It is not surprising that "Union" Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis who commanded the Department of Kansas is 1864 would state that, "The idea of Price being anywhere in Missouri is monstrous! To those Missourians of the "northern persuasion" and there were a great many during the Civil War this was true! However, to those of the "southern persuasion" in the Show-Me-State this was heresy, because the second coming of Major General Sterling Price and his "Army of Missouri," hopefully, would liberate them from northern oppression and aggression! Alas, in retrospect Price's 1864 Campaign in Missouri and Kansas did not liberate Missouri from its' northern occupation and oppression. ...

On Sept. 2, 1861, a small battle occurred near the present town of Deerfield, Mo., that was the conclusion of a two-day engagement that has two names. This engagement has been called the Battle of the Mules and the Battle of Drywood because of its proximity to the Big Drywood Creek and the Battle of the Mules because of the capture of 200 Union mules and horses...

Before the use of the "talking wire" or telegraph, during the Civil War, the fastest way of sending written communications was by sending the documents with an express rider or courier. Needless to say, this was hazardous occupation, but the courier did have some protection because normally a small detail or squad of soldiers would be provided as an escort. ...

Information gathering methods have changed over the years. During the Civil War, various ways of extracting information from un-willing prisoners, enemy soldiers or non-combatants (civilian men) were used. Times have changed and so have "information gathering methods". ...

"Keep your powder dry" is an old axiom that originated with the firing of flintlock weapons in the 17th, 18th and first half of the 19th century. A piece of flint would strike a spring operated iron frizzen causing sparks to ricochet into a shallow depression, igniting a small amount of gunpowder and that would, in turn, ignite the gunpowder in the barrel to fire or discharge the musket or rifle. ...

On July 17, 1863, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Kansas Indian Home Guards and battalions of the 6th Kansas and 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry participated in the Battle of Honey Springs that occurred near the present town of Checotah, Okla. The Indian Home Guards functioned as mounted infantry and were armed with their own rifles, shotguns and revolvers...

Yesterday was the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs or Elk Creek that occurred near the present town of Checotah, Okla. This battle was a large Union victory that included both Union and Confederate infantry, artillery and cavalry forces. ...

An "International Incident" involving a former foreign consul in St Louis, Mo., during the Civil War! Now wait just a minute! One would think that situations such as this happened in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va.; and they did, but to have one west of the Mississippi River, that seems a bit far fetched. ...

The title of this column could have been the motto of Union Brigadier General Clinton B. Fisk because it certainly was his policy to, whenever and wherever possible, kill every Confederate guerrilla and "bushwhacker" and outlaw in northern Missouri from April 6, 1864, to the end of the Civil War in April, 1865...

To say that the Confederate guerrillas/ bushwhackers who operated in Missouri and eastern Kansas during the Civil War were "troublesome is a bit of an understatement. They were more than "troublesome." They were a deadly enemy who would strike swiftly, kill, destroy and disappear, if they survived, to attack again until they met the "Grim Reaper" of Death, as many of them eventually did. ...

"Ordered to be shot." uch was the fate of most Confederate guerrillas (if you are of the Southern persuasion) or bushwhackers (if you are of the opposing or Yankee point of view) in Missouri during the Civil War. If a Confederate guerrilla or bushwhacker was unfortunate enough to be captured by the Blue Bellied Billy Yanks the grim reaper would quickly claim another soul because "Union" justice for the guerrilla was usually swift and fatal. ...

It appears that during the Civil War in Missouri "Union" patrols or scouts often encountered a number of "Indignant Women" and Barking Dogs that became a volatile, but not violent combination. Such was the case of the "Union" patrol that is described in the following report that is located on Pages 93-95, Vol. 34, Part III Correspondence in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion...

It's the Kansas-Missouri border again! Previously it has been mentioned that after Quantrill's successful raid and destruction of Lawrence, Kan. on August 21, 1863, the Union Army in Kansas and Missouri established a line of posts or camps to defend their respective borders. ...

The title of this column is very appropriate in describing the frustrating "Union" search and pursuit of the Confederate Guerillas in Missouri during the Civil War. It is also part of the June 3, 1864 entry of Sgt. James P. Mallery's Civil War Diary that describes the good Sergeant's activities for the entire year of 1864 when he was stationed with Co. A. of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry at Fort Curtis near Balltown, Vernon County, Mo...

This is a follow up and continuation of the column that appears above. However, in this set of entries in his diary Sgt. Mallery of Co. A., 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry records his patrol or scout does indeed find and attacks some Bushwhackers. Sgt. Mallery's entire diary was phonetically transcribed by Historian Pat Brophy and has been published by the Vernon County Historical Society. ...

Throughout his tenure as the commanding officer of the Department of Kansas, Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis, was constantly faced with waging a war in three basic directions. These directions consisted of defending eastern Kansas from raids by the Confederate guerrillas in Missouri, enemy attacks into Kansas from the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma) and attacks on the commercial and military traffic along the Santa Fe, Oregon and Smokey River Trails by various Plains Indian Tribes and possibly Confederate guerrillas. ...

No, the subject of this column is not the very expensive 20th Century horseless carriage of the same name (viper) and it is not about the poisonous snake of the same name! According to Mr. Webster, a less used definition of a viper, today, is a "Malicious, spiteful or treacherous person." What a perfect word to describe Kansas "Redlegs" (maverick soldiers and civilian outlaws) and Missouri guerrillas/bushwhackers in the Civil War. ...

By early 1864, defending the Kansas/Missouri Border with Union forces was becoming more organized and efficient. The main reason for this was that, once again and for the duration of the war the Department of Kansas had been created from and was entirely separate from the Department of Missouri. ...

By early 1864, the Civil War had been waged for almost three years and one might think that the brutality of the war may have convinced the Kansans and Missourians to stop killing each other. Don't think for one second, because some Kansans had long memories they remembered the murder and mayhem inflicted on their towns, villages, friends and families by the Missourians during the years of Bleeding Kansas. ...

During the Civil War, military justice for committing capital crimes such as murder, rape and desertion in the face of the enemy was execution by hanging or by a firing squad. This of course was true for soldiers of both the Blue and the Gray. There was also another form of justice that preceded and occurred after the Civil War and that was "Vigilante Justice."...

Often the words in the title of this column have been used to describe individuals who violated the "Articles of War" which governed the transgressions of both Union and Confederate soldiers and civilians during the Civil War and their respective punishments. The following General Order clearly defines what Martial Law was and who was a spy, brigand or guerrrilla...

By the winter of 1863, a popular refrain echoed in many Union and Confederate camps, posts, garrisons and armies on campaign wishing for what had become a long Civil War to end in peace throughout the land. The thoughts of the following verse are as meaningful today for any soldier, sailor, marine or air force personnel serving in "Harm's Way" and their families at home as they were for "Johnny Reb" and "Billy Yank"...

Here's that rogue regiment again! After the "Union" pursuit of Price's "Confederate Army of Missouri" to the Arkansas River in the fall of 1864, the companies of 15th Kansas Vol. Cavalry Regiment were stationed along the Missouri/Kansas Border to protect the "Jayhawk State." However, the regiment could not escape the memory of it's activities on the recent campaign which surfaced to haunt it well into 1865. ...

During the Civil War, one of the constant consistent concerns in Kansas was a major Confederate invasion of the Jayhawk State from Missouri or the Indian Territory. In retrospect, this in fact only happened twice between 1861 and 1865. The first was Quantrill's successful raid on and the destruction of Lawrence on Aug. ...

One of the biggest most complex and compound problems facing any commanding officer of Fort Scott during the Civil War was the lack of troops to protect the millions of dollars worth of supplies at Fort Scott, protecting the supply trains going south to Fort Gibson and Fort Smith and to protect the loyal civilians who were being murdered and robbed within 20 miles of Fort Scott...

During the week of Nov. 1-5, 1862; Colonel William C. Quantrill and his guerrillas were elusive foes of some Kansas and Missouri "Blue Belly Billy Yanks". This was not an official combined operation, nor was it a cooperative venture between the Union "Hounds" from Kansas and Missouri. ...

One constant factor of the Civil War in Missouri was that the Confederate guerrillas or foxes were always looking for a fight and they usually found one. The guerrillas or bushwhackers, if you are of the northern or Kansas persuasion, were almost always successful when they were on the offensive, either from an ambush or direct attack. ...

One might think that by its title, this column is going to be about weapons or soldiers in the Civil War. However, that conclusion would be wrong. One of the many military sayings, the origin of which has been lost in the pages of the past, that was valid in the Civil War and for any war, even today, is that "An army marches on its stomach!" In other words a key ingredient to the success of any army is the fact that it must be supplied with food or rations for the troops...

By early October 1864, there was no doubt in the mind of the Union commanders in Missouri and Kansas that Confederate Major General Sterling Price and his "Army of Missouri" were heading north into eastern Missouri. No one knew what Price's ultimate goals were. ...

Late in September, 1864, it was still not known when and where Confederate forces were going to invade Kansas. It was known, courtesy of the Talking Wire"(telegraph) that the Confederate Army of Missouri commanded by Major General Sterling Price had entered southeast Missouri and that there was a large enemy force commanded by Brigadier General Stand Watie threatening the southern border of Kansas from the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma). ...

After the successful Confederate raid and destruction of Lawrence, Kansas on Aug. 21, 1863, the "Union" pursuit of Colonel William C. Quantrill and his band of guerrillas was disjointed and unorganized. However there were a few "Kansas" and Missouri regiments that were successful in tracking down some and killing a few of the raiders. ...

During the Civil War, the Union forces in Eastern Kansas stationed along the Missouri border and throughout the state of Missouri were constantly on missions identified as "patrols" or "scouts" in search of Confederate guerrillas or "bushwhackers." Very often these patrols were not successful because "no" bushwhackers were found. ...

Without a doubt, many of the Confederate Guerrillas in Missouri attended church on Sunday and on this particular Sabbath it was not a wise thing to do because the fighting did not stop on Sunday and for a few "bushwhackers" this was the last church service they attended. Both of the following after action reports are located on Pages 65-67 in Vol. 41, Part I of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion...

By any definition, assassins, incendiaries (arsonists), brigands and marauders are not "nice folks"! In fact, from a military perspective during the Civil War they were considered "bad to the bone and were to be eliminated immediately. In other words, "shot on the spot!"...

Much has been written in this column about "bush-whacking" and "bush-whackers," both of which were very common in Missouri during the Civil War. However, for the benefit of any new readers and a refresher for the faithful, I thought it would be best for Mr. Webster and the Union blue-bellied hounds to provide a definition, perception and reaction to the "bushwhackers" (partisan rangers, if you are of the Southern persuasion) and what "bushwhacking" was...

It has been said and is believed that good NCO's (Non-Commissioned Officers) are the backbone of any branch of the military service. Good NCO's lead by example and communicate and implement orders received from the officers to the enlisted personal. This was true in the Civil War and is true today in times of peace and war. The following after action reports describe the excellent combat leadership demonstrated by 1st Sergeant Robert W. Smith of Co. C, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry...

In today's world, drugs and delusions are normally associated with each other in which delusions and hallucinations can be created by the ingestion of drugs. However, delusions can also be created without drugs by visual perceptions and deceptions of reality. ...

The description and citation reads as follows: "POND, GEORGE F. Rank and organization: Private Company C, 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry .Place and Date: At Drywood, Kansas, 15 May 1864. Entered service at: unknown. Birth: Lake County, Illinois. Date of Issue: 16 May 1899. ...

In the spring of 1863, Majored Charles W. Blair was the commanding officer at Fort Scott and he was vexed with a number of "Bushwhacker" problems. The bushwhackers and guerrillas from the "Land of Misery" (Union nickname for Missouri) were a constant and consistent deadly nuisance that was never eliminated along the entire Kansas / Missouri border throughout the entire Civil War. ...

The following after action report describes a successful surprise attack before dawn by Confederate guerrillas in southeast Missouri that is a typical example of a vicious, brutal and nasty engagements that occurred throughout the entire state. At first it appears to be a Confederate victory, but the guerrillas chose to disappear in the brush to fight another day as the Union blue bellies successfully defended their camp. ...

During the Civil War, the Department of the Missouri was one of the most difficult places for the Union Army to control because of the political divisiveness within the state. Union forces never completely occupied all of Missouri; however, as the war progressed, Union forces mostly comprised of Missouri State Militia troops occupied almost all of the strategic cities and towns in the state. All of the Union generals commanding the Department of the Missouri believed in "death to Bushwhackers."...

In December of 1862, the Civil War was only 19 months old and Fort Scott had become a large military complex that was much bigger than the original fort of the 1840s. The town was occupied by Union forces and would remain so throughout the entire war. ...

The following two incidents occurred within a few days of each other at opposite sides of southern Missouri and illustrate that during the Civil War the "mayhem" that was Missouri occurred throughout the entire "Show-Me-State!" Both incidents maybe found on Pages 761-764 of Series I, Vol. 22 of the Official records of the War of the Rebellion...

Traditionally, the fourth Thursday of November is celebrated as a day of national Thanksgiving. For most folks, it is a holiday that centers around a large family gathering and dinner. It is also a day of remembering distant family members who cannot be at home or who are now remembered as part of one's family history...

Today is the 89th Anniversary of Armistice Day. This anniversary signifies the end of what was known as the War to End all Wars, the "Great World War" and became identified historically as World War I in the second half of the 20th Century. The end of this war occurred at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of November in 1918. This day has been renamed "Veteran's Day" to honor and remember all United States military veterans and their families and this is as it should be...

During the Civil War, most after action reports describe what happened in a battle or engagement. The author of the report (normally the commanding officer) was not normally required to explain or justify his or his men's conduct. However, there were then and are very often in today's war occasions when a commanding officer was and is required to explain why he and his men did what they did! The following is an excellent description of a "Yankee" mission or "scout" that was typical of the total war that was waged in Missouri and why the commanding officer had to explain why things happened the way they did.. ...

On Oct. 25, 1864. the thunder of artillery echoed down the Marais des Cygnes, Little Osage and Marmaton River Valleys and across the eastern Kansas prairie. The sounds of Union and Confederate cannons being fired and the explosion of their ammunition caused much consternation, worry and fear on every farm and in every town, including Fort Scott, where the sounds of the big guns were heard...

Early in October of 1864, along the Kansas-Missouri Border, there was worry and concern about the movements of Confederate Major General Sterling Price and his "Army of Missouri." Where was this Confederate force going? That was the big question! By Oct. ...

Today, when one hears or reads the words "runway" or "runways," they are normally associated with airports, airplanes and a means of rapid transportation. In the 19th century and the Civil War, the rivers were runways for steamboats and a good dry road (granted, these were few, far and in between, but they did exist) was often considered a route or runway because it could be used to move military supplies and troops fairly quickly...

One of the most feared ways of being wounded during the Civil War was being "cut" by an edged weapon such as a cavalry saber or bowie knife in hand-to-hand combat or worst of all being "run through by a bayonet. According to "Mr. Webster" a bayonet is " a detachable daggerlike blade put on the end of a rifle for hand-to-hand fighting." A sharply pointed bayonet attached to the end of a rifle was and is used today to stab the body of an enemy soldier with one or more fierce thrusts! Normally, during the Civil War bayonets were used by the "Infantry Soldiers" (or "walk-a-heaps": American Indian nickname for Infantry) attached to the end of their long muskets or rifles. ...

This is a "day of remembrance" that was established after and as a result of the American Civil War in which more than 620,000 American soldiers, sailors, marines and an unknown number of civilians died. Memorial/Decoration Day and Armistice/Veterans Day on Nov. 11, were and are the two days we as a nation remember our fallen warriors and family members...

Headquarters, Lexington, May 5, 1863 General: I have the honor to report that Captain Morris returned last evening from the Wellington neighborhood, bringing 27 prisoners and having in other respects carried out orders. Another officer goes into that section today with similar orders. On last night the same 4 thieves visited Wellington and robbed the Post-Office and cut the telegraph wire...

Very often deceptions and disguises played an important part in the success or failure of "Guerrilla Operations" or clandestine missions during the Civil War or for that matter any war. In the Civil War both Union and Confederate forces often used the uniform of the enemy or civilian clothes as a disguise when conducting missions behind enemy lines as a spy or to use as an element of surprise when attacking, capturing or destroying an enemy force. ...

In the Spring of 1862, the Union Forces in Missouri and Kansas were waging a frustrating war against the cunning Confederate foxes (guerrillas) and the murderous Kansas Jayhawkers (outlaws and redlegs). Violent incidents involving these culprits were especially common and more prevalent along or near the border of Kansas and Missouri. ...

According to Mr. Webster, a loose definition of mayhem is any "deliberate destruction or violence." Therefore, because of the excessive amount of "deliberate destruction and violence" in the Show-Me State during the Civil War, Missouri could be considered to be in a constant state of mayhem...

Any War is a "Nasty Business" and the Civil War in Eastern Kansas and the entire state of Missouri was especially nasty brutal and barbaric because of the guerrilla war that was waged in the Sunflower and Show Me States. March of 1862 was a violent month, but it was no different than most months of the war when the persistent Union "hounds" pursued elusive Confederate "foxes." Guerrilla raids, skirmishes (small engagements) and battles occurred both day and night...

On the 7th of March, 1862, when the Battle of Pea Ridge or Elkhorn Tavern was raging across the fields and in the gullies and ravines in the mountains of northwest Arkansas there was a different kind of combat being waged near St. Charles and Marshall, Mo. ...

After being victorious in the Battle of the Hemp Bales at Lexington, Mo. on Sept.19-21, 1861, Confederate General Sterling Price and his army were pursued south by southwest across Missouri in a very erratic manner by Union forces until the Confederates occupied Springfield. ...

Today, when one hears or sees the word Jayhawks, it normally refers to the mascot of the University of Kansas. However, during the Civil War "jayhawk" and its' derivatives had very distinct and different meanings. As a noun, jayhawk, jayhawks or jayhawkers normally referred to Union soldiers from Kansas. ...

Jan. 13, 2006, was the 143rd Anniversary of a very significant milestone in American history, African- American history and the history of the United States Army. On Jan. 13, 1863, approximately 500 black soldiers joined, in Fort Scott, Kan., a new Union regiment that was designated as the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment. ...

In his 1863 Annual Report of the Military Activities in the Department of the Missouri, General- in-Chief of the Union Armies, General Henry W. Halleck, accurately described the most common type of enemy in Missouri that raised havoc against the "Billy Yanks" throughout the entire Civil War as follows: " A large part of the military force in the Department of the Missouri has been employed during the past year in repelling raids and in repressing guerrilla bands of robbers and murders who have come within our lines or been organized in the country. ...

Early, before dawn on the cold winter morning of Dec.16, 1858; Captain James Montgomery and approximately 100 of his "Free State Raiders" attacked Fort Scott to rescue one of his men, Ben Rice, who was a prisoner in the "Free State Hotel" that was located on the northwest corner of Carroll Plaza. ...

During 1864, Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis, commanding the Department of Kansas, in addition to defending Kansas was also responsible for protecting the settlers in central and western Kansas and the commercial and immigrant traffic along the Santa Fe, Oregon and Smokey Hill River Trails from the "Plains Indians" who would periodically go on the "warpath!" The following letters indicate some of the difficulties General Curtis faced as he attempted to conduct a "War on the Plains" of Kansas in late 1864.. ...

"Spoils of War" refers to any property or territory that is taken by force and captured during war. In the Civil War, this was also called "contraband property" and was usually turned over to the Quartermaster Department to be repaired, issued or sold at a public auction to raise funds for the war effort. ...

On Nov. 20, 1863, General Orders No. 20 was signed for Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr. and issued at the Headquarters of the Union "District of the Border" in Kansas City, Missouri. General Ewing is to this day considered by many Missourians to have been a "Demon" and the "Devil Incarnate" because he was the Union officer who signed and issued the infamous Order No. ...

Yesterday was Veterans Day or as it was traditionally named, Armistice Day when Veterans of all Wars, living and deceased are honored, recognized and remembered throughout the United States. Therefore, this column is dedicated to all veterans who have served, are currently serving and will serve in the Armed Forces defending the freedom we as a nation enjoy...

Throughout the Civil War in Missouri, the "Union Hounds" were always pursuing the "Confederate Foxes" in an attempt to eradicate the enemy guerrillas and bushwhackers. The "Blue Bellies" never completely succeeded in this mission, but many famous or infamous Confederate guerrillas were killed. ...

On Oct. 15, 1864, while Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis was concerned with defending "Kansas" against an invasion by the Confederate Campaign in Missouri he responded to a letter from a civilian U.S. Attorney in Denver, Colorado. During the Civil War, the Colorado Territory was part of the Department of Kansas that was commanded by General Curtis. ...

On Aug. 25, 1863, four days after the very successful destruction of Lawrence, the Abolitionist Capitol of Kansas, Order No. 11 was signed by Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Ewing and issued in the Union Military District of the Border as an immediate severe reprisal to Quantrill's Raid. ...

"Lawrence, August 21, 1863: 5 p.m.[To: Brigadier General T. Ewing, Comdg.: District of the Border,Kansas City, Mo.] General: I have, with regret, to report that Quantrill, alias Charley Hart, reached this town about 4:30 this morning; burned the town; slaughtered in cold blood about 60 citizens; then left by Blanton Bridge and by the way of the town of Brooklyn. ...

In the spring and summer of 1863 the "Guerrilla War" in Missouri and Kansas accelerated and numerous atrocities were committed by "Kansas Redlegs" and "Missouri Bushwhackers." The Union soldiers called Missouri the "Land of Misery" and believed that it and it's citizens were the enemy that should be conquered and occupied. Missouri was never completely conquered or occupied and it's citizens of the "Southern Persuasion" remained defiant and their spirit unbroken (some to this very day!)...

Warfare on the plains of Central and Western Kansas during the Civil War has almost been totally ignored in the history books. This is the "forgotten war" of the Civil War and is documented in the "Official Records of the War of the Rebellion." This conflict was not between Union and Confederate forces, -- it was waged by the Union Army against the Kiowa, Arapahoe and Comanche Indians of the plains. ...

Throughout the Civil War, bands of Redlegs, Bushwhackers and outlaws would often use a "Public House" (tavern, inn or store) as a rendezvous point in Kansas and Missouri. One of the most notorious "Redleg" gathering places was the "Six-Mile House" that was a combination of a tavern and inn, which was located six miles from the town of Wyandotte on the Leavenworth Road. ...

Very often, during the Civil War irregular forces such as partisan rangers, guerrillas, bushwhackers and redlegs were armed with better weapons than the opposing Union or Confederate soldiers. This was not unusual because members of the irregular forces could individually purchase better weapons on the open market, take them from prisoners or dead enemy soldiers, rob or steal them from civilians. ...

In Fort Scott In the summer of 1862, the town of Fort Scott, Kan., was not the huge Union military complex that it would become from 1863-'65. There was a small Union garrison in Fort Scott, because most of the troops that had been stationed at and around the town in the spring of 1862 were participating in the "Indian Expedition" which was the first Union attempt to re-occupy the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma)...

During the Civil War, the "war" did not normally stop for holidays. Union Troops on campaign or in the field on "seek and destroy missions" continued to carry the war to the enemy no matter what the day was. However, troops in "garrison" away from combat areas could and did celebrate holidays that included "Independence Day" or the...

Throughout the Civil War the "Union" pursuit, capture and execution of "Missouri Bushwhackers," "Kansas Jayhawkers and Redlegs" and "Outlaws" in both states was relentless and deadly with instant death as the immediate result. However, occasionally one of these individuals was not executed immediately and lived for a few days on "Borrowed Time." There was normally no rhyme or reason for this, it just happened; and the following example is of a "Bushwhacker" who lived for a few extra days and then was probably executed.. ...

Currently, most general histories of the Civil War on the Kansas-Missouri Border state that the "Jayhawkers" were normally from Kansas and the "Bushwhackers" were from Missouri. However, recent research indicates that there were "Civilian Jayhawkers" living in Missouri who were not loyal to the United States and were attacked, captured and killed by Union soldiers! These "Civilian Jayhawkers" were outlaws who robbed, plundered and murdered both Union and Confederate civilians. ...

One of the most unknown aspects of the Civil War is the participation of American Indians as soldiers in the Union & Confederate armies. In recent years a number of books have been published about the Confederate Indian soldiers, but very little has been written about the Union Indian soldiers who are the "Forgotten Warriors" of the Civil War. ...

Before and after the Civil War Pvt. Hugh L. Thompson of Companies C & H of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment lived near Carl Junction, Missouri. In the 1880s he submitted several articles to the National Tribune which described his experiences living near Carl Junction, Missouri as a young man before he was old enough to enlist in the Union Army. ...

On April 1, 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic was established in Decatur, Ill. By the late 19th Century the GAR became the largest organization of "Union" Civil War Veterans in the United States. During the late 1870s and early 1880s Kansas was known as "The Great Soldier State" because more members of the Grand Army of the Republic moved to and resettled in Kansas than in any other state. ...

During the past 30 years the role of the African-American Soldier in the Civil War has finally been recognized, studied and published in various books and magazine articles. Approximately 187,000 Black soldiers served in the Volunteer Forces of the Union Army and an additional 20,000 served in the United States Navy. ...

Battlefield Dispatches is a column featuring original documents from the era of "Bleeding Kansas" (1854 --1861) and the "Civil War" (1861--1865). --- "Next morning we started to Fort Smith for supplies, but as to how I got there, I never knew as the fever had the best of me; the first I knew, I was in Camp on the north side of the river near Fort Smith laying on a saddle blanket with a cavalry saddle for a pillow and hearing pistol shots and someone to say if "Nix was able to Pull a gun he could hit it." I turned my head and saw they were shooting at a goose's head as it walked by about 40 yards away. ...

Battlefield Dispatches is a column featuring original documents from the era of "Bleeding Kansas" (1854 --1861) and the "Civil War" (1861--1865) west of the Mississippi River. [Private William F. Nichols served for approximately 18 months, Feb. 13, 1864 -- Sept. 25, 1865.]...

Battlefield Dispatches is a column featuring original documents from the era of Bleeding Kansas (1854 -- 1861) and the Civil War (1861- 1865) west of the Mississippi River. --- Private William F. Nichols served with Company A of the 11th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment for approximately 18 months, from Feb. ...

At the beginning of September 1861, the town of Fort Scott was seriously threatened by Confederate forces for the first time in the Civil War. On Sunday, Sept. 1, a small engagement occurred a mile or so east of Fort Scott in which a Confederate "Reconnaissance in Force" of approximately 75 mounted troopers captured and absconded with the small herd of 86 Kansas mules. ...