The 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

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 ...

. 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. In August, Confe ...

, 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. Part of the regiment was formed by soldiers from

The Stubbs The Stubbs (founded as the Kansas Rifles No. 1) were a Free-Stater militia company active in Kansas, United States during the Bleeding Kansas era. They fought in the Battle of Franklin and the capture of Fort Saunders. Along with their duties as ...

Service

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

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 (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 ...

George Washington Deitzler. The regiment moved to

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

, then to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

and

Clinton, Missouri Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Missouri, Henry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Clinton was laid out in 1836. The city was named for Ne ...

, 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 successful ...

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 The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

, 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 American Civil War, Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The ...

, 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 ...

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 List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, until August 7.

August 10. March to

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

, 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 2,920 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,262 in 2010. It is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan area. History Tipton was a predominantly German-American com ...

, 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 o ...

, 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, United States. The population was 4,726 at the 2010 census. Lexington is in western Missouri, within the Kansas City metropolitan area, approximately east of Kansas C ...

, 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, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, 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 140 at the 2020 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 Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

. Headquarters at

Trenton, Tennessee Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,240. History Trenton was established in 1824 as a county seat for the newly cre ...

, 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, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, and duty there until November. March to relief of

Corinth, Mississippi Corinth is a city in and the county seat of Alcorn County, Mississippi, Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,622 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835. It lies on the state line with Tennessee. His ...

, October 3–5. Pursuit to

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

, 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 County, Tennessee, 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, Bi ...

, November 2. Operations on the

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad that operates three disconnected tracks: 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi to Grand Junction, Tennessee; 11 miles in Iuka Mississippi, and 46 miles from Corinth, Mi ...

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

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were 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 ...

and Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Moved to

Moscow, Tennessee Moscow ( ) is a city in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 568 at the 2020 census, 556 at the 2010 census, and 422 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Moscow, Russia, by its founder J. A. Dilliard to honor his ...

, 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, Louisiana, East Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana. The population was 5,104 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census and declined by 21.8 percent to 3,991 in 2 ...

, 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, Lou ...

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

Battle of Lake Providence A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

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

near Lake Providence June 29. Moved to

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

, 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 1 ...

, 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. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

, 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 primarily in the U.S. state of 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 the Ame ...

April 19–23. McArthur's

Yazoo City Expedition The Yazoo City expedition was an expedition of Union forces from the Vicksburg, Mississippi, Vicksburg garrison under General John McArthur (general), John McArthur against Confederate forces in central Mississippi under General Wirt Adams. His ...

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is the county seat of Yazoo County, Mississippi, Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. 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 referen ...

, 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 Ben ...

, 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. As of 2020 the population was 525. It is part of the Baton Rouge ...

, 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 and largest city of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River of the South, Red River ...

, September 20. Skirmish near the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...

October 4, 1864. Atchafalaya October 5. Ordered to White River, Arkansas, October 7, then to

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, 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 * Colonel Oscar Eugene Learnard

Notable members

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 ...

Powell Clayton Powell Foulk Clayton (August 7, 1833August 25, 1914) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 9th List of Governors of Arkansas, governor of Arkansas from 1868 to 1871, as a Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, Company E - Governor of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

(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. The most significant frontal assault launched by Union Army, Union Major general (United States), Major General William T. Sherman ...

* 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 Caleb S. Pratt was a person involved in Bleeding Kansas. 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 ...

, Company A - Namesake of

Pratt County, Kansas Pratt County 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 U.S. soldier who died in the Battl ...

, killed at the

* Captain Lewis Stafford, Company E - Namesake of

Stafford County, Kansas Stafford County 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 Company E, First Kansas Inf ...

, 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 2020 census, the population was 10,017. Its pari ...

. * 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 about 73,000 inhabitants. Members of ...

(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