Hi Mike,
I don't know of any reports that tell the route Phillips took from Ft Gibson to Little River. I assumed his route was via Council Hill and across the Deep Fork and North Fork to Hillabee and then up the Canadian to Little River.

There are a couple of pre-war diaries by missionaries to the Seminole that describe travelling from the Creek Agency to their mission station near Holdenville by a direct route. This route was not via Hillabee near present Hanna, though. This route was via Barnett's on Wewoka Creek near present Wetumpka. (The present town of Wewoka was established post-war. References to Wewoka in the ORs appear to always be referring to the vicinity of present Wetumpka on Wewoka Creek.)

I have not studied the route of the Dragoon Trail and the Ft Smith-Ft Arbuckle Road through this area. I too would have supposed that the Dragoon Trail would have followed the easier terrain down the west side of the Little Sandy.

I don't know that the precise location of the battlefield can be determined. I have driven through this area but haven't tried to get to the site of Old Fort Wayne and Edwards. The fort and Edwards were a little up Little River from the Canadian. The historical marker is on the highway south of Holdenville.

One other comment. The Seminole settled throughout this area from present Wewoka/Holdenville to the west. A treaty in the late 1850s moved the official Seminole boundary much further west near Wanette. Many moved to this area along Pond Creek and the Baptists (Buckner) and Presbyterians (Ramsey) moved their missions there. Not all the Seminole moved but since John Jumper and the Baptist missionaries moved there, it would seem this was the primary settlement area of the Confederate Seminole. After the war, the Seminole move to the east, present Seminole County, and the town of Wewoka was established. John Jumper settled south of Wewoka near Sasakwa where the Spring Hill Church is located.

Ken