Fort Scott National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 military cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. ...

located in Fort Scott, in

Bourbon County, Kansas Bourbon County is a county located in Southeast Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Fort Scott. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 14,360. The county was named after Bourbon County, Kentucky, the former home o ...

. Administered by the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

, it encompasses , and as of 2021, had more than 8,000 interments. It is one of three national cemeteries in Kansas (the other two being

Fort Leavenworth 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 ...

and Leavenworth).

History

Fort Scott was established in 1842, on what was known as Military Road, between

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 ...

and

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Fort Gibson is a town in Cherokee and Muskogee counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 3,814 as of the 2020 Census. It is the location of Fort Gibson Historical Site and Fort Gibson National Cemetery and is located near t ...

. It was named for Lieutenant General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

. During the initial years, a small plot on the west side of the fort was used as a cemetery. In 1861, a new plot was purchased, and named Presbyterian Graveyard as it was maintained by the Presbyterian Church. 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 ...

, it was used to inter soldiers who died in battles near in the area. The plot and an adjacent tract of land became Fort Scott National Cemetery on November 15, 1862. One of the twelve original

United States National Cemeteries United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

designated by

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, it has the distinction of being listed as U.S. National Cemetery #1. At the end of the Civil War, the original fort cemetery interments were moved into the National Cemetery; as well, at the close of the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States of America and Republic of Texas agains ...

, many frontier posts, such as Fort Lincoln, were abandoned and had their cemeteries transferred to Fort Scott. The cemetery also contains the Commonwealth war graves of two

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

officers of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Fort Scott National Cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1999.

Commemorative monuments

A large sandstone boulder marks the grave of Eugene Fitch Ware, and his wife Jeannette Huntington Ware. Ware served in the Union Army during the Civil War, eventually reaching the rank of captain. He was subsequently admitted to the bar, and served two terms in the Kansas state legislature. He was noted in his time as an author and poet, writing under the pseudonym "Ironquill". Shortly before his death in 1911, he asked that the boulder, whose natural beauty appealed to him, be used as his grave marker."National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Fort Scott National Cemetery".Kansas Historical Society.
Retrieved November 17, 2017. A gray granite monument commemorates the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, which was based at Fort Scott during the Civil War. The regiment was recruited as a Kansas state unit in August 1862, and mustered into federal service in January 1863, following the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

. The monument lists the names of soldiers killed in a May 18, 1863 fight near Sherwood, Missouri."First to Serve".
Retrieved November 17, 2017.

Notes

External links

Fort Scott National Cemetery
– photo tour
National Cemetery Administration

Fort Scott National Cemetery
* * * * {{National Register of Historic Places Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Protected areas of Bourbon County, Kansas United States national cemeteries Kansas in the American Civil War Historic American Landscapes Survey in Kansas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Bourbon County, Kansas Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the United States 1862 establishments in Kansas Cemeteries established in the 1860s

History

Commemorative monuments

See also

Notes

External links