| First Battle of Cabin Creek | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States of America (Union) |
 Confederate States of America | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| James Monroe Williams | Stand Watie | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Detachments from nine units | 1,600–1,800 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 3–23 killed, 30 wounded | 65 killed | ||||||
The First Battle of Cabin Creek occurred from July 1 to July 2, 1863, Mayes County, Oklahoma during the American Civil War. Confederate forces, led by Colonel Stand Watie, sought to ambush a Union supply convoy commanded by Colonel James Monroe Williams. However, Williams received advance warning of the attack. Despite the swollen waters of the creek due to rain, Williams launched a successful assault on the entrenched Confederate position, forcing them to retreat. Although a Confederate Army detachment attempted to raid a Union Army supply train bound for Fort Gibson in July 1863, they were unable to impede the Union detachment, which contributed to the Union's victory in the Battle of Honey Springs later that month. Notably, this battle marked the first instance of African American troops fighting alongside their white comrades.
Two Civil War military engagements were fought at the Cabin Creek battlefield in the Cherokee Nation within Indian Territory.[a] The location was where the Texas Road[b] crossed Cabin Creek, near the present-day town of Big Cabin, Oklahoma. Both the First and the Second Battle of Cabin Creek were launched by the Confederate Army to disrupt Union Army supply trains.
The second engagement, in September, 1864, again a Confederate raid on a Union supply train. During this raid, the Confederates managed to capture mules, wagons, and supplies valued at over a million dollars. However, by this time, such actions had little strategic impact on the outcome of the war. Confederate General Stand Watie led the attackers during both raids.
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