The Stubbs (founded as the Kansas Rifles No. 1) were a Free-Stater militia company active in

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 ...

, United States during the

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

era. They fought in the

Battle of Franklin The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate L ...

and the capture of Fort Saunders. Along with their duties as a military defense force, the Stubbs also operated as a policing force, arresting criminals. The Stubbs had a membership of 60 on their absorption into the Union Army. The Stubbs also took on the title of the ''Oread Guards'' after the Oread Institute donated waterproof coats.

History

Founded as the Kansas Rifles No. 1 on 16 April 1855, the Lawrence-based militia consisted of two companies each approximately 50 soldiers in size. Armed with Sharps rifles and Colt revolvers, the militia was organized for the purpose of defending Free State voters and to defend Lawrence from pro-slavery forces. To accomplish this, they drilled daily. They were officially granted a charter and reorganized as the Stubbs on 9 February 1858, a nickname they had accrued because of some members' short stature. On 3 June 1861, the last unit of the Stubbs was absorbed into the 1st Kansas Infantry Regiment as Company D. Of the 60 members of the Stubbs absorbed, 27 of them received commendations in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. The Stubbs also held events in the Free State Hotel. These events were held for a variety of reasons, including the birthday of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. In these events, enlisted members were to don ceremonial military garb set by rank.

Battles

Battle of Black Jack

Although the Stubbs were assembled to fight in the Battle of Black Jack, their forces arrived so late in the course of battle that a truce had already been declared.

Defense of Lawrence

On 14 September 1856, a pro-slavery force several hundred strong, led by John William Reid, neared Lawrence, in an apparent invasion. The Stubbs deterred the assault by firing on them. The force fell back to join a larger body, reportedly between 1,500 and 2,500-strong, that garrisoned at Franklin's Fort.

Burning of New Georgia's fort

The pro-slavery fort called New Georgia's fort attracted the ire of local anti-slavery partisans. Stubbs, alongside other partisans, attacked the fort,

routing Routing is the process of selecting a path for traffic in a Network theory, network or between or across multiple networks. Broadly, routing is performed in many types of networks, including circuit-switched networks, such as the public switched ...

its defenders and then burned the fort down.

Capture of Fort Saunders

After the murder of abolitionist David Hoyt and the response to it, pro-slavery ruffians increased in intensity in the region, in the form of the robbings and harassings of locals. Among these was the force of Philip Cook, who commanded a ruffian force around 300-strong garrisoned at Fort Saunders. The Stubbs took part in the attack against the fort led by James H. Lane, charging at it, only to find it destitute.

Notable members

* Caleb S. Pratt * Joseph Cracklin * A.D Searle

References

{{authority control 1855 establishments in the United States 1861 disestablishments in the United States Bleeding Kansas Militia of the United States