First
Kansas (Colored) Volunteer Infantry Regiment
During the Civil War, Kansas was the first state to officially recruit
and train military units comprised of black soldiers. Between July 1862
and October 1863, the 1st and 2nd Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry
Regiments were recruited in eastern Kansas and mustered into the Union
Army at Fort Scott. They compiled a proud campaign record in Kansas,
Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory.
Recruitment
Kansas Senator (General) James H. Lane pioneered
the recruitment of black soldiers in the Midwest. Most of the soldiers
of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment were from Fort
Scott, Leavenworth, Mound City, Wyandotte, and Lawrence, Kansas. The
Fort Scott Bulletin reported:
July 26, 1862
"An effort is being made in Leavenworth
to raise a regiment of negroes. There are contrabands enough in Fort
Scott to fill up two companies..."
August 16, 1862
"Colored Regiments--Gen. Lane is still
going on with the work of organizing two Colored Regiments, notwithstanding
the refusal of the President to accept black soldiers. Last Tuesday
about fifty recruits were raised here..."
Organization
The 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment
was mustered into the United States Army on January 13, 1863, at Fort
Scott, Kansas. It was the fifth black regiment to enter the Union Army.
Colonel James M. Williams, who had helped recruit the regiment, became
the commanding officer. Throughout the Civil War, white officers normally
commanded black regiments. However, a few black soldiers eventually
earned the rank of officer and many others were promoted to non-commissioned
officers (corporals and sergeants.) On December 13, 1864, during a general
reorganization of the black regiments the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry
became the 79th United States Colored Troops (USCT) and the 2nd Kansas
Colored Infantry was designated the 83rd United States Colored Troops.
Campaign Record
The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment achieved
an excellent combat record during the Civil War, and it also performed garrison,
engineer, and escort duty. The Regiment saw action at:
- Island Mound; near Butler, Missouri October
28, 1862
- Reeder Farm; near Sherwood Missouri May 18,
1863
- Cabin Creek, Indian Territory July 1-2, 1863
- Honey Springs, Indian Territory July 17, 1863
- Poison Springs, Arkansas April 18, 1864
- Flat Rock Creek, Indian Territory September
16, 1864
- Timber Hills, Indian Territory November 19,
1864
Reputation
Union officers recognized the excellent combat
reputation of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment:
Major General James G. Blunt--July 26, 1863:
"The First Kansas (colored) particularly
distinguished itself, they fought like veterans and preserved their
line unbroken throughout the engagement. Their coolness and bravery
I have never seen surpassed."
Lt. Colonel John Bowles--July 20, 1863:
"In conclusion, I feel it but justice
and my duty to state that the officers and men throughout the entire
regiment behaved nobly, and with the coolness of veterans. Each seemed
to vie with the other in the performance of his duty, and it was with
the greatest gratification that I witnessed their gallant and determined
resistance under the most galling fire."
Brigadier General John McNeil--November 2, 1863:
"On Saturday I reviewed the First
Arkansas Volunteers, First Colored Infantry Kansas Volunteers, and
Rabb's Battery. The negro regiment is a triumph of drill and discipline,
and reflects great honor on Col. Williams, in command. Few volunteer
regiments that I have seen make a better appearance. I regard them
as first-rate infantry."
Colonel James M. Williams--April 24, 1864:
"The officers and men all evinced
the most heroic spirit, and those that fell died the death of a true
soldier."
Discharge
The 1st Kansas Colored Regiment, mustered out
in October 1865, incurred the most casualties of any Kansas Regiment.
Five officers and 173 enlisted soldiers were killed in action and one
officer and 165 enlisted soldiers died from disease.
Suggested Reading
- The Sable Arm: Negro Troops in the Union Army,
1861-1865,by Dudley Taylor Cornish.
- Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of
Black Soldiers and White Officers, by Joseph T. Glatthaar.
- The Negro's Civil War, by James McPherson
- Army Life in a Black Regiment, by Thomas Wentworth
Higginson
- The Negro in the Civil War, by Benjamin Quarles
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