A STUDY OF THAYER’S DECISION TO CROSS THE ARKANSAS RIVER AND THEN RETURN ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1864, THE DAY PRICE ARRIVED AT THE ARKANSAS RIVER.

11-1-64 Thayer at Fort Smith gets his last dispatch from LC Harrison at Fayetteville. Report says “Price was at Maysville and will probably strike the Arkansas River between Forts Smith and Gibson.” (41-4-386: Thayer to Wattles). “I have not heard from Harrison since Price reached Cane Hill.” (41-4-468: Thayer to Steele on the 7th.)

“A messenger has just arrived from Fayetteville, reporting that Price was at Maysville night before last {30th} and that he would probably strike the Arkansas between here (Ft. Smith) and Gibson. Blunt was at Pineville Sunday night {30th} with a large cavalry force.”

{Price arrives at Cane Hill on 11-1 and thus cuts off all contact along nearby Telegraph Road or Cove Creek Road to Van Buren/Fort Smith. Lt. Col. M. La Rue Harrison continues to communicate northward to MG Curtis and BG Sanborn at Cassville.}

11-3-64 Thayer at Ft. Smith (p. 416) gets one of two riders dispatches (one has “just arrived” at 4 p.m. time of reply) sent by Col. Wattles at Fort Gibson. Received dispatch (written by Wattles on 11-2-64 at 8 a.m.) covers little for Ft. Smith and is not published in OR. Not knowing the contents of the lost (captured) dispatches, Thayer writes little at 4 p.m. to Wattles in reply, except “send copies next time by both messengers.” {CSA’s Cooper gets the captured and important dispatches at Sulphur Springs on 11-7-64, p.m. (pp. 1038-40) } {The successful rider took 32 hours to travel the 64 miles to Fort Smith, or about 8 hours of Rebel caused delay based on a later dispatch on the 6th.}

11-5-64 Later (probably on afternoon of 5th), Thayer must have gotten reports from his scouts near Cane Hill (25 miles southwest of Fayetteville, and not from Harrison now with Curtis near Fayetteville) that “Price left Cane Hill on the 4th moving west toward Webber’s Falls.” {I believe this scouting report (and possibly deserters info) causes Thayer to plan on crossing the Arkansas tomorrow and challenge Price (and save Wattles). {As prior dispatches from Thayer to Wattles (now commanding at Fort Gibson with reduced forces Thayer recently ordered to Fort Smith) indicate, Thayer felt responsible for Wattles’ weakened command post and believed (as he had previously written about to Wattles and Harrison, beginning on 10-19) that if Price headed west from the Cane Hill area, Price likely might attack (the weakened) Fort Gibson.}

11-6-64 Thayer crosses 3,000 troops across the Arkansas, then returns his command back to Fort Smith, all on the 6th. Why did he suddenly return?

11-6-64 Thayer gets Steele’s dispatch of 11-29-64 (p. 308) saying on first line “If Price should return in the direction of your outposts, draw them into Fort Smith with all the public property possible.” {and Herron and Sackett are coming}. { I believe that this is when Thayer decides to return to Fort Smith (about midday), before he gets Wattles next message given below; otherwise, Thayer would have mentioned to Wattles that he was coming to his aid.}.

11-6-64 Thayer gets reply back from Wattles at 3:30 p.m. (41-4-452) {to his response of 11-3-64 at 4 p.m. to Wattles} from one of two (AM and PM) messengers sent by Wattles at Fort Gibson. Thayer promptly replies to Wattles again.

{These AM and PM dispatches written on 11-5-64 by Wattles are not provided in the OR, but Thayer’s reply is (of 11-6-64 at 3:30 p.m.) that characterizes them. Thayer says that the received (PM) dispatch was written by Wattles at Fort Gibson on 11-5-64 at 4 p.m. The morning dispatch has not arrived. The set of dispatches probably also contained copies (or transcriptions thereof) of the captured documents (that were being read by BG Cooper, CSA, at Sulphur Springs about the same time as Thayer read his). Wattles’ PM dispatch sent from Fort Gibson at 4 p.m. on 11-5-64 traveled at least 64 miles and arrived (at Ft. Smith??) at 3.30 p.m. on 11-6-64 (nearly 24 hours later).}

Thayer writes Colonel Wattles the following reply:

41-4-452: Headquarters District of the Frontier, November 6, 1864 -- 3.30 p.m.

“Dispatch of 4 p.m. 5th instant received. The messengers you started on the morning of the 5th not arrived. I have information that Price was at Cane Hill on Friday {4th} and moving in the direction of Webber’s Falls. Send all you dispatches by Indians.”

{Note that Thayer does not say that he is at Ft. Smith, as he does in all of his other recent dispatches to Wattles. The speculated reason: that he has crossed the Arkansas River on the 6th (as he later said several times that he did) and is now (at 3:30 p.m.) still across the Arkansas River in nearby Indian Territory. Note also that Thayer adds his newest scouting information (likely gotten about noon on 5th) about Price’s threatening move west toward Webber’s Falls near Fort Gibson. Thayer does not say anything about his ongoing movements (why should he now that he has decided to return to Fort Smith), or that Cooper is threatening him south of the River (why should he because Cooper was long gone and Thayer now knew it.}

Wattles’ PM messenger took about (no more than) 23.5 hours to ride 64 miles from Fort Gibson to near Fort Smith from 4 p.m. 11-5 to 3.30 p.m. on 11-6. Thayer’s last dispatch to Wattles also took no more than 24 hours). Wattles’ AM messenger may have been captured. Travel estimates show that the PM messenger crossed Price’s retreat trail near the Arkansas River about 8 a.m. on Sunday, 11-6-64, the day Price’s Army began arriving at the river shortly after noon. Thayer implies that the messenger did not see any sign of Price’s retreat, which he would not have at that early time on Sunday morning, as Price did not arrive at Dwight Mission, nearly ten miles away, until Sunday morning church time.

MG Herron is coming tomorrow, and Thayer had better get his story straight. MG Price will have more time.