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During the
Civil War a
number of permanent military camps, forts, and blockhouses existed in
Kansas.
In all, at least twenty-seven were located in various areas of the
state. These camps and forts had some similarities, but many
differences existed among them.
The forts in
Civil War era
Kansas had at least one
similarity. All were maintained by the Union; no Confederate
forts
existed in the state. The differences among the
forts were striking.
Some forts were established by the regular Army to protect travelers
and settlers against
Indians.
Forts Aubrey,
Harker, Larned,
Riley,
and Dodge
were among these.
Some forts established by the
Army served as administrative headquarters in the chain of
forts
stretching across the west. Forts in this category in
Kansas included the
Camp
Ewing complex outside Lawrence and
Forts Leavenworth,
Riley, and
Scott.
A few forts established by the
Army existed partly to protect
Kansas residents against
attacks from Confederate regular and guerrilla forces. Such
forts included the relocated
Fort Lincoln, and
Fort Blair.
Most of the forts established by the
Army were manned at times totally by volunteer or militia forces
raised to fight the Confederates.
Some forts operated by the Army had other functions.
The original
Fort Lincoln, established by
Kansas Senator/militia
general James H. Lane, was used primarily to house Confederate
prisoners. Fort Zarah, at one point, was unique among the Army
forts, as,
for a time a large part of its garrison consisted of former
Confederates. These men were freed from prison camps on the condition
they joined the Union forces and be sent west to fight
Indians. Many
forts served as post offices and
as
Indian
agencies.
To make the
history of these historic sites even more interesting, several of
these old posts are said to be haunted including Forts
Blair,
Dodge,
Hays,
Leavenworth,
Riley, and
Scott.
Continued Next
Page
Also See:
Forts
of the American West
Haunted Forts & Battle Grounds
List of Old West Forts
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