|
Kathy Weiser, May, 2004
Fort
Blair, also referred to as Fort Baxter, was
established in the spring of 1862 to protect
Kansas residents against the frequent attacks from Confederate
regular and guerilla forces during the
Civil War. Located north
of the springs, it was here that the battle referred to as the
Baxter
Springs Massacre occurred. Confederate guerillas, under the
command of
William Quantrill, struck the fort around noon on October 6, 1863,
then moved on to massacre a contingent of troops being led toward Fort
Smith by General James G. Blunt. Nearly 100 Union soldiers were
killed in the guerilla attack and are buried in the
Baxter
Springs Cemetery, just west of the city.
The restored fort is located at
6th and
Military in
Baxter
Springs,
Kansas.
Read about
the Kansas Mother Road
Return to
Route 66 Galleries
|
|
Please report
broken links, missing pictures, or other problems online by clicking
