Camp Hunter

Last updated

Camp Hunter was established in June 1862 or a bit earlier at what is now Baxter Springs, Kansas. It was established by Union troops. At the same time Indian Home Guard regiments established a camp nearby on Little Five Mile Creek. [1]

Baxter Springs, Kansas City in Kansas, United States

Baxter Springs is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, and located along Spring River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,238; it is the most populous city of Cherokee County.

Union Army Land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Union Army referred to the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. Also known as the Federal Army, it proved essential to the preservation of the United States of America as a working, viable republic.

The white soldiers' camp was named after Gen. David Hunter. It was built along the south crest of the Spring Creek valley. The combined number of troops in both camps was about 6,000 men, according to Hugh Thompson, who was stationed as a scout in the area in June 1862.

David Hunter Union Army general

David Hunter was a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states, for his leadership of United States troops during the Valley Campaigns of 1864, and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

The Army had three reasons for the establishment of the two camps. The first was to help escort wagon trains south into Indian Territory, where Indians loyal to the Confederacy attacked Union wagon trains. A second use for the camps was to be a place to send tired cavalry horses. The area west of the camps had much grass. The soldiers from the camps were needed to guard the horses.

Wagon train A group of wagons travelling together

A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. Before the extensive use of military vehicles, baggage trains followed an army with supplies and ammunition.

Indian Territory U.S. 17th-, 18th- and early-20th-century territory set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of the indigenous peoples of the Americas

As general terms, Indian Territory, the Indian Territories, or Indian country describe an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land. In general, the tribes ceded land they occupied in exchange for land grants in 1803. The concept of an Indian Territory was an outcome of the 18th- and 19th-century policy of Indian removal. After the Civil War (1861–1865), the policy of the government was one of assimilation.

A third reason for the establishment of the camps was to oppose the bushwhackers and Confederate Indians who roamed through the area. The major guerrilla group was under the command of Capt. Thomas R. Livingston. [2]

As soon as the two camps were established, the Union troops took action to eliminate Livingston's guerrillas. Livingston, with about twenty-five men, had established a camp two miles northeast of Camp Hunter. The combined Union forces, under the direction of Col. Charles Doubleday, overran Livingston's camp, capturing many supplies and horses. [3]

Livingston was not to be eliminated, however. Further attempts to destroy his force or capture it resulted in frustration. The Union troops from the two camps, and other Union troops nearby, repeatedly forced the guerrillas to scatter. Instead of being able to round them up, however, they found the guerrillas would simply disappear, not to be found until they decided to attack Union troops. After the War it was discovered the guerrillas had established a well concealed camp (Livingston's Hideout) 5½ miles east of Camp Hunter and just inside the Kansas border with Missouri. [4]

Livingston's Hideout was most likely the only permanent Confederate military camp inside Kansas during the Civil War. It was in the very corner of southeast Kansas, in the very corner of Cherokee County, Kansas. It was about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the border with Indian Territory and it was less than 100 feet (30 m) west of the border with Missouri. It was 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Baxter Springs, where a series of Union military posts existed from 1862 to 1863. Thomas R. Livingston became a leader of a group of Confederate guerrillas in the area, becoming first a captain and then a major. He needed locations to hide himself and his guerrillas from pursuing Union troops and this hideout suited the guerrillas well. The guerrillas sought to spy on Union forces and raiding units he found small enough to defeat.

In early September 1862 the area around Camp Hunter found itself in the path of a Confederate offensive. The 31st Texas Cavalry, under Col. Tresevant C. Hawpe, headed toward the two camps, which were quickly abandoned. He continued north and was defeated in a battle near present day Pittsburg, Kansas. After his defeat Hawpe retreated back to Camp Hunter and briefly occupied it. Possibly Livingston and Confederate Indians under Col. Stand Watie visited Camp Hunter around the same time.

From Camp Hunter, Hawpe invaded southwest Missouri, helping other Confederates in defeating Union forces in the First Battle of Newtonia on September 30. After Hawpe left, Camp Hunter was never occupied again. When Union forces returned to Baxter Springs in May 1863, they set up camp at a different site. [5]

Related Research Articles

Battle of Baxter Springs Battle and massacre of the American Civil War

The Battle of Baxter Springs, more commonly known as the Baxter Springs Massacre, was a minor battle of the American Civil War fought on October 6, 1863, near the present-day town of Baxter Springs, Kansas.

James G. Blunt Union major general during the American Civil War

James Gillpatrick Blunt was a physician and abolitionist who rose to the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was defeated by Quantrill's Raiders at the Battle of Baxter Springs in Kansas in 1863, but is considered to have served well as a division commander during Price's Raid in Missouri, which occurred in 1864.

Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War

The Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War consists of the major military operations west of the Mississippi River. The area is often thought of as excluding the states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean, which formed the Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The Battle of Old Fort Wayne was an American Civil War battle on October 22, 1862 in Delaware County in what is now eastern Oklahoma, a part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater.

1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles

The 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles was a Confederate States Army regiment which fought in the Indian Territory during the American Civil War. It was formed from the merger of two predecessor units the First Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles, and the Second Regiment of Cherokee Mounted Rifles. The first commander was Col. John Drew, while the second was Stand Watie.

Two American Civil War military engagements were fought at the Cabin Creek Battlefield in the Cherokee Nation within Indian Territory. The location was where the Texas Road crossed Cabin Creek, near the present-day town of Big Cabin, Oklahoma. Both the First and Second Battles of Cabin Creek were launched by the Confederate Army to disrupt Union Army supply trains.

Indian Territory in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, most of what is now the U.S. state of Oklahoma was designated as the Indian Territory. It served as an unorganized region that had been set aside specifically for Native American tribes and was occupied mostly by tribes which had been removed from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. As part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the Indian Territory was the scene of numerous skirmishes and seven officially recognized battles involving both Native American units allied with the Confederate States of America and Native Americans loyal to the United States government, as well as other Union and Confederate troops.

Fort Baxter, also known as Fort Blair, was a small US Army post located in the southeast corner of Kansas near present-day Baxter Springs. This area was known as the Cherokee Strip. It was one of a few Kansas forts attacked by Confederate forces during the American Civil War. At one point the Confederate government claimed authority over the Neutral Lands. Both Union and Confederate troops operated in the area, as did guerrilla forces and militias prevalent in the Kansas-Missouri border area.

Native Americans in the American Civil War

The American Civil War saw Native American individuals, bands, tribes, and nations participate in numerous skirmishes and battles. Native Americans served in both the Union and Confederate military during the American Civil War. They were found in the Eastern, Western, and Trans-Mississippi Theaters. At the outbreak of the war, for example, the majority of the Cherokees sided with the Union, but soon after allied with the Confederacy. Native Americans fought knowing they might jeopardize their sovereignty, unique cultures, and ancestral lands if they ended up on the losing side of the Civil War. 28,693 Native Americans served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, participating in battles such as Pea Ridge, Second Manassas, Antietam, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and in Federal assaults on Petersburg.

Kansas has always been home to many forts and military posts.

On March 7, 1862, Confederate guerrillas under William C. Quantrill raided the small Kansas town of Aubry, southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, and just west of the Kansas-Missouri border. Three residents were killed in the raid and much property was carted away by the guerrillas.

Barnesville's Post located near Barnesville, in Bourbon County, Kansas, was the site of military camps for stretches of time during the American Civil War. The first mention of a camp there came from a report written on September 4, 1861, by Sen. James Lane. This was during the time Lane had evacuated Fort Scott and moved his forces to areas north of that post. A post was established at Barnesville. Lane wrote to Capt. W. E. Prince, then commanding Fort Leavenworth, "I am holding Barnesville. .. with an irregular force of about 250 men, stationed in log buildings, and am now strengthening their position with earth entrenchments."

In 1862 the citizens of Burlingame, Kansas, constructed a stone fort around the town well, in an intersection in the business district. This was done to prevent the burning of Burlingame by Confederate guerrilla William Anderson, later known as Bloody Bill Anderson. He and his family had lived in a neighboring county up to 1862, but Anderson got into considerable trouble and was forced to leave. Upon leaving, Anderson threatened to burn Burlingame.

In early May 1863 a temporary camp, Camp Hooker, was established at the site of what later became Baxter Springs, Kansas. This area was located in what was known as the Cherokee Strip (Kansas). In late May while the camp commander, Col. James M. Williams, was in Fort Scott, the troops moved the camp three blocks to the east to what is now Washington School Hill. The new camp, Camp Ben Butler (named after Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler, was in a highly defendable position. It occupied a plateau that covered more than two square blocks. Only a small area to the south allowed easy access to camp. In fact, much of the surrounding area was practically impenetrable by men or horses.

In June 1862 two Union camps were established in the vicinity of what is today Baxter Springs, Kansas. One was Camp Hunter, located in what is now the center of the town. The other was the Indian Home Guard Camp, located at Little Five Mile Creek, 1½ miles southeast of Camp Hunter.

Fort McKean is a fort located inside Kansas along the Kansas-Missouri border. On November 14, 1862, Company C of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, led by Lieut. James B. Pond, established a camp at Morris Mills on Drywood Creek. It was fifteen miles southeast of Fort Scott. Sometime later this camp was given the name of Fort McKean. The post was probably on the Fort Scott-Fort Gibson Military Road, and many, including Pond, thought the post was inside Missouri. Throughout its history, Fort McKean was a small post, ranging in strength from 20 to 60 men. It is unknown what buildings or defenses were erected there.

LeRoy's post was established September 12, 1861, by U.S. Senator James H. Lane, when Fort Scott was threatened by advancing Confederate troops. LeRoy is a town in eastern Kansas. The post was one of many Union posts established in eastern Kansas to guard against Confederate guerrilla attack. In spring 1862 a number of Indian refugees who had first camped at Fort Row were moved further north to Fort Belmont and the post at LeRoy.

Osage Mission's post was located at the Osage Catholic Mission, which was established in 1847. Eventually, Osage Mission became the town of St. Paul, Kansas, inside what would become Neosho County, Kansas. The Mission was located about 35 miles (56 km) north of the Kansas-Indian Territory border. Indian Territory eventually became the state of Oklahoma. When the Civil War erupted, Father John Schoenmakers wanted to keep the Mission as neutral ground and thus out of the conflict. Although at one point Schoenmakers had to flee for a time, he pretty much succeeded in keeping Osage Mission itself out of harm's way.

Ambush of the steamboat <i>J. R. Williams</i> military engagement during the American Civil War

The ambush of the steamboat J.R. Williams was a military engagement during the American Civil War. It took place on May 10, 1864 on the Arkansas River in Indian Territory which became encompassed by the State of Oklahoma. It is popularly termed the "only naval battle" in that landlocked state. It was a successful Confederate attack on the Union Army's lines of supply. The Confederate forces were Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Creek Indians led by General Stand Watie, who was a Cherokee.

References

  1. ↑ William C. Pollard, Jr., "Forts and Military Posts in Kansas: 1854–1865" (Ph.D. dissertation, Faith Baptist College and Seminary, 1997), pp. 21–3; Woodbury F. Pride, The History of Fort Riley (N.p.: 1926), p. 46; William E. Connelley, Quantrill and the Border Wars (New York: Pageant Book Co., 1956), 1956 ed., p. 422; Betty F. Kyrias, "The Civil War in Baxter Springs, Kansas, 1862–1863" (Baxter Springs, Kans.: Baxter Springs, Kansas, Historical Society, August 8, 1988), pp. 1–2; Kyrias, letter to Pollard, April 1, 1993, p. 3; Kyrias, interview with Pollard, Baxter Springs, Kans., May 27, 1993; Pollard, memorandum to Daniel C. Fitzgerald, June 1, 1993, pp. 1–2.
  2. ↑ Kyrias, "The Civil War in Baxter Springs," pp. 1–2; Kyrias, letter to Pollard, p. 3.
  3. ↑ Kyrias, "The Civil War," p. 1; Kyrias, letter to Pollard, p. 3.
  4. ↑ Kyrias, "The Civil War," pp. 2–3; Kyrias, letter to Pollard, pp. 1–3.
  5. ↑ Kyrias, "The Civil War," pp. 2–3; Col. Stand Watie, report, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885), Series I, Vol. XIII, p. 94; Col. John Ritchie, report, The War of the Rebellion (1885), Series I, Vol. XIII, p. 661; F. R. Lubbock, report, The War of the Rebellion (1902), Series I, Vol. LIII, p. 784; Col. Tresevant C. Hawpe, report, The War of the Rebellion (1885), Series I, Vol. XIII, pp. 305–6; Patricia L. Faust, "Newtonia, Mo., first eng. at," Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War (New York: Harper & Row, 1986), pp. 530–1; Kyrias, letter to Pollard, pp. 1–3; Col. William Weer, report, The War of the Rebellion (1885), Series I, Vol. XIII, p. 672.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.