Kansas 1st Volunteer Infantry (Union)

Wilson's Creek

In the summer of 1861, the Union and the Confederacy struggled for control of Missouri. Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon Army of the West was camped at Springfield, Missouri, with Confederate troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and Maj. Gen. Sterling Price approaching.READ MORE

Richmond, Kentucky

In Maj. Gen. Kirby Smith's 1862 Confederate offensive into Kentucky, Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne led the advance with Col. John S. Scott's cavalry out in front. The Rebel cavalry, while moving north from Big Hill on the road to Richmond, Kentucky, encountered Union troopers on August 29th and began skirmishing. After noon, Union artillery and infantry joined the fray, forcing the Confederate cavalry to retreat to Big Hill. At that time, Brig. Gen. Mahlon D. Manson, who commanded Union forces in the area…READ MORE

ColonelWilliam Y. Roberts

Brigadier GeneralHugh T. Reid

Vicksburg

In mid-May, 1863, after six months of unsuccessful attempts, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee finally converged on Vicksburg, defended by a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton. Capture of the Mississippi River town was critical to Union control of the strategic river. Vicksburg was located on a high river bluff defended with artillery, and Pemberton's men had constructed a series of fortifications in an 8-mile arc surrounding the city on the landward side. After crossing the…READ MORE

Cabin Creek

Union and Confederate troops with Indian regiments frequently skirmished on the eastern plains of the territory for control of rivers and forts. In early July 1863, Colonel James M. Williams led a Union supply train escorted by a handful of infantry and cavalry regiments on the Texas Road from Fort Scott, Kansas, to Fort Gibson in Indian Territory. Williams' force included Indian Home Guard units as well as his own unit, the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. As he approached the crossing of Cabin Creek, midway…READ MORE

Honey Springs

Union and Confederate troops had frequently skirmished in the vicinity of Honey Springs Depot in the Indian Territory of east-central Oklahoma. The Union commander in the area, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt, correctly surmised that Confederate forces, mostly Native American troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper, were about to concentrate and attack his force at Fort Gibson on the Arkansas River. He decided to meet and engage the Confederates before they were joined by Brig. Gen. William Cabel…READ MORE

Poison Spring

Poison Spring State Park is a day use park complete with picnic furnishings, a trail and a diorama summarizing the Battle of Poison Spring. This site is dedicated to the battle fought there April 18, 1864, during the Camden expedition of the Red River Campaign. Confederate troops attacked Union soldiers returning from taking supplies from Camden, Arkansas.READ MORE

ColonelCharles H. Robinson

Brigadier GeneralMelvin S. Grant

Brigadier GeneralWilliam H. M. Fishback

Westport

The Battle of Westport, fought October 21-23, was the largest battle west of the Mississippi River and the decisive battle of Confederate Gen. Stirling Price's 1864 Missouri campaign. Directions guide the visitor to the first of twenty-five narrative markers on a 32-mile, self-guided automobile tour and a self-guided walking tour of Byram's Ford and the Big Blue Battlefield. Each marker provides directions to the next stop on the tour. A written brochure is available from the Battle of Westport Visitor Cen…READ MORE