The Indian Territory in the Civil War Message Board

George Falconer's Journal [edited]

[I made a couple of edits to my original post to correct my directions -- Wilson's Ferry is downstream from Ft Coffee, not up river. Wolf Creek is northwest of Salina, not northeast. Ken]

Thanks for the info Patrick. I'm anxious to read it. I've read Ellithorpe's journal -- which originally belonged to George C. Falconer of Clarkson's Battalion. It was found on the field after the Battle of Locust Grove and Ellithorpe use it for his own journal. The first two pages are by Falconer. The rest by Ellithorpe.

The first two pages with my annotations in brackets...

Fort Smith, June 18th/62
George C. Falconer

Left for Col. Clarkson's regiment June 18th/62 and crossed the Arkansas River at Wilson's Ferry, 12 miles above Ft Smith and stopped at Shotes [Choate's?] 9 miles from Fort Smith. Days ride 27 miles. [Wilson's Ferry was south-southwest of Muldrow, north-northeast of Spiro, about two miles down river from Ft Coffee.]

Thursday, June 19th, 30 miles.

Friday the 20th, 35 miles. Encamped near Park Hill.

Saturday, 21st, days travel 30 miles. Stopped 8 miles south of Grand Saline [present Salina].

22nd, days travel 30 miles. Encamped 10 miles west of Col Stanwatie's Mill [Stand Watie. Not certain of the location of Watie's Mill but I believe it was on/near Brush Creek at the east end of what is now Lake Eucha on Spavinaw Creek].

23rd. Overtaken the command. Days march 17 miles.

24th. Layed up [sic] 5 miles from Cowskin Prairie.

25th. Days march 20 miles. Encamped 1 mile from Grand River.

26th. Moved. Days travel 8 miles and encamped 4 miles from Grand River on Linches Prairie [sic - Lynch's Prairie, north and northwest of present Spavinaw] where found abundance of good grass and water. Federals reported to be at Bentonville [AR] and near Cowskin Prairie.

27th. Moved 7 miles farther south on Grand Prairie where we encamped on Wolf Creek. [Crossed Grand River to the west side.] Grass is very plentiful but water very scarce. Nothing interesting from today's march. Cooking and attending to our horses is all the amusement that we can find. We see today a federal who was taken prisoner at Bentonville. He had been left there on a spree. He was taken by a man that lived at Bentonville. He was turned over to Col Stanwatie.

[Falconer's journal ends. Ellithorpe's begins.]

The Tables Turned --

We will open the journal on the other side of the question.

A.C. Ellithorpe
Maj, 1st Indian Regiment

---
[It is unclear whether Falconer's mileages are correct. If we take them as being fairly accurate, this would suggest he went from Fort Smith across the Poteau River and along the south side of the Arkansas to Wilson's Ferry. There was an old military road from Ft Coffee to Ft Wayne to Ft Scott and on to Ft Leavenworth. It appears they followed the military road from Wilson's to the northeast and probably camped on Lee Creek near the Arkansas line -- nine miles north-northwest of Ft Smith. Obviously they could have saved a day's ride if they had crossed at Ft Smith or Van Buren. The next two days they traveled 65 miles to get "near Park Hill". Unless Falconer has exaggerated the mileages, they may have gone 30 miles north to the vicinity of Cane Hill AR the first day and then 35 miles west to "near Park Hill". They travel another 30 miles and camp 8 miles south of Grand Saline which would be just south of Locust Grove. Without knowing their starting point, it's a guess as to whether this was a direct route since Park Hill is only 30 miles from Salina. From near Locust Grove, they may have followed the road up the east side of Grand River to Spavinaw Creek and then east to Brush Creek. I don't know the exact location of Watie's Mill but I have presumed it to be on or near the mouth of Brush Creek at what is now the east end of Lake Eucha. To travel 17 miles and still be 5 miles from Cowskin Prairie, north and east of Grove, they must have taken an indirect route or my location of Watie's Mill is off by a few miles. To travel 28 miles the next two days and be 4 miles from the Grand on Lynch's Prairie suggests an indirect route, perhaps west to within a mile of the Grand near present Disney. Lynch's Prairie is much less than another 8 miles, especially to be 4 miles from Grand, but allowing for indirect roads and a little imprecision in his distances, they were likely near Lynch's Mill (present Spavinaw). From here they go south 7 miles, crossing the Grand on the way and camping on Wolf Creek, putting them northwest of Salina on the west side of the Grand. That's the last entry until Ellithorpe finds the journal at Locust Grove five days later.]

Ken

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Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards
George Falconer's Journal [edited]