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The ambush of the steamboat ''J.R. Williams'' was a military engagement during the American Civil War. It took place on May 10, 1864 on the Arkansas River in Indian Territory which became encompassed by the State of Oklahoma. It is popularly termed the "only naval battle" in that landlocked state. It was a successful Confederate attack on the Union Army's lines of supply. The Confederate forces were Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Creek Indians led by General Stand Watie, who was a Cherokee.〔〔〔 ==Background== The Union army was unprepared for the logistical challenges of trying to regain control of Indian Territory from the Confederate government after abandoning its forts there early in the Civil War. The area was largely undeveloped, and the Union did not have enough troops to control the few roads. Pro-Union Indians had abandoned their own farms because of raids by pro-Confederacy Indians and fled to Kansas or Missouri, seeking protection by Union army forces there. It was not feasible to sustain a large military operation by living off the land. This was demonstrated in 1862, when General William Weer led 5,000 men in the "Indian Expedition" into Indian Territory from Baxter Springs, Kansas. Weer's troops captured a Confederate supply train at the Battle of Locust Grove. However, no Union supplies arrived after that, and the expedition ran short of food, ammunition and other essentials.Colonel Frederick Salomon placed Weer under arrest and assumed command of the expedition and withdrew to meet up with the supply trains.〔("Indian Expedition of 1862." ) Franzmann, Tom. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved December 27, 2014.〕 After the Confederate losses at the first Battle of Cabin Creek on 17 July 1863, and the Battle of Fort Smith the Union forces had essentially uncontested control of the Arkansas River between them. It had become feasible to resupply Union positions (e.g., Fort Gibson) in eastern Indian Territory by water instead of overland. Previously, the Union could only supply its forces in Indian Territory by wagon train from Fort Scott, Kansas. The supply trains soon proved to be relatively easy targets for Confederate raiders.〔( "Oklahoma (Indian Territory)." Civil War Traveler.org. ) May 6, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2014.〕 Steamboats like ''J. R. Williams'' were used for this purpose. Those used on the Arkansas typically, had stern-mounted paddle wheels to propel the ship, while a wood-fired boiler generated the steam that powered the wheel. There is anecdotal information that indicates wood was the fuel for inland steamboats. Coal and oil became more important after the Civil War (and with the depletion of American forests near the waterways).〔("The Riverboat Life." ) Retrieved December 7, 2014.〕 The fortunes of war had gone against the Confederate States of America by midsummer of 1863. Union victories in the southeastern states were rapidly depleting the Confederate Army of men and supplies, neither of which was replaceable. The Texas units were largely withdrawn from Indian Territory, leaving only units of Native Americans (principally the Five Civilized Tribes) to defend against further Union army incursions. Since the remaining Confederate forces were too weak to confront the Union forces there directly, Watie resorted to harassing tactics with hit-and-run raids. One of the most notable of these was an ambush of the supply steamboat ''J. R. Williams'' at Pleasant Bluff, on the Arkansas River.}} The raid was partially successful, in that the steamboat was destroyed by the action, and the cargo kept from the Union Army. The cargo was said to be worth $120,000.00.〔 It was a propaganda victory and morale builder for the Confederates and an embarrassment to the Union. It had no military effect, and the monetary loss to the Union was soon dwarfed by the Confederate ambush of a very large wagon train at the Second Battle of Cabin Creek. 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「Ambush of the steamboat J. R. Williams」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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