Caleb S. Pratt was a primary person involved in

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

. He testified before the Committee of Elections regarding the Troubles in Kansas, 1856 specific to voting irregularities in the Election of March 30, 1855 Lawrence, Kansas. On August 10, 1861, he was killed at the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, Springfield, Missou ...

Pratt County, Kansas Pratt County (standard abbreviation: PR) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Pratt. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,157. The county was named for Caleb Pratt, a primary p ...

and the town of

Pratt, Kansas Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,603. It is home to Pratt Community College. History 19th century Pratt was founded in 1884 and named after ...

are named in his honor.

Biography

Caleb S. Pratt was born 1832, Boston, Suffolk, MA. He arrived in Lawrence Kansas in 1853 and engaged in the real estate business. From 1858 until his death he held the office of county clerk. He also served as city clerk for several years. Captain Frank B. Swift, James C. Horton, Edward D. Thompson, and Caleb S. Pratt, led a large company from Lawrence to the Bickerton farm, where "Old Sacramento" - a cannon captured by Colonel Doniphan at the battle of Sacramento, brought by the Border-Ruffians into Kansas, and from them captured by the Free-State men-was buried. They dug up this cannon and carried it to Lawrence, where it was fired all night in honor of the admission of Kansas. Mr. Pratt was a member of the second

New England Emigrant Aid Company The New England Emigrant Aid Company (originally the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company) was a transportation company founded in Boston, Massachusetts by activist Eli Thayer in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which allowed the population of ...

party that left from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1854 as an anti-slavery immigration to the new territory. He was a founding member of the Stubbs, a militia company that was organized on April 16, 1855 to protect Lawrence and the people of Kansas Territory. On the breaking out of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he was clerk of

Douglas County, Kansas Douglas County (county code DG) is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 118,785, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Lawrence. Histo ...

and also clerk of

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

. On February 9, 1861, Caleb S. Pratt, county clerk of Douglas county, administered the oath of office to the state's first governor. 3 Jun 1861 he enlisted and was Commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company D of Kansas 1st Infantry Regiment. 10 Aug 1861 he was killed in action at Wilson's Creek, Greene, Missouri. On April 10, 2004, there was a ceremony for the Interment for Unknown Union Soldiers in Springfield National Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Caleb S. People from Boston Bleeding Kansas People of Kansas in the American Civil War 1832 births 1861 deaths American abolitionists People of Missouri in the American Civil War Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War