Battle of Round Mountains

Between the landmark known as Round Mountains to the south and a camp on Salt Creek three miles to the northwest, the first battle of the Civil War in Oklahoma was fought. When the Five Civilized Tribes of the Indian Territory joined the Confederacy, a numerous group of fullblood Creeks under Oputhleyohola remained loyal to the Union. With wagons carrying their families and household goods and with herds of cattle and horses, they circled west and north of their settlements hoping to join a similar element among the Cherokees. They were pursued by Confederate commander Colonel Douglas H. Cooper of Mississippi with a contingent of Texas cavalry, six companies of Choctaw and Chickasaw mounted rifles, and Creek and Seminole units under native officers. He overtook them on November 19, 1861, and the battle was fought that afternoon and evening. During the night, Oputhleyohola withdrew toward a place in the Cherokee Nation northeast of Tulsa. After a second and third battle in that vicinity, the Union Indians were completely routed and fled to Kansas, where they remained as refugees until they were able to enlist in the Union Army and join an expedition to recover the Indian Territory.

Oklahoma · United States