Battle of Fort Gibson: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Battle of the American Civil War}} |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
{{Infobox military conflict |
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| conflict = Battle of Fort Gibson |
| conflict = Battle of Fort Gibson |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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In April 1863 Union forces of the [[Indian Home Guard (American Civil War)|Indian Home Guard]] under Colonel [[William A. Phillips]] occupied Fort Gibson.<ref name="Historical Society"> |
In April 1863 Union forces of the [[Indian Home Guard (American Civil War)|Indian Home Guard]] under Colonel [[William A. Phillips]] occupied Fort Gibson.<ref name="Historical Society">{{Cite web |url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FO033.html |title=Oklahoma Historical Society |access-date=2014-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027183858/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FO033.html |archive-date=2014-10-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Upon hearing reports of no Confederate activity in all directions Philips sent the fort's livestock to graze. A Union sentry failed to scout a mountain road and Confederate forces therefore descended on the livestock.<ref name="Official Report">[http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moawar;cc=moawar;idno=waro0032;node=waro0032%3A2;view=image;seq=357;size=100;page=root Phillips' Official Report]</ref> |
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==Battle== |
==Battle== |
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Unwilling to move against the fort directly the Confederates maintained a strong position 5 miles away along the [[Arkansas River]]. Colonel Phillips dispatched his available mounted forces against the Confederates which succeeded in retaking most the livestock.<ref name="Official Report"/> The Confederates made a strong attack against the Union sortie and were able to drive them back nearly surrounding two companies. Colonel Phillips then personally led a force of infantry with an artillery battery from the fort. Reinforced by the mounted infantry already in the field, Phillips was able to stop the Rebel attack. The Confederates held briefly in a forest until they were routed and withdrew beyond the Arkansas River. Phillips dispatched his cavalry to give chase to this Confederate force. Meanwhile word was received of a second Confederate force attempting a river crossing. Phillips returned to the fort with the infantry and artillery to counter this feint.<ref name=Cyclopedia>[https://books.google.com/books? |
Unwilling to move against the fort directly the Confederates maintained a strong position 5 miles away along the [[Arkansas River]]. Colonel Phillips dispatched his available mounted forces against the Confederates which succeeded in retaking most of the livestock.<ref name="Official Report"/> The Confederates made a strong attack against the Union sortie and were able to drive them back nearly surrounding two companies. Colonel Phillips then personally led a force of infantry with an artillery battery from the fort. Reinforced by the mounted infantry already in the field, Phillips was able to stop the Rebel attack. The Confederates held briefly in a forest until they were routed and withdrew beyond the Arkansas River. Phillips dispatched his cavalry to give chase to this Confederate force. Meanwhile, word was received of a second Confederate force attempting a river crossing. Phillips returned to the fort with the infantry and artillery to counter this feint.<ref name=Cyclopedia>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0HkVAQAAMAAJ&q=fort+gibson ''The Union Army: Cyclopedia of battles'' p.424]</ref> The Rebels fired one volley and withdrew having failed to draw away enough Union forces from the original Confederate attack on the livestock. |
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==Aftermath== |
==Aftermath== |
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[[Category:May 1863 events]] |
[[Category:May 1863 events]] |
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[[Category:1863 in Indian Territory]] |
[[Category:1863 in Indian Territory]] |
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[[Category:Muskogee County, Oklahoma]] |
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Latest revision as of 21:56, 8 August 2023
| Battle of Fort Gibson | |||||||
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
 Fort Gibson (c.1875) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Vereinigte Staaten (Union) |
 CSA (Confederacy) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William A. Phillips |
John T. Coffee Daniel McIntosh | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Indian Home Guard | 3 regiments | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 26 | unknown[1] | ||||||
Background
[edit]In April 1863 Union forces of the Indian Home Guard under Colonel William A. Phillips occupied Fort Gibson.[2] Upon hearing reports of no Confederate activity in all directions Philips sent the fort's livestock to graze. A Union sentry failed to scout a mountain road and Confederate forces therefore descended on the livestock.[3]
Battle
[edit]Unwilling to move against the fort directly the Confederates maintained a strong position 5 miles away along the Arkansas River. Colonel Phillips dispatched his available mounted forces against the Confederates which succeeded in retaking most of the livestock.[3] The Confederates made a strong attack against the Union sortie and were able to drive them back nearly surrounding two companies. Colonel Phillips then personally led a force of infantry with an artillery battery from the fort. Reinforced by the mounted infantry already in the field, Phillips was able to stop the Rebel attack. The Confederates held briefly in a forest until they were routed and withdrew beyond the Arkansas River. Phillips dispatched his cavalry to give chase to this Confederate force. Meanwhile, word was received of a second Confederate force attempting a river crossing. Phillips returned to the fort with the infantry and artillery to counter this feint.[4] The Rebels fired one volley and withdrew having failed to draw away enough Union forces from the original Confederate attack on the livestock.
Aftermath
[edit]Eight days later Colonel Phillips' supply train was attacked at Fort Gibson. Phillips successfully defeated the attack and saved the supply train.[4] In July 1863 troops from Fort Gibson marched south to win the battle of Honey Springs.[2] Fort Gibson would remain in Union control for the rest of the war.
Sources
[edit]- ^ Colonel Phillips reported no Confederate casualties but claimed they must have been "more severe" (Phillips' Official Report)
- ^ a b "Oklahoma Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
- ^ a b Phillips' Official Report
- ^ a b The Union Army: Cyclopedia of battles p.424