Fort McKean (Bourbon County, Kansas, Kansas)
Bourbon County, Kansas · Kansas · Civil War
History & Significance
On November 14, 1862, Company C of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, led by Lieutenant James B. Pond, established a camp at Morris Mills on Drywood Creek. Sometime later this camp was given the name of Fort McKean.
The post occupied a strategic position fifteen miles southeast of Fort Scott, and was probably on the Fort Scott-Fort Gibson Military Road, though many, including Pond, thought the post was inside Missouri. Located along the Kansas-Missouri border, Fort McKean served Union forces during the Civil War era, when the Army's main concern was to protect Kansas against guerrilla bands that terrorized residents on both sides of the Kansas–Missouri border.
Throughout its history, Fort McKean was a small post, ranging in strength from 20 to 60 men. The fort's modest garrison and likely temporary construction reflect the nature of field outposts established to counter Confederate irregular warfare and guerrilla incursions in eastern Kansas during the Civil War.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McKean
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_forts_and_posts
- https://www.bourboncountyks.org/history/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_County,_Kansas
- https://www.kansashistory.gov/archives/40668