Osage Mission's post

Osage Mission's Post
	eastern Neosho County, Kansas
Coordinates	37°31′04″N95°10′18″W / 37.5178°N 95.1718°W Coordinates: 37°31′04″N95°10′18″W / 37.5178°N 95.1718°W
Type	intermittent U.S. Army post
Site information
Controlled by	various Union troops
Site history
Built	ca. December 1862
In use	ca. December 1862 - June 1865
Garrison information
Past; commanders	Capt. Jacob G. Rees, Capt. Curtis Johnson
Garrison	same

Last updated April 30, 2019

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.^[1]

St. Paul is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 629.

Neosho County is a county located in the south east of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16,512. The county seat is Erie.

Kansas is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita, with its most populated county being Johnson County. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north; Missouri on the east; Oklahoma on the south; and Colorado on the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native Americans who lived along its banks. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison.

Both Union and Confederate troops operated in the area surrounding Osage Mission and at times troops from both sides entered it. At times from 1862 to 1865 Union troops were stationed at Osage Mission, almost certainly on its outskirts. The first time troops were mentioned at the Mission was in a military report on Dec. 16, 1862. The troops left at some point and by October 1863 Union troops were back, when Confederate guerrillas were at the Mission for a time.^[2]^[3]

In November 1863 Confederates entered the Mission and the small force there, under a sergeant, was powerless to effectively drive them off. A company of Union troops was called in and drove them off. It appears that a larger body of troops were posted to the Mission, probably permanently until the post was deactivated in June 1865.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

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References

↑ "The Mission Story," on Osage Mission website, at http://osagemission.org/missionstory2.html .
↑ Maj. Benjamin S. Henning, report to Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part I, p. 837.
↑ Capt. Jay Thompson, report to Col. Charles W. Blair, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part II, pp. 723-4.
↑ Capt. Jay Thompson, report to Blair, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part II, pp. 723-4.
↑ "Troops in the Department of Kansas, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, U.S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1864," The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891), Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Part II, p. 207.
↑ Blair, report to Kansas Asst. Adjutant-General Capt. George S. Hampton, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896), Series I, Vol. XLVIII, Part II, p. 107.
↑ Capt. Curtis Johnson, report to Col. U. B. Pearsall, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896), Series I, Vol. XLVIII, Part II, p. 839.

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[1] "The Mission Story," on Osage Mission website, at http://osagemission.org/missionstory2.html .

[2] Maj. Benjamin S. Henning, report to Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part I, p. 837.

[3] Capt. Jay Thompson, report to Col. Charles W. Blair, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part II, pp. 723-4.

[4] Capt. Jay Thompson, report to Blair, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1888), Series I, Vol. XXII, Part II, pp. 723-4.

[5] "Troops in the Department of Kansas, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, U.S. Army, commanding, January 31, 1864," The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891), Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Part II, p. 207.

[6] Blair, report to Kansas Asst. Adjutant-General Capt. George S. Hampton, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896), Series I, Vol. XLVIII, Part II, p. 107.

[7] Capt. Curtis Johnson, report to Col. U. B. Pearsall, The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1896), Series I, Vol. XLVIII, Part II, p. 839.