Fort McCulloch

At the start of the Civil War, Indian Territory (present Oklahoma) was home to many Native Americans, most notably those of the Five Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. In the summer and autumn, Confederate Commissioner and Brigadier General Albert Pike secured treaties of alliance with the Five Tribes. One of the many provisions of these alliances was the Confederacy’s promise to protect Indian Territory from United States invasion, including the stationing of white Confederate troops in Indian Territory to support Indian troops.

For his role in securing treaties with the local Indian tribes, General Pike was given command of the military district of Indian Territory. His force included both white Arkansan and Texan soldiers, as well as Native soldiers from all Five Tribes. Charged with the defense of Indian Territory, Pike determined to build an earthen fortification along the Blue River in southern Indian Territory. Dubbed Fort McCulloch, the post overlooked several strategic roadways, guarded any possible invasion of Texas, and could draw upon Texan reinforcements if needed. While perhaps tactically sound, Fort McCulloch’s location made little sense for the protection of Indian Territory. Located just a few miles from the Texas line, it essentially left the entirety of Indian Territory to the north defenseless. Still, Pike believed he has chosen the only defensible spot in the region and proceeded with construction of the fort in the spring of 1862.

Although the exact specifications of Fort McCulloch are unknown, it is clear the fort was constructed in the style of “star” fortifications popular in the era. The protruding earthworks were meant to break up enemy assaults and funnel the enemy into areas of overlapping Confederate fire. The earthworks stood approximately 3-5 feet high, and in front of them stood a protective ditch 10 feet wide and 5-8 feet deep. Inside the fortifications were structures for Pike’s headquarters, the quartermaster, mechanics, and a corral.

The fort’s garrison consisted of approximately 3,000 Confederate soldiers, including the 19th Arkansas Infantry, Captain West’s and Captain Woodruff’s Arkansas artillery batteries, the 22nd Texas Cavalry, and the 34th Texas Cavalry. Confederate Indian regiments often visited the post, which served as Pike’s primary headquarters. By all accounts, the garrison’s experience was miserable. The soldiers spent much of their time digging trenches and building earthworks, and as Captain Woodruff confessed, “It was rather distasteful occupation, but the duty was performed faithfully, if grumblingly.”[5] When not constructing earthworks, the men drilled; military supplies and food, however, were scarce. Sickness ravaged the camp, and as any as half the garrison were often on the sick rolls.

The soldiers couldn’t understand why they were constructing fortifications so far from the enemy. Many believed Pike didn’t want to fight the enemy. As Joseph Farr groused to his wife, “I believe he has finally come to the conclusion that he is far enough out of the way[.] We are only 20 miles from the Texas line.”[4] Pike’s Indian officers worried their nations were being left defenseless and complained to Confederate officials. More importantly, Albert Pike’s superior officer General Thomas C. Hindman couldn’t understand his subordinate’s actions. As Hindman scolded of Pike’s command, “there is no earthly need of its remaining 150 miles south of the Kansas line throwing up intrenchments. [sic]”[4]

By the summer of 1862, it was growing apparent the United States intended to invade Indian Territory. Frustrated with Pike’s recessed position at Fort McCulloch, General Hindman ordered him to move northwards. When Pike refused, Hindman ordered him to send some of troops toward Fort Smith. This Pike did only begrudgingly, and when directly ordered to take command of Confederate forces near Fort Smith to the north in July, Pike angrily resigned. Pike publicly criticized Hindman in a printed circular, and in turn was arrested and taken to Little Rock. He was eventually released as a civilian, bringing his ineffectual military career to an end.

Being too far south to hold much military value, Fort McCulloch was left abandoned for much of the war. Union raiders under Colonel William A. Phillips briefly occupied the post in February 1864 but quickly left it in their return north.

Largely forgotten as it weathered away over the years, in the 2010s, the Choctaw National Historic Preservation Office took an interest in the old post (which is within Choctaw Nation’s boundaries). Although most of Fort McCulloch’s earthworks are gone, archaeological and historic research revealed more about the fort’s construction. Aerial photographs from the 1940s reveal a partial outline of the post. What little remains of the site is on private property, however a nearby state historic marker does acknowledge Fort McCulloch’s place in Indian Territory history.

1. Jon D. May. “Fort McCulloch.” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Web. Accessed December 10, 2020. https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=FO036

2. Odie Faulk, Kenny Franks, and Paul Lambert. Early Military Forts and Posts in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, 1978.

3. James Briscoe. "Fort McCulloch: A mostly forgotten Choctaw historical site." 2014. Ita Fabussa, Biskinik [Choctaw newspaper]. Parts I & II. Web. Accessed December 10, 2020. Part I: https://www.choctawnation.com/sites/default/files/2015/10/14/2014.03_Fort_McCulloch_part_1.pdf & Part II: https://www.choctawnation.com/sites/default/files/2015/10/14/2014.04_Fort_McCulloch_part_2.pdf

4. Zachery Cowsert. "The Civil War in Indian Territory, 1861-1865." PhD dissertation. West Virginia University. 2020. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/7553/

5. William E. Woodruff. With the Light Guns in '61-'65. Little Rock, AR: Central Printing Company, 1903. Digitized. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100770162F