The 15th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

Service

The 15th Kansas Cavalry was organized at Leavenworth,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

on October 17, 1863. It mustered in for three years under the command of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Charles R. Jennison. The regiment was attached to District of the Border, Department of Missouri, to January 1864.

Department of Kansas The Department of Kansas was a Union Army command department in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the American Civil War. This department existed in three different forms during the war. 1861 The first "Department of Kansas" was created on N ...

to June 1864. Districts of North and South Kansas,

Department of Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successful ...

, to October 1865. The majority of the regiment mustered out of service on October 19, 1865. Company H mustered out of service on December 7, 1865.

Detailed service

Assigned to duty at Leavenworth and in November 1863 went into winter quarters at Fort Riley, Kansas. In the Spring, they served at various points in southern Kansas and northern Missouri in frontier garrison duty with headquarters in Humboldt, Kansas. The locations are: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (Companies A,B,G and H); Emporia, Kansas (Company M); Olathe, Kansas (Company K); Humboldt, Kansas (Company E); Topeka, Kansas (Company F); Paola, Kansas (Company C); along with Kansas City, Missouri (Companies I and L) and West Point, Missouri (Company D). Skirmish at Clear Creek, Missouri, May 16, 1864 (detachments of Companies D and L). Scout from Fort Leavenworth to Weston, Missouri, June 13–16, 1864. Expedition into Missouri June 16–20 (Companies B, C, and G). Price's Raid in Missouri and Kansas September to November. Lexington October 19. Little Blue October 21. Independence, Big Blue, and State Line October 22. Westport October 23. Coldwater Grove, Osage, October 24. Mine Creek, Little Osage River, and battle of Charlot October 25. Newtonia October 28. Duty in the Department of Kansas and Department of the Missouri until October 1865. The majority of the regiment mustered out of service on October 19, 1865. Company H joined the middle column of the

Powder River Expedition :''This event should not be confused with the Big Horn Expedition during the Black Hills War.'' The Powder River Expedition of 1865 also known as the Powder River War or Powder River Invasion, was a large and far-flung military operation of the ...

under Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Walker in July, 1865 and marched from

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (; founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte Rivers. They joi ...

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

to the Powder River then to Fort Connor, July 11 - September 20. Actions with Indians September 1–11 on Powder River,

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

. Company H mustered out December 6, 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 100 men during its service, 2 officers and 19 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, and 2 officers and 77 enlisted men who died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Charles R. Jennison * Lieutenant Colonel

George Henry Hoyt George Henry Hoyt (November 25, 1837 – February 2, 1877) was an American anti-slavery abolitionist who was attorney for John Brown. During the Civil War, he served as a Union cavalry officer and captain of the Kansas Red Leg scouts, rising t ...

Notable members

* Private David Lewis Payne, Company H - "Father" of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Orloff Norton, Company L - Namesake of

Norton County, Kansas Norton County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Norton. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,459. The county was established in 1867 and named for Orloff Norton, captain of Company ...

, killed near Cane Hill,

Washington County, Arkansas Washington County is a regional economic, educational, and cultural hub in the Northwest Arkansas region. Created as Arkansas's 17th County (United States), county on November 30, 1848, Washington County has 13 incorporated municipalities, inc ...

, on November 11, 1864. * 2nd Lieutenant David John Mosher Wood, Company B - Brother of Samuel Newitt Wood * Captain Orren Arms Curtis, Company F - Married to a Kaw Native American. Their son was

Charles Curtis Charles Curtis (January 25, 1860 – February 8, 1936) was the 31st vice president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 under President Herbert Hoover. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 1924 to 1929. An enrolled member of the Kaw Natio ...

, 31st Vice President of the United States.

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * ''Official Military History of Kansas Regiments During the War for the Suppression of the Great Rebellion'' (Leavenworth, KS: W. S. Burke), 1870. ;Attribution *

External links

History of the 15th Kansas Cavalry by the Museum of the Kansas National Guard
{{Kansas in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1863 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union army from Kansas 1863 establishments in Kansas