The 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. On August 10, 1861, 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. Missouri was offi ...

, Missouri, the regiment suffered 106 soldiers killed in action or mortally wounded, one of the highest numbers of fatalities suffered by any Union infantry regiment in a single engagement during the American Civil War.

Service

The 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Lincoln near Leavenworth,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

from May 20 to June 30, 1861, the greatest number of men being recruited between May 20 and June 3. It then mustered in for three years' service under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

George Washington Deitzler. The regiment moved to

Wyandotte County, Kansas Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which ...

, then to Kansas City, Missouri and

Clinton, Missouri Clinton is a city in Henry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,792 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Henry County. History Clinton was laid out in 1836. The city was named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, ...

, to join General Lyon, June 7-July 13, 1861. *Attached to Dietzler's Brigade, Lyon's Army of the West. *Attached to

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 successf ...

to February 1862. *

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 1862. *District of Columbus, Kentucky, Department of Tennessee, to September 1862. *1st Brigade, 6th Division, District of Corinth, Department of Tennessee, to November 1862. *1st Brigade, 6th Division, Left Wing, XIII Corps, Department of Tennessee, to December, 1862. *1st Brigade, 6th Division, XVI Corps,

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, to January 1863. *1st Brigade, 6th Division, XVII Corps, to July 1863. *District of Vicksburg, Mississippi, to September 1863. *1st Brigade, 1st Division, XVII Corps, to August 1864. *Unattached, 2nd Division, XIX Corps,

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was cons ...

, to December 1864. *District of Eastern Arkansas,

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII R ...

Department of Arkansas The Department of the Arkansas was a territorial department of the United States Army during the American Civil War. History The Department of the Arkansas was created on January 6, 1864, to consist of Union occupied Arkansas, except Fort Smith. ...

, to January 1865. *Department Headquarters, Department of Arkansas, to August 1865. *The 1st Kansas Infantry mustered out of service on August 30, 1865.

Detailed service

Action at Dug Springs, Missouri, August 2. At

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estima ...

, until August 7.

August 10. March to

Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in, and the county seat of, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. Rolla is located approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The Roll ...

, August 11–22, then to St. Louis, Missouri, and duty on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad until October. Duty at

Tipton, Missouri Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,262 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Tipton was a predominately a German-American community, ...

, guarding the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

, October 1861 to January 1862. Expedition to

Milford, Missouri Milford is a village in Barton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 24 at the 2020 census. History Milford was platted in 1869. The village was named after Charles Milford Wilcox, its founder. A post office was established at Mil ...

, December 15–19, 1861. Shawnee Mound, Milford, December 18. At

Lexington, Missouri Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County, Missouri. The population was 4,726 at the 2010 census. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies approximately east of Kansas City and is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropo ...

, until February 1862. Moved to

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

, in anticipation of General Curtis' New Mexico Expedition April and May. Service with McPherson's Brigade. Ordered to

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

, and duty guarding

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile, ...

. Headquarters at

Trenton, Tennessee Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,264 at the 2010 census, down from 4,683 in 2000. History Trenton was established in 1824 as a county seat for the newly-created ...

, until September. Brownsburg September 4. Trenton, September 17. Moved to

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackso ...

, and duty there until November. March to relief of

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,573 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. History Corinth was founded i ...

, October 3–5. Pursuit to

Ripley, Mississippi Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,395 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County. Colonel William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of authors William Faulkner and John Faulkner, ...

, October 5–12. Actions at

Chewalla, Tennessee Chewalla is an unincorporated community in McNairy County, Tennessee, United States. Chewalla is located on Tennessee State Route 234 and the Norfolk Southern Railway south-southwest of Ramer. Chewalla has a post office A post office is a p ...

, and Big Hill October 5. Moved to

Grand Junction, Tennessee Grand Junction is a city between the border of Hardeman and Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 325 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to be 303 in 2015. It has been called the " Bird Dog Capital of the World" and serv ...

, November 2. Operations on the

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad operating over 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi, to Grand Junction, Tennessee, owned by Pioneer Railcorp. The railroad's principal commodities are wood products and ...

to the Yocknapatalfa River November 1862 to January 1863. Service in

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi R ...

and Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Moved to

Moscow, Tennessee Moscow ( ) is a city in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 556 at the 2010 census, up from 422 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a Cherokee Chief osgo meaning "Town between 2 rivers." North Fork and Wolf Riv ...

, then to Memphis, Tennessee, and to Young's Point, Louisiana, January 17, 1863. Regiment mounted February 1, 1863. Moved to

Lake Providence, Louisiana Lake Providence is a town in, and the parish seat of, East Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana. The population was 5,104 at the 2000 census and declined by 21.8 percent to 3,991 in 2010. The town's poverty rate is approximately 55 percent; ...

, February 8, and provost duty there until July. Actions at Old River, Hood's Lane, Black Bayou, Mississippi, and near Lake Providence February 10. Pin Hook and Caledonia,

Bayou Macon Bayou Macon is a bayou in Arkansas and Louisiana. It begins in Desha County, Arkansas, and flows south, between the Boeuf River to its west and the Mississippi River to its east, before joining Joe's Bayou south of Delhi in Richland Parish, ...

, May 10. Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26-June 4. Repulse of attack on Providence in

Battle of Lake Providence The Battle of Lake Providence was fought on June 9, 1863, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate States of America, Confederate troops from the Trans-Mississippi Department were trying to relieve Union Army, Union ...

June 9. Baxter's Bayou and Lake Providence June 10. Bayou Macon June 10. Battle of Richmond, Louisiana, June 15, 1863.

Richmond, Louisiana Richmond is a village in Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States, located on Roundaway Bayou. The population was 577 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallulah Micropolitan Statistical Area. History During the American Civil War, Unio ...

, June 16.

Battle of Goodrich's Landing The Battle of Goodrich's Landing, Louisiana, was fought on June 29 and June 30, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. The Confederates attacked several Union regiments, who were composed mostly of black sol ...

near Lake Providence June 29. Moved to

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, ...

, July 12–13, and duty there until October. Expedition to

Harrisonburg, Louisiana Harrisonburg is a village in and the parish seat of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 348 as of the 2010 census, down from 746 in 2000. Riley J. Wilson, who held Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat from 19 ...

, September 1–8. Cross Bayou September 14. Moved to

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

, October, and duty at Big Black River and near Haynes' Bluff until June, 1864. Skirmish at Big Black River, October 8, 1863. Scout from Bovina Station to Baldwyn's Ferry November 1. Scout to Baldwyn's Ferry January 14, 1864. Expedition up

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before th ...

April 19–23. McArthur's Yazoo City Expedition to

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's ...

, May 4–21.

Benton, Mississippi Benton is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 415. Mississippi Highway 433 passes through the community. History Bento ...

, May 7–9. Luce's Plantation May 13. Ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, June 1, 1864. Attacked on riverboat ''W. R. Arthur'' near Columbia, Arkansas, June 2. Mustered out June 19, 1864. Additional Service by veteran volunteer companies. Veterans on duty in District of Vicksburg, Mississippi, until August 1864. Ordered to

Morganza, Louisiana Morganza is an incorporated village near the Mississippi River in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 610 at the 2010 census, down from 659 in 2000. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. T ...

, July 29. Operations in vicinity of Morganza September 16–25. Near

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River in almost the ex ...

, September 20. Skirmish near the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River ( french: La Rivière Atchafalaya, es, Río Atchafalaya) is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and i ...

October 4, 1864. Atchafalaya October 5. Ordered to

White River, Arkansas White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, October 7, then to

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, December 7. Duty there as Headquarters Guard and escort, Department of Arkansas, until August 1865. Veteran volunteers mustered out August 30, 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 252 men during service; 7 officers and 120 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 122 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel George Washington Deitzler * Colonel

William Y. Roberts William Y. Roberts was a state representative in Pennsylvania adjutant general, lieutenant governor under the Topeka Constitution, and then a colonel in the Union Army from Kansas during the American Civil War. He was a commander of the 1st Regimen ...

* Colonel Oscar Eugene Learnard

Notable members

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

Powell Clayton Powell Foulk Clayton (August 7, 1833August 25, 1914) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 9th governor of Arkansas from 1868 to 1871, as a Republican member of the U.S. Senate for Arkansas from 1871 to 1877 ...

, Company E - Governor of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

(1868–1871); U.S. Senator from Arkansas (1871–1877) * Captain

Daniel McCook, Jr. Daniel McCook Jr. (July 22, 1834 – July 21, 1864),Eicher, p. 374. one of the famed Fighting McCooks, was a brigade commander in the Union Army who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, during the American Civil War ...

, Company H - brigadier general, mortally wounded at the

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Army, Union Major general (United States), Maj. Gen. William T. Sher ...

* Sergeant "Daniel" Mullhatten, Company C - A female serving as a man under an assumed name. Mullhatten enlisted in Company C June 14, 1861 and rose in rank to sergeant until death by disease in July 1863, at

. Mullhatten's gender was discovered when the body was being prepared for burial. A witness in the hospital described Mullhatten as, "more than average size for a woman with rather strongly-marked features, so that with the aid of a man's attire she had quite a masculine look." * 2nd Lieutenant Caleb S. Pratt, Company A - Namesake of

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 pe ...

, killed at the

* Captain Lewis Stafford, Company E - Namesake of

Stafford County, Kansas Stafford County (standard abbreviation: SF) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is St. John. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 4,072. The county is named in honor of Lewis Stafford, a captain of Co ...

, killed at Young's Point,

Madison Parish, Louisiana Madison Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Madison'') is a parish located on the northeastern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the delta lowlands along the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,093. Its parish s ...

. * Captain Samuel Walker, Company F - major general in the Kansas Militia (1865-1875); Member of the

Kansas State Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members ...

(1872-1874)

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: W. S. Burke), 1870. * Fry, Alice L. ''Kansas and Kansans in the Civil War: First Through the Thirteenth Volunteer Regiment.'' (Kansas City, KS: Crossed Lines Research), 1996. ;Attribution *

External links

Museum of the Kansas National Guard Historic Units The 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment
{{Kansas in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Kansas 1861 establishments in Kansas 1865 disestablishments in Arkansas