On Monday, November 7, 1864, MG Sterling Price crossed his beleaguered Confederate Army across the Arkansas River at Pheasant Ford and camped just beyond its southern banks in the Choctaw Nation. Today, this crossing is just southeast of Tamaha, OK in Haskell County. Price had made only 4 miles, but they were like crossing the Red Sea. San Bois Creek lay to the east which provided some protection from federal forces that might march on his camp from Ft. Smith. Price made sure the Iron Bridge crossing of the old Beale Road was destroyed. Not one Federal was reported seen while Price crossed the Arkansas. Price had been lucky today!

Not so was the Federal mail carrier riding from Ft. Gibson to Ft. Smith along the Whiskey Road a few days before. Watie’s men had shot him near Webber Falls and immediately sent his dispatches to Watie’s camp at Stringtown where BG Cooper read them on 11-7-64 (41-4-1040). BG Cooper became the first confederate general in the southern Trans-Mississippi command to learn of Price’s defeat at Kansas City and capture of Generals Marmaduke and Cabell at Mine Creek, Kansas. The Federals wrote that Price was retreating south toward Arkansas Cooper immediately sent these documents with a cover letter to Maxey at Ft. Towson, which arrived on the evening of the 9th. Maxey wasn’t there, as he had gone to inspect Ft. Washita on the 6th and 7th, and Boggy Depot on the 8th and 9th. Maxey left Boggy Depot for Ft. Towson on the evening of the 9th not knowing that Price’s Army was retreating to Indian Territory (where Maxey commanded) and could be in serious trouble for several reasons and from several commands.

On Monday, November 7, 1864, Federal MG S. R. Curtis awoke early and reportedly got his troops moving out of Camp Hunt (on the headwaters of the Sallisaw near Davis Mountain and Stilwell) by 3:00 a.m. (way before daybreak) (41-4-529). He moved out in “best order for battle” and marched for several miles southwest down Sallisaw Creek, fearing Price’s Army was waiting in ambush. Perhaps by mid-morning, Curtis realized that Price was still retreating in haste, so Curtis resumed the chase for the remainder of the day. About dark, Curtis seems to have passed Price’s broken carriage (below Bunch) along the rough road and worse yet, another abandoned confederate campground (near Flute Spring) that looked two-days old (cold camp fire pits). Curtis knew this meant Price would surely slip away if Curtis stopped now to camp, so he pushed on southwest down Sallisaw Creek, hoping that he would soon hear federal cannon fire down the valley. Hearing none, Curtis finally halted the chase around midnight (41-1-529), with Col. Harrison’s Arkansas cavalry advance camping near Dwight Mission after making 30 miles during one long and exhausting day (the 7th-- the day Price’s Army crossed the Arkansas only 12 miles away.)

Curtis had almost caught up. Curtis now worried that maybe the whole Confederate Army would be waiting for him tomorrow when he marched out of the Valley of the Sallisaw. Or perhaps BG John M. Thayer’s whole Federal army might be arriving on the Whiskey Road (the road from Ft. Smith/Van Buren to Ft. Gibson). Curtis would know tomorrow, November 8, 1864.

[About 1900 the Kansas Southern Railroad’s construction followed the route of Price’s retreat and Curtis’ pursuit for over 25 miles along Sallisaw Creek southwest from its headwaters at Stilwell, OK.]