I am not well versed about happenings in the Indian Territory, except on those rare occasions during the war when they affected things in southwest Missouri.

I know that on several occasions Stand Watie briefly spent time in the far SW tip of Missouri. He may have also lingered nearby in the Cowskin Prairie area just outside the Missouri line, as that was a popular rendezvous for Confederates throughout the war. Specifically about Watie in Missouri:
-- He led a force in east McDonald County and Barry County in the far SW tip of Missouri between 20 and 23 April 1862 during which his men battled with Major James M. Hubbard's 146 troopers of the 1st Missouri Cavalry;
--Stand Watie with several hundred cavalry and accompanying Thomas R. Livingston's local guerrillas attacked the 2nd and 3rd Kansas Indian Home Guard Regiments on September 20 near Medoc in northwest Jasper County, in Missouri two counties north of McDonald County (which is the SW corner of the state);
--on December 23, 1863 Stand Watie with several hundred cavalry made a brief appearance in the far southwest corner of McDonald County near Cowskin Prairie, but shortly after took his command south into NW Arkansas;
--I am still writing about MO during 1864 and 1865, so I cannot reliably comment about Watie's Missouri appearances in MO in those two years without some digging.

Regarding Livingston and Stand Watie, I am aware Livingston called his command the "Cherokee Spikes," but I am unaware of the reason for the name. I am not surprised to hear that their higher command told Watie to provide support to Livingston and those leaders who commanded after Livingston's death in July 1863.

Confederate Colonel Cooper also briefly operated in SW MO with his command. Do you wish to know specifics?

Quantrill's men did not keep journals, but postwar several penned their memoirs. The accuracy of these latter-day writings varied widely from some who just copied the work of others to a few others who managed to write good, verifiable accounts. During what period are you asking? Do you mean just after the Baxter Springs fight in October 1863, or do you mean when Quantrill's band struggled northward on their way back to west-central Missouri during early spring 1864? Or, are you concerned with other time periods?

Bruce Nichols