The Fort Scott (Kansas)-Ft Gibson (Cherokee Nation) military road followed the so-called Texas Road and ran through the Indian Territory from Baxter Springs KS to the southwest and crossed the Neosho River just above the mouth of Spring River in far northeastern Oklahoma. From the mouth of Spring River to the Arkansas, the Neosho is known as the Grand River. (These days there is more lakes than river with Grand Lake, Hudson Lake, and Ft Gibson Lake). After crossing the Neosho, the Texas Road follows the west side of the Grand to just north of present Muskogee where the military road turns east and crosses the Grand to Ft Gibson and the Texas Road continues south across the Arkansas and fairly closely follows the route of US Hwy 69 to the Red River.
Ft Gibson was supplied from Ft Scott so the Union supply trains (wagon trains -- there were no railroads in Indian Territory at the time) regularly travelled this route as did couriers etc.. The Confederates frequently attacked and ambushed along this route. There were two sizable battles at the Cabin Creek crossing just north of present Pensacola OK, both intended to capture a large Union supply train. The first failed but the second was a resounding victory for the Confederates. I don't recall the exact distance from Cabin Creek to Horse Creek -- and I'll verify this -- but I believe it is about 15 miles northeast of Cabin Creek.
Ken