11-13-64

The remainder of Price’s Army of Missouri retreats southwest 16 miles, passing thru Perryville (just south of McAlester) on the Texas Road and sets up Camp 70 south of the Confederate depot. Price finds three wagon loads of supplies at the Perryville depot, probably from BG Cooper’s earlier efforts to support his Big Cabin II plan. (41-1-309)

Maxey now at Ft. Towson reads Price’s dispatch of 10th. Maxey writes Boggs at Shreveport that “Price’s notice of retreat (via BG Cooper) was too short to reach him at Boggy Depot. Maxey invites Price to reroute to Ft. Towson. Maxey begins concentrating supplies at Doaksville and Camp Gano (Laynesport, AR). (41-4-1055)

11-14-64

Price laid over in Camp 70 one day resting and feeding horses on savanna south of Perryville. Cols. Wood and Tyler lie just east of Price’s Camp. Tyler is ordered to follow Price tomorrow, but Wood’s battalion of 14th Missouri cavalry is ordered to take Perryville-Doaksville Road directly to Doaksville then report at Clarksville, TX.

{Col. Wood’s route taken is believed to trace the Indian Nation Turnpike from Perryville thru Brushy Gap (near former Butterfield Stage stop of Blackburn’s Station) and on southeast thru Mrs. Caffery’s (near Darwin, OK west of Antlers). An Indian road then led from Mrs. Caffery’s directly southeast, soon crossing the 1832 Indian Immigration Road from Ft. Smith to Horse Prairie on Red River (passing by Goodland School above Grant, OK). Wood’s route then crossed Kiamichi River to the Cedar County Court House, located at Sulphur Springs, C.N. (¾ mile SSE of Rattan, OK). From the Court House, the Doaksville route went 1-mile east to join the main (1838) Ft. Smith-Ft. Towson military road on southeast 6 miles to Spencer Academy, six miles further to Pine Ridge Mission School, and finally two miles on to Doaksville. Pine Ridge was the primary school for Choctaw Governor Allen Wright. Gov. Wright first suggested the name “Oklahoma” for the western lands in Indian Country, which subsequently became Oklahoma Territory in 1890. This territory was combined with Indian Territory and No-Mans Land in 1907 to become Oklahoma.}