Question #1: Did Col. Bourland have men at the Oct 12, 1863 Webber Falls skirmish?
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Question #2: Did Col. Bourland have men at the Dec 16, 1863 Attack on Fort Gibson?
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The above events are part of a capusle history by The Confederate Research Library Staff of Hillsboro TX: "Confederate Regimental Capsule Histories" in 1991, pp462-467 that I ordered in about 1992 for $5.00. .. This capsule history had two more glaring errors -- contrary to handwritten records -- which was repeated in countless Texas histories, and surprise, today, I find it repeated in PhD dissertations, etc.
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1) Skirmish, Webber Falls, I.T. .. Oct 12, 1863
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2) Attack, Fort Gibson, I.T. .. Dec 16, 1863
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re: Webber Falls #1 question: The nearest morsel of proof I have that Bourland had men east or northeast of the South Canadian River of the Choctaw Nation was the Sep 13, 1863 entry from THE BOURLAND PAPERS that I posted on the Arkansas message board: burning order from Bankhead of Camp Waldron, Saturday, 22 January 2011, 9:20 pm. .. I have no doubt that Bourland had a scouting party nearby, and a member of the scouting party related the event.
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Sep 13, 1863 at Camp Waldron, Scott County, AR ... Hd Qtrs, 2d Brig, 1st Div. Army of Texas, Special Order No.__
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I. Col. Jas. Bourland will detail four [4] men from his command for the purpose of assisting in burning (torn) __ to report to these Head Quarters immediately.
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By Command of Acting Brig-Gen. Bankhead, [CSA] Jos. Phillips, Capt. & AA Genl. per BP-DM4406-30-097.
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from my 200-page Name Index:
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BANKHEAD, Smith Pyne Bankhead, nephew of Maj-Gen. John Bankhead Magruder (Brig-Gen, TX CSA)
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BOURLAND, James G. Bourland (1801 SC-1879 Cooke Co TX) Mex. War (Col, Bourland's Regt, TX CSA)
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PHILLIPS, Joseph Phillips; Madison's 3d Cav, Arizona Brigade, Col (1863, Capt, AAdj-Gen, TX CSA)
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re: attack of Fort Gibson on Dec 16, 1863, #2 question: ..I have very few reocrds of the men in Bourland's Regt before March 1, 1864 when the CSA accepted Bourland's Regt. ..It is probable that Bourland had a scouting party up there, but Bourland wrote an extensive Dec 11, 1863 order stating his defensive plan to protect North Texas from an anticipated Comanche attack, which occurred on Dec 21, 1863. Again, a member of the scouting party must have related his being present at the Dec 16, 1863 evemt, but I haven't seen it.
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Bourland was the Acting General of Indian Territory from before October 8, 1863 until Janurary 19, 1864. ..In THE BOURLAND PAPERS was this Oct 8, 1863 letter implying -- if not proving -- that Bourland was the Acting General of Indian Territory. I have a copy of he handwritten letter, with my transcription, in my 1,046-page book. Below is my editor's note:
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Editor’s note: “James Bourland, Acting General in Command.” , June 2, 1865 Confederate surrender. In this October 8, 1863 document, Bourland’s wrote that his rank was acting General in Command and that he is commanding the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division, which was probably only an assumption on his part.
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About this time Gen. D.H. Cooper had been relieved of his command of all of the Indian forces in Indian Territory by Gen. W. Steele, who in turn, had been relieved of his command and was being replaced by Gen. S.B. Maxey.
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So Col. Bourland was in limbo; he had received no official orders as to who his new commanding general officer was, and he had received no communications from the new general, Maxey; therefore, he was the temporary Acting General in Command of his district until notified of his new chain of command — probably under the command of Gen. Cooper's Division, and an acting general in command of the Chickasaw Brigade because he was serving in Indian Territory which was under the command of Gen. Steele and his subordinate, Gen. Cooper at that time.
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Again, please address my two questions:
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Question #1: Did Col. Bourland have men at the Oct 12, 1863 Webber Falls skirmish?
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Question #2: Did Col. Bourland have men at the Dec 16, 1863 Attack on Fort Gibson?
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Patti, prochette@Juno.com
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