Audio
IMAGES and TEXT: Civil War
Transcript
IMAGE 1 of 3: Indian recruits DESCRIPTION: Vertical black and white photograph of four men. In the foreground seated facing left is one light skinned male writing in a book. The two Indian recruits, facing forward, are standing behind the seated man holding up their left hands. To their right is a light skinned male holding up a paper in his left hand. The Indian recruits are wearing buckskin jackets and the other two men are wearing 19th Century frontier attire. CAPTION: Indian recruits being sworn in for Civil War duty. CREDIT: Wisconsin Historical Society IMAGE 2 of 3: Fort Scott Soldier DESCRIPTION: Oval color painting of a black Union Civil War soldier with a muted multi-colored background. His face is viewed in side profile and turned to his left. He has a stern focused gaze, neatly trimmed mustache, and short closely cropped black hair behind his ear. His shoulders and chest are turned toward the left and he is wearing a blue billed cloth cap that is wrinkled at the top. The band above the bill has gold ends. He is wearing a blue Union uniform jacket buttoned to the top with a white shirt collar visible underneath. There are two straps crossing his chest. Over his right shoulder is a wider dark strap with a gold medallion and over his left is a thinner white strap. CAPTION: A 1st Kansas volunteer is depicted here in Dean Mitchell’s painting, “Fort Scott Soldier.” CREDIT: Dean Mitchell IMAGE 3 of 3: Battle of Mine Creek DESCRIPTION: Color painting of a Civil War cavalry battle. In the foreground, chaotic close quarters cavalry fighting between Union and Confederate soldiers. Some men have sabers drawn, some are using small arms, some are fending off blows, and some horses and riders are down. On the back left edge of the fighting is a line of artillery that is actively firing with flames visible. There is a smoky haze across the battlefield. In the distance out on the plains is a long line of Union troops. CAPTION: Confederate General Sterling Price’s 1864 defeat at the Battle of Mine Creek forced him to abandon plans to attack Fort Scott. CREDIT: Andy Thomas/Maze Creek Studio RELATED TEXT: The struggles of an adolescent America became a full-fledged rebellion in 1861 as the issues of slavery and self-determination drove the nation apart. The war brought the U.S. Army back to Fort Scott. Union commanders viewed the town as a strategic point in southeast Kansas to establish a base of military operations, where the army could protect Kansas against a possible Confederate invasion. Troops reoccupied many of the old fort buildings, including the stables and hospital, and began constructing a variety of new buildings and over 40 miles of fortifications. Fort Scott served as a major supply depot for Union armies in the West, a general hospital for soldiers in the region, and a haven for people fleeing the war—displaced Indians, escaped slaves, and white farmers. Many of these refugees joined the Union Army, greatly diversifying its ranks. American Indian and African American regiments were recruited in the area, including the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. Sworn in on the grounds of Fort Scott, this was one of the first African American regiments to engage the Confederates in combat. Fort Scott’s military stores made it a target of Confederate General Sterling Price, who made two unsuccessful attempts to capture it during the war. Guerilla warfare, which plagued the region, also threatened the town. Intense fighting on the Kansas-Missouri border between pro-Union Jayhawkers and pro-Confederate Bushwhackers kept the military occupied. The Union presence likely spared Fort Scott the pillaging and destruction suffered by other towns.
Description
An audio description of the Civil War section of Fort Scott's Unigrid brochure.
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