From the Kansas State Historical Society:
The First Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, with the first recruits reporting in August 1862 at Fort Scott, was the first military unit recruited in the northern states for service in the Civil War. This unit was the first to have blacks see battle and the first to have blacks die in action.
The First Kansas Colored Infantry was mustered into the federal army on January 13, 1863. Authorization to recruit the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry did not come until January 26, 1863--thirteen days after the First Kansas was mustered in, and several months after the First Kansas was bloodied by hostile action.
Before being accepted into the federal Army, the First Kansas Colored Infantry saw action at Bates City, Missouri, in October 1862 against Confederate forces and suffered ten dead and twelve wounded before driving the Confederate forces off.
Having said that, Wikipedia states that the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, recruited from freed slaves, was the first Union Army regiment organized for the Civil War with African American soldiers.
Wikipedia also states the 1st Louisiana Native Guard (CSA) was a Confederate militia of "free persons of color" formed in 1861 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Thanks. I love your historical posts. I've learned a lot. It's common family knowledge that my great grandfather ,Col. Jacob Amberg didn't like Indians, but thought the black soldiers were really worthwhile ,well trained and fought well. He was career union cavalry ( sorry Red) and quite a character..Feisty and loved a good debate...was married 5 times, to a couple of them more than once. My grandfather always said I was a cross between his father and Daddy's mother. :-[ ;D
Dammit Waldo :laugh: I'm a Civil War buff & I've made a hobby of the Kansas Regiments. Now you have irritated the itch again and I'll waste another weekend wandering around through my sources. ;D
For purposes of illumination, for those who have no interest, but might be bored here are some links that may be interesting.
- History of Colored Troops in American Civil War (http://americancivilwar.com/colored/histofcoloredtroops.html)
- First Kansas Volunteer Infantry (Colored) (http://americancivilwar.com/colored/1st_Kansas_infantry_colored_troops.html)
-=crl=-
San Antonio
Quote from: W. Gray on July 21, 2011, 09:29:29 AM
From the Kansas State Historical Society:
The First Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, with the first recruits reporting in August 1862 at Fort Scott, was the first military unit recruited in the northern states for service in the Civil War. This unit was the first to have blacks see battle and the first to have blacks die in action.
The First Kansas Colored Infantry was mustered into the federal army on January 13, 1863. Authorization to recruit the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry did not come until January 26, 1863--thirteen days after the First Kansas was mustered in, and several months after the First Kansas was bloodied by hostile action.
Before being accepted into the federal Army, the First Kansas Colored Infantry saw action at Bates City, Missouri, in October 1862 against Confederate forces and suffered ten dead and twelve wounded before driving the Confederate forces off.
Having said that, Wikipedia states that the 1st South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, recruited from freed slaves, was the first Union Army regiment organized for the Civil War with African American soldiers.
Wikipedia also states the 1st Louisiana Native Guard (CSA) was a Confederate militia of "free persons of color" formed in 1861 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Uhmm I don't think there was a all black regiment in the south. around 100,000 blacks fought for the south alongside white soldiers. Nathan Bedford Forrest had 44 that served along side of him.
Theres a member on here that knows the history of the SE kansas SCV camp. Charlie i think is his name.
srkruzich-the cemetary here in elk falls was started during the Civil War and the first persons interned there were a group of black Buffalo Soldiers. I'm not sure of the number or names, but there are certainly several buried here.
Quote from: doobie on August 06, 2011, 07:24:05 AM
srkruzich-the cemetary here in elk falls was started during the Civil War and the first persons interned there were a group of black Buffalo Soldiers. I'm not sure of the number or names, but there are certainly several buried here.
There was a agreement with the indians from this area to turn the area into a nother southern state. Hence the SVC camp. There were a lot of blacks in the confederate army.
I believe buffalo soldiers were union soldiers. Not confederates.
You are correct sir--that was my mistake. I had not had proper nutrition this morning before posting and it showed.
You all keep this up I'm gonna have to break out my 1911 books. I have the 10 volume set that was produced for the 50th anniversary. They are 100 years old just now and are one, actually 10, of my most precious belongings.
It's The Photographic History of the Civil War. It's a first edition set that I've had for more than 60 years. It came to me from a Civil War surgeon.That in it's self is an interesting story.
Red stated that he/it thinks I'm "clueless." One of these days I'll print some of what's in one book in particular that will show him I'm NOT the clueless one.. It has lots written by people who were there ,from both sides. It's pretty general and is full of "you know who's" photos. Not sure much of Kansas there but I'll look. The Buffalo Soldiers were definitely Union. My great grandfather had great admiration for them.
Diane that may be a good book, but it really is seriously lacking. Since it was published, and in the last 20 years, more and more documents have been found in attics and estates in the south that have been brought to light telling the story from the grunts point of view. In it You will not find anything about fighting the north to protect teh institution of slavery, you will only find that they were defending their country from a invasion. They were defending their homes from the slaughter the north brought on their families. The northern armies were ordered to commit war crimes to demoralize the south, and not surprisingly you will not find a record of any southern brigade that went through any northern territory raping, plundering or burning the civilian population. Yet that was the rule of engagement for the north! SHerman was the most ruthless worthless son of a bitch that God ever created! And his boss approved of his actions so that makes Lincoln as worthless and a son of a bitch!
You want to know why the southerners never forget? Because just like the jews in ww2, and the survivors of 9/11 they do not want us to ever forget how even our own can bring such destruction down on another.
I hear all the time about anderson SC being the worst prison. It was bad, but you can't blame the southerners. They fed those prisoners out of their own rations. The north was supposed to supply rations for their men while in POW but they never did. Anderson did the best they could with what they had and it wasn't much of anything either.
Steve, it's a series of 10 volumes, the size of encyclopedias. Since you've never seen the series you sure are quick to dispute it. How can you know?
I just went and pulled one out. Contributing to it are Randolph H. McKim, Army of Northern Virginia CSA, Allen C. Redwood, Army of Northern Virginia CSA and a number of others. I never said it was the complete authority, but it's mighty good for it's time. It has lots of Confederate photos too. It is very much complimentary to the south and the soldiers.
Here's one small example from McKim in the section "A glimpse of the Confederate Army."
"These Confederate armies must present to the historian who accepts the common view that the South was fighting for the perpetuation of the institution of slavery a difficult - in fact insoluble- problem. How could such a motive explain the solidarity of diverse elements that made up those armies? The Southern planter might fight for his slaves: but why the poor white man who had none? How could slavery generate such devotion,such patient endurance, such splendid heroism, such unconquerable tenacity through four long years of unequal struggle.? The world acknowledges the superb valor of the men who fought under the Southern Cross-and the no less superb devotion of the whole people to the cause of the Confederacy." There are many, many more pages in this section.
Quote from: Diane Amberg on August 06, 2011, 03:00:52 PM
Steve, it's a series of 10 volumes, the size of encyclopedias. Since you've never seen the series you sure are quick to dispute it. How can you know?
I just went and pulled one out. Contributing to it are Randolph H. McKim, Army of Northern Virginia CSA, Allen C. Redwood, Army of Northern Virginia CSA and a number of others. I never said it was the complete authority, but it's mighty good for it's time. It has lots of Confederate photos too. It is very much complimentary to the south and the soldiers.
Here's one small example from McKim in the section "A glimpse of the Confederate Army."
"These Confederate armies must present to the historian who accepts the common view that the South was fighting for the perpetuation of the institution of slavery a difficult - in fact insoluble- problem. How could such a motive explain the solidarity of diverse elements that made up those armies? The Southern planter might fight for his slaves: but why the poor white man who had none? How could slavery generate such devotion,such patient endurance, such splendid heroism, such unconquerable tenacity through four long years of unequal struggle.? The world acknowledges the superb valor of the men who fought under the Southern Cross-and the no less superb devotion of the whole people to the cause of the Confederacy." There are many, many more pages in this section.
I wasn't disparaging the book. I was just pointing out that its not a complete and accurate record. The north spent years destroying the truth after the war, and silencing those who would stand up and speak the truth. You got punished for saying anything in the south after the war about it.
DID You know or did anyone here know, that after the civil war, veterans of the civil war could not erect any statue, any headstone or any graveyard dedicated to the confederate soldiers? That was prevented under the truce agreement. The only thing that was allowed was the perpetuation of the myth that the North was the victor over slavery and the south was so evil the north had to come in and dictate what they did.
So where did all the cemeteries and statues come from? The women of the south, stood up and told the northern oppressors to stick it in their ear, they didn't make any such treaty and they erected statues, headstones and plaques honoring the valiant service of every confederate soldier.
There was a journal that came out about 10 years ago, think its in the civil war museum in stone mountain georgia that was written by a southern belle when shermans thugs marched to savannah. She wrote about the wounded coming into her home for treatment. Children tortured by troops, women raped burned and disfigured by the troops, and even Yankee troops that were shot up and missing limbs and all kinds of wounds came in. She treated all. Didn't give a rats fanny about their affiliation. She did hate them for what they were doing but she was a woman that had compassion for a human even when they were being inhuman. I don't think i could have had that fortitude. I probably would have tossed them out and let them die after seeing what they had done to my home. I do know there were some northern ladies that did the same. But honestly its not the same as their home was not destroyed, nor did they have to deal with the inhumanity that shermans thugs doled out to the civilian population
I've always been interested in history of the War.....my gr. gr. gr grandfather died in Feb. 1865 in a Union prison camp in Little Rock Ark. He was a lieutenant in Crandalls Ark. Cavalry...it's part of my geneology research to find out as much as possible. I had ancestors on both sides.
I agree with you steve that Sherman was a butcher and a cruel sonofabitch, he proved it in the War and re-proved it in the Indian wars.
Slavery was just the rally point the north used to whip up sentiment...it was about states rights and freedom from government tyranny......
Sherman was a bad piece of work. Great Grandpa knew both he and Custer and had nothing good to say about either of them. Pam, I think the point of view from the south is better known by people, even now, than was thought. Again from 1911,
"Everyone who was conversant, as I was during the whole war, with the opinions of the soldiers of the Southern army, knows that they did not wage that tremendous effort for slavery. That was a subject very little in their thoughts or on their lips.
Not one in twenty of those grim veterans, who were so terrible on the battlefield, had any financial interest in slavery. No, they were fighting for liberty, for the right of self -government. They believed the Federal authorities were assailing that right. It was the sacred heritage of Anglo-Saxon freedom, of local self government won at Runnymede, which they believed in peril when they flew to arms as one man, from the Potomac to the Rio Grande. They may have been right, or they may have been wrong, but that was the issue they made. In that they stood. For that they died."
Here is my take on this interesting subject concerning the Elk Falls cemetery and the Buffalo Soldiers:
During the Civil War, the area in and around Elk Falls was an Indian reservation not legally open to white folks, although that did not prevent some from intruding into that reservation after the war was over. The state of Kansas seemed to encourage these intruders intrusion on the Osage.
The 10th US Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1866. Along with the 9th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry, the men of these units did not become known as Buffalo Soldiers until several years later.
Congressional authorization to form these black regiment's in 1866 would seemingly have been in response to the successful deployment of all the federal black regiments during the Civil War.
The earliest burial I could find in the Elk Falls Cemetery took place in February 1871. The town company probably established the cemetery sometime after the town company was incorporated with the state in March 1870--while Elk Falls was still well within an Indian Reservation. More evidence that the state did not object to white intruders.
There are four unmarked graves at the cemetery which are listed only as "Soldiers Grave." It would be interesting to know the backgrounds of these individuals.
Liberty. The north destroyed that liberty that both sides had before that war.
Thanks to Lincoln and the Republicans, the Marxists got on the inside track there.
And over the years, they've out distanced themselves in the Democrat party.
Now look what we have - liberals and moderates in both parties.
Many coloreds, free and slave, supported the Constitution by their efforts for the South. Can't say that
about the 1st KS.
Thanks for the additional info on the elk falls cemetary Waldo. The folks on the board of directors for the place are trying to find me more details. So many facts were word of mouth, the men and women that knew the most have passed on many, many years ago
doobie