been left alone on the home farm. It was a fatal loneliness, and invited the assassination, which soon came from a band of marauders. My train, with the exception of a few teams to do the post work, was now kept busy running to Arkansas and back, hauling the foraged supplies. The regimental trains were also used in this work, being generally placed under my command for such trips, often swelling the outfit to 60 or 70 teams. I took turnabout with Al, he taking the train one trip and I the next, so that one of us would be at home with the family all the time.
***
Emmet Starr's "Old Cherokee Families", Note A20, p. 468
A20. David Vann born January 1, 1800. He was elected Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation in 1839, 1843, 1847, 1851. He was killed by the "Pin" Indians on December 23, 1863.