PCGHS - Research log Battle of Perryville

Subject of Research:

Date

Researcher name

Source Name

Type

Source location

Positive Findings

Contrary Findings

11/10/2014

David Beal

National Register of Historic Places - Perryville

Posting

FaceBook - Pittsburg County Genealogical and Historical Society - Oklahoma

National Register of Historic Places - Perryville
Is this chimney, which was photograph in 1972, still standing?
The following is from the Nomination Form:
Today Perryville has been pretty well reduced to a single stone chimney, exact age unknown. But the persistent historian can, by following what sketchy records that exist (most are latter-day recollections, so necessarily imprecise), locate to his satisfaction some of the town's now vanished buildings, determine the course of the trails, and recreate in his mind's eye the battle fought on the east edge of the town. The old cemetery remains, of course, as do some filled-in wells and cisterns.
Perryville is one of countless settlements on the frontier brought into being by wagon roads, allowed to flourish for a time, then administered the coup de grace by the railroads/ Unlike many of them, however, its relatively brief role in history was significant enough to rate something more than footnote status in an obscure reference book. XA Civil War battle that threatened to wipe it off the map of Indian Territory was fought on its doorstep. But previous to that conflict it had parlayed its strategic position at the junction of two well-traveled trails to become one of the most important commercial centers in the Choctaw Nation.
The Perry family was prominent in Choctaw-Chickasaw history, Perryville the town (about four miles south of present McAlester) was probably named for James Perry, who arrived in Indian Territory, from Mississippi, in 1838. His wife was of Chickasaw descent and he more or less identified himself with the interests of that tribe. He was one of the four delegates who signed the Treaty of Doaksville in 1837 on behalf of the Chickasaws.
James Perry opened a trading post here on the Texas Road (from Fort Gibson southwesterly into Texas Road) around 1838 or 1839. By February 24, 1841, the settlement had a post office, with one John F. Houston as postmaster; though all evidence tends to show that the office itself was in the Perry store and remained there until it was eventually closed. Perry was relatively well to do by the time he died, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. He is buried in the old Perryville cemetery, but his grave is unmarked today,
Establishment of Fort Arbuckle in 1352 further emphasized Perryville's importance as a transportation center. A military road from Fort Smith to the new outpost crossed the already well traveled Texas Road at this point'. Emigrants bound for Texas and/or California became familiar with the goods and services available at Perryville and a stage stand was maintained there until the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad (the first to cross Indian Territory) arrived in 1872. It wasn't until 1875 that William Chunn, latest successor to the Perry general merchandise business, finally closed his store and moved away. The town by then was well on its way to oblivion.

5/2013

David Beall

Tobucksy News - (requires password) Volume 30 No. 2 "Battle of Perryville, Written by Jess C. Epple for Kiamichi Magazine, reprented

PDF

PCGHS

Yes see Tobucksy News

ROPulse

Oklahoma Department of Transportation - Civil war map - excellent

PDF

OKDEPTRAN

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

PERRYVILLE

Html

OSU Digital 1 1849

OSU Digital 2 1863

OSU Digital 3 1930

OSU Digital 4 1926

OSU Digital 5 1940

OSU Digital 6 Texas Road

OSU Digital 7 1926

OSU Digital 8 1863

OSU Digital 9 Gost towns

OSU Digital 10 1939

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

From Georgia Tragedy to Oklahoma Frontier, ABiography of Scots Creek Indian Chief Chilly McIntosh by Billie Jane McIntosh

Book

Personal library

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

Chronicles of Oklahoma
Volume 8, No. 2
June, 1930
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PERRYVILLE,
CHOCTAW NATION

Html

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/search.htm

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

Indian Territory in the American Civil War

Html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Territory_in_the_American_Civil_War

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

Google Search -

Html

http://www.ozarkscivilwar.org/regions/indian-territory

Yes - see Webpage

ROPulse

Google Search -

Html

http://www.civilwaralbum.com/indian/perryville.htm

Yes - see Webpage

Not finished

ROPulse

Search Cornell University Digital Archives

Html

http://digital.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/index.html

43 listing - not finished - searched on Perryville, and each of the officers in the battle