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The Battle of Honey Springs (also known as the Affair at Elk Creek) on July 17, 1863, was an American Civil War engagement. an important victory for Union forces in their efforts to gain control of the Indian Territory. It was the largest confrontation between Union and Confederate forces in the area that would eventually become Oklahoma.〔(Ralph Jones. Honey Springs, Battle of." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved August 24, 2014. )〕 The engagement was also unique in the fact that white soldiers were the minority in both fighting forces. African and Native Americans made up significant portions of each of the opposing armies. The battleground is about northeast of what is now Checotah, Oklahoma and south of Muskogee.〔Freeman, Charles R. ( "The Battle of Honey Springs." In: ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. Volume 13, Number 2. June, 1935. ) Retrieved January 31, 2014.〕 It was also about southwest of Fort Gibson.〔("Battle of Honey Springs." ) Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved August 23, 2014.〕 ==Background== At the start of the American Civil War, for cultural and economic reasons, all of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Territory opted to side with the Confederate States of America, raising native troops under the leadership of General Douglas H. Cooper, and driving out pro-Union Creek Indian forces after a short campaign culminating in the Battle of Chustenahlah. By 1863, Confederate fortunes in the region had sunk low, however. A Union campaign launched from Kansas led by Major General James G. Blunt having driven the Confederacy from the north of the region, many of the Cherokee switched sides to support the Union. Union forces led by Colonel William A. Phillips reoccupied Fort Gibson in Indian Territory during April, The move threatened the Confederate forces at Fort Smith. 1863. However, Phillips' supply line stretched from Fort Gibson to Fort Scott, Kansas, to the north. Confederate cavalry, operating from Cooper's encampment at Honey Springs, frequently harassed Fort Gibson and attacked its supply trains.〔 The Battle of Honey Springs was important for many reasons, among them: *The battle was the largest fought in the Indian Territory, based on numbers of troops engaged. *white soldiers were the minority in both Union and Confederate fighting forces. African Americans and Native Americans made up significant portions of each of the opposing armies. *The loss of the supplies at Honey Springs depot would likewise prove disastrous. Confederate forces, already operating on a shoe-string budget and with bad equipment, would come to increasingly rely on captured Union war material to keep up the fight. *Honey Springs was an important site along the Texas Road, a north-south artery between north Texas and Baxter Springs, Kansas or Joplin, Missouri. The side that controlled this place could control traffic along the road. *Honey Springs was a direct threat to Fort Gibson, which controlled shipping on the upper Arkansas River. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Honey Springs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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