Skirmish site to become State Historic Site

Friday, June 10, 2011

The Skirmish at Island Mound, which occurred in Bates County during late October 1862, was not one of the pivotal battles of the Civil War; it wasn't even really a battle, but it is a significant point in the history of the United States because it was the first time that black troops fought and died in defense of the country. The Island Mound battle site is not as well known as some of the other Civil War sites in the state, but that is changing. The skirmish at Island Mound took place about seven miles southwest of Butler, Mo., near a homestead along what was known as the Fort Scott Road.

Many people think of the movie "Glory" when they think of the first black troops to fight in the Civil War. That movie depicts the raising of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and their storming attack on Fort Wagner near Charleston, S.C., in July of 1863. But the first troops to die in a Union uniform were the men of the First Kansas Colored Regiment who were killed at Island Mound.

The 1st Kansas wasn't officially mustered into Union service until Jan. 13, 1863, but the men in her ranks were recruited by that "notorious Kansas Jayhawker Jim Lane" a full two months before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which authorized the enlistment of blacks into military duty, according to a battlefield preservation and development summary from the Missouri Division of State Parks.

Some of the land where the fight between the 1st Kansas Colored Regiment and a force of rebel soldiers numbering near 700 strong took place has been purchased by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and will be turned into a State Historical Site.

According to author Chris Tabor, 225 men of the 1st Kansas marched into Bates County on Oct. 27, 1862, to "disperse a band of bushwhackers operating near Hog Island" just south of the Toothman farm on the Fort Scott Road. Realizing the enemy's superior numbers, the 1st Kansas commandeered the Toothman farm; Toothman was a known guerilla and southern sympathizer, and the Union soldiers built a breastwork around it using material from a split rail fence. They named their hastily erected camp "Fort Africa."

For the next three days there was fighting back and forth between the rebels in the low ground along the river and the 1st Kansas on the mound. The majority of the fighting took place away from the Toothman homestead and more to the south. The 1st Kansas held their ground despite being outnumbered, running out of food, and having to send runners back to Kansas for reinforcements.

Finally, on the 29th, the rebels broke and ran and all that was left was to see to the dead and wounded. In his official report to the United States War Department, Captain R. G. Ward, Company B commander of the 1st Kansas Colored Regiment wrote, "Here commenced the most painful duty of the day, removal of the killed and wounded. On that slope lay 8 of our dead and 10 wounded."

Some of those soldiers were laid to rest near the battle site, according to Tabor, and 79 of the 1st Kansas troops who made it through the war are buried in the Fort Scott National Cemetery. The 1st Kansas was discharged from the Union Army in October 1865, with the distinction of having lost 344 of its officers and enlisted men to combat and disease, more than any other Kansas regiment.

Because of the historical significance of the skirmish at Island Mound, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has purchased 40 acres of the original 80-acre Toothman homestead, which along with any other portions of the site that "can be obtained from willing sellers" will be turned into a State Historical Site.

Initial testing on the old Toothman place was conducted in the spring of 2009 by personnel from the DNR, Division of State Parks, the Civil War Heritage Foundation and volunteers. The exact locations of the many small fights that took place are not known, so there were many scientific tests conducted.

Crews conducted magnetometer tests to measure the magnetic levels of the ground and resistivity tests to determine the ground's resistance to the conduction of electricity. Both testing methods are designed to indicate disturbances in the soil such as a house foundation. A copse of trees thought to be the location of "Fort Africa" and an1870s Methodist Church was gridded off and thoroughly searched with metal detectors. On Monday, March 9, 2009, DNR researcher Brant Vollman said the ground in the copse of trees is "just full of metal.

Plans for the site have not been fully developed, but the tentative plans include extensive work and restoration. Phase I development of the site, according to the Division of State Parks will include "parking, interpretive panels and a short trail. A proposed site map shows a security gate, a period fence and an information kiosk. The map also shows the old Fort Scott Road being reconstructed, the prairie being restored and a graveled hiking trail looping through the area. There are also plans for a three-bay shelter house and wayside exhibits along the hiking trail. This site is not open to the public yet, but when it does open, it will not be staffed. According to the plan "once all the property is protected and prepared for tours and interpretation (about 220 acres +) a more substantial presence would be appropriate."

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