In spring and possibly through summer 1864, three blockhouses were constructed to help defend the town and post of Fort Scott. These were Fort Blair,

Fort Henning In spring and probably into summer 1864 Fort Henning was constructed. It, along with Fort Blair (Fort Scott) and Fort Insley, was built to help protect the city and post of Fort Scott. Fort Henning, located at the intersection of Second and Nat ...

and

Fort Insley In spring and summer 1864 Fort Blair, Fort Henning and Fort Insley were constructed to help protect the town and post of Fort Scott from Confederate forces. Fort Insley was named for Capt. Martain H. Insley. It was located just northeast of to ...

. Fort Blair was enclosed by a rectangular wall of log palisades covered on the outside by earthworks, which in turn were surrounded by a wide, deep ditch. These were to be used by armed men and cannon in case the town and post were attacked by Confederate guerrillas or regular forces. A drawing of Fort Blair and its stockade showed the stockade as about waist high. Fort Blair was named for Gen. Charles W. Blair. This fort contained two 24-pounder guns. The blockhouse was built of sawed or thick boards, which was covered with rough boards. It had openings for rifles and small cannon and was roofed with wood shingles. Three of the gun ports were on the second floor and a fourth was on the first floor. The structure was two stories tall. Fort Blair was the second largest of the three blockhouses, measuring sixteen by sixteen feet. It was in south Fort Scott, located between Main Street and Scott Avenue. The fort was several blocks south of the main part of the post of Fort Scott. Fort Blair was used to guard Fort Scott when Confederate Maj. Gen.

Sterling Price Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...

passed through the area in late October 1864 near the end of his failed raid into Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas (see

Price's Missouri Raid Price's Missouri Expedition (August 29 – December 2, 1864), also known as Price's Raid or Price's Missouri Raid, was an unsuccessful Confederate cavalry raid through Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Amer ...

). Price wanted to overrun the defenders at Fort Scott, but not one shot was fired when Price passed within sight of the post. Fort Scott was closed as military post in October 1865. The Fort Blair blockhouse was the only of the three not to be torn down. It was disassembled and moved at least twice. Finally it was reconstructed and placed adjacent to the

Fort Scott National Historic Site Fort Scott National Historic Site is a historical area under the control of the United States National Park Service in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. Named after General Winfield Scott, who achieved renown during the Mexican–American ...

, where it remains today.Cory, "The Old Blockhouse," p. 3; Barrington, p. 191; Biddle, pp. 2, 25.

References

{{coord, 37, 50, 35, N, 94, 42, 13, W, display=title Closed installations of the United States Army Blair (Fort Scott) Buildings and structures in Bourbon County, Kansas 1864 establishments in Kansas