This is a little out of my area of expertise, which is Missouri guerrilla warfare, but in his memoir, Quantrill's Lieutenant William Gregg wrote this:

"...arriving at Ft. Smith, we were assigned to Gen. Jo. O. Shelby's command, taking an active part in battles of Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, Springfield, Hartville, and etc., however, before the battle was opened at Cane Hill Quantrill had obtained leave of absence and started on a journey to Richmond, Virginia, leaving Lieut. Gregg in command, he now being first Lieut."

I am not well-versed in Arkansas actions, but in Frederick Dyer vol. 2, page 677 it lists for 28 November 1862, "Engagement, Boston Mountains, Boonsboro" with a long list of Union units involved. There are other skirmishes listed for Cane Hill this season, but none with this many Union regiments, indicating to me that this was a major action, and probably the one to which William Gregg refers in regards to Quantrill's leave of absence.

Also, this matches the narrative about Quantrill's band at Cane Hill in Banasik's "Cavaliers of the Brush," 2003 by Camp Pope Bookshop which quotes an article by an unidentified Quantrill member printed in the Houston, Texas "Daily Telegraph" of 11 March 1864, that the Cane Hill battle to which Gregg refers took place 28 November 1862.

I have also read the story of Quantrill's men rescuing Colonel Shelby in northeast Arkansas in late autumn 1862, but cannot recall the source.

Frank James may have been present at Prairie Grove, but as part of a regular force and not Quantrill's band. He did not join Quantrill's band until spring or summer of 1863.

Jesse James would have been about 14 years old at the time of the Prairie Grove battle, and did not participate. His first action was in late spring 1864 in his home area, in Clay County.

Bruce Nichols