After the battle

5:05 P.M.

The black troops marched to a vacant field on Old Texas Road. It was dotted with former rebel campsites and adjacent to Cooper's abandoned headquarters.

Blunt assigned this choice location to them as a reward for "coolness and bravery I have never seen surpassed;..."36 The black troops supplemented their rations with large portions of smoked ham, venison, fresh corn, and molasses confiscated from the depot's general store. Later, as they enjoyed their first hot meal since leaving Ft. Blunt, the men shared food generously with hungry slaves and refugees huddled near the campground.

Fittingly, it was just across the creek from where "they were in the hottest of the fight;"38 earlier that day. The black troops pitched their tents and settled in for the night.

8:15 P.M.

Sgt. William McIntosh took Corporals Jeremiah Hall and Robert Austin on a preliminary burial detail to the creek's north bank. Using lanterns, they identified and marked the location of dead confederates on both sides of the bridge, in the woods, and along the road.

As the men worked in the approaching darkness, slaves from the Honey Springs area started to make their escape. McIntosh told them the road to Ft. Blunt was wide open if they wanted to leave. Hall said the retreating confederates were in no position or condition to follow them.

Reassured, small groups of strong-minded slaves set out for Ft Blunt, making their way past the burial detail and corpses.

Before leaving, many of them went to see wounded black soldiers lying near the creek. They thanked them for giving the slaves a chance to flee and prayed that the men would recover from their wounds. Throughout the night, black troops guarding the bridge allowed runaways to cross and escape up Texas Road to freedom.

10:00 P.M.

Some exhausted men began falling asleep listening to the running waters of Elk Creek. On the perimeter of their base camp, other troops provided a safe place for slave refugees to rest and sleep. They included the most elderly, the very young, and female slaves with babies and small children.

Twenty-four hours previously, more than 6,000 confederates slept near the creek while black troops marched south. This night, black troops slept near the creek while the confederates marched south.