Camp Ben Butler (Baxter Springs, Kansas)
Baxter Springs · Kansas · Civil War
History & Significance
Camp Ben Butler originated in early May 1863 as Camp Hooker, a temporary encampment on the Cherokee Strip in what became Baxter Springs, Kansas. Under Colonel James M. Williams of the 1st Kansas Colored Troops, the camp was relocated three blocks eastward in late May to Washington School Hill, where it occupied a plateau covering more than two square blocks with easily defensible terrain and limited southern access.
In July–August 1863, a more permanent structure, Fort Blair, was built nearby under Lieutenant Jason B. Bond, and troops transferred there. On October 6, 1863, approximately 400 guerrillas under William C. Quantrill attacked Fort Blair; after Quantrill's raiders decimated a passing Union column commanded by Major General James Blunt, survivors and Fort Blair's garrison withdrew to Camp Ben Butler.
When news of the massacre reached Fort Scott, reinforcements arrived, but all troops were ordered back to Fort Scott by October 20, 1863. All structures at Camp Ben Butler and Fort Blair were destroyed or burned before abandonment, and the site was not reoccupied as a military post for the remainder of the war.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Ben_Butler
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Baxter_(Kansas)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baxter_Springs
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/baxter-springs-heritage-center-and-museum
- https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battles-detail.htm?battleCode=ks002
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-fortblair/
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baxter_Springs,_Kansas