Battle of Round Mountain

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Battle of Round Mountain
Part of American Civil War
Date November 19th, 1861
Location Location disputed, near Keystone, or Yale, Oklahoma
Result Confederate victory
Combatants
Loyal Indians Confederate States of America
Commanders
Opothleyahola Douglas H. Cooper
Strength
1,400 men
Casualties
110 casualties and fatalities 6 fatalities
4 casualties
1 missing
Operations in the Indian Territory
Round Mountain – Chusto-Talasah – Chustenahlah

The Battle of Round Mountain (also known as Round Mountains) There is not one primary source document that list the engagement as having occured at a place named "Round Mountains". This name comes from one writter who noticed a curl at the end of Mountain on the report and decided it had to be mountains pural as that would then support the Yale site as to where the battle was fought because that location has two twin mounds. November 19, 1861(*The location mentioned has never been shown as being the actual location of the engagement, and is disputed by many historians.)

Col. Douglas H. Cooper, Confederate commander of the Indian Department, had not been able to reconcile differences with Chief Opothleyahola, who commanded a band of Unionist Creeks and Seminoles. Cooper set out on November 15, 1861, with about 1,400 men to either compel submission . . . or “drive him and his party from the country.” His force rode up the Deep Fork of the Canadian River towards Chief Opothleyahola’s camp which they found deserted. On November 19, Cooper learned from captured prisoners that part of Opothleyahola’s band was at the Red Fork of the Arkansas River, where they were erecting a fort.

Cooper’s men arrived there around 4:00 p.m. and he ordered a cavalry charge, which discovered that Opothleyahola’s followers had recently abandoned their camp. The Confederates did find some stragglers beyond the camp and followed them, with the 4th Texas blundered into Opothleyahola’s warriors at the surrounding treeline at the foot of the Round Mountains. (Once again no report refers to the engagment by the name round mountain "s".) The Federals fired into the Confederate cavalry and, in large force, came out to attack them. They chased the Confederates back to Cooper’s main force. Darkness prevented Cooper from attacking until the main enemy force was within 60 yards. A short fight ensued but Opothleyahola’s men broke it off and retreated back to their camp after setting the prairie grass on fire.

Cooper set out for Opothleyahola’s new camp the next morning but found it gone. The Confederates claimed victory because Chief Opothleyahola had left the area. This was the first of three encounters between Opothleyahola’s Union bands and Confederate troops. The chief was forced to flee to Kansas at the end of the year.

The Confederate loss in the engagement was 1 captain and 5 men killed, 3 severely and 1 slightly wounded, and 1 missing. Opothleyahola lost about 110 killed and wounded.

[edit] Order of Battle

Cooper's Brigade - Col. Douglas Hancock Cooper

    • 6 companies, 1st Regiment Choctaw-Chickasaw Mounted Rifles - Maj. Mitchell Laflore
    • Detachment, 1st Creek Mounted Rifles - Col. Daniel N. McIntosh
    • Detachment, 2nd Creek Mounted Rifles - Lt. Col. Chilly McIntosh
    • Detachment, Seminole Indians - Maj. John Jumper
    • Detachment, 9th Texas Cavalry - Lt. Col. William Quayle

Creek and Seminole Indians - Chief Opothleyahola

[edit] References

  • CWSAC Battle Summary
  • U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 70 volumes in 4 series. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1880-1901. Series 1, Volume 8, Part 1, pages 5-10.
  • White, Christine Schultz and White, Benton R., Now The Wolf Has Come: The Creek Nation in the Civil War, Texas A & M University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-89096-689-3.
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