The 1st Kansas Infantry

This is the continuation of a series highlighting twenty-three Union regiments from William F. Fox’s list of 300 fighting regiments from his Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898). Each of the twenty-three regiments featured suffered combat losses in the trans-Mississippi during their term of service. What follows below is the entry about the 1^st Kansas Infantry from Fox’s book, a regiment that served almost for the entire war in the trans-Mississippi. It suffered 106 killed at the battle of Wilson’s Creek, the fifth highest number of killed in a single battle by a Union infantry regiment during the war (Fox, p. 17). Ranked right behind it is the 1^st Missouri Infantry that had 103 killed at the same battle. After participating in the battle of Wilson’s Creek, the 1^st Kansas Infantry saw duty primarily in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Here are some other resources about the 1^st Kansas Infantry that may be of interest:

Hatcher, Richard W., III and William Garrett Piston, eds. Kansans at Wilson’s Creek: Soldiers’ Letters from the Campaign For Southwest Missouri. Studies of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. Springfield, MO: Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation, 1993. This slim volume reproduces letters from soldiers of the 1^st Kansas Infantry and the 2^nd Kansas Infantry that were published in wartime newspapers.

Kate Newland Collection, Kansas State Historical Society: digitized collection includes letters written by Lewis Stafford of Company E to Kate Newland

Museum of the Kansas National Guard: a short history of the 1^st Kansas Infantry appears on this website

“Reid's Brigade — McArthur's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

（1) Col. George W. Deitzler;Brig.-Gen.

（2) Col. William Y. Roberts.

companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff								16
Company	A		5	5		11	11	104
	B	1	2	3	1	13	14	115
	C		20	20		14	14	141
	D	1	9	10		15	15	137
	E		18	18	2	12	14	146
	F	1	14	15		14	14	121
	G		7	7		12	12	127
	H	1	23	24		10	10	144
	I	1	15	16		13	13	129
	K	2	7	9		8	8	128
Totals		7	120	127	3	122	125	1,308

Total of killed and wounded, 339.

battles.	K. & M. W.	battles.	K. & M. W.
Wilson’s Creek, Mo.	106	Atchafalaya, La.	1
Tuscumbia Mountain, Miss.	2	Vicksburg, Miss. (1864）	1
Old River, La.	1	Columbia, Ark.	2
Bayou Macon, La.	3	Guerrillas	2
Lake Providence, La.	3	Rebel Prison Guard	1
Cross Bayou, La.	1	Place unknown	3
Alexandria, La.	1

Present, also, at Dug Springs, Mo.; Trenton, Tenn.; Tallahatchie, Miss.; Big Black River, Miss.; Yazoo City, Miss.

Notes.--Organized at Leavenworth in May, 1861, and in June, was ordered into Missouri where it joined General Lyon's forces. It fought at Wilson’s Creek, August 10, 1861, a desperate battle in which General Lyon was killed, and in which the regiment suffered an unusual loss, its casualties amounting to 77 killed, 187 wounded, and 20 missing; a total of 284, out of 644 engaged; four line officers were killed, and Colonel Deitzler was severely wounded. General Sturgis, after having passed through many of the bloodiest battles of the war, once remarked that “for downright, hard, persistent fighting, Wilson’s Creek beat them all.” After this battle the regiment was stationed in Missouri until May, 1862, when it was ordered to Corinth. The summer of 1862 was spent in opening and guarding the Mobile & Ohio R. R. In January, 1863, it moved to Young’s Point, opposite Vicksburg, where the regiment was mounted by order of General Grant. It served as mounted infantry during the ensuing eighteen months, including the siege of Vicksburg, after which it joined the expedition to Natchez. During this time it was engaged, almost continuously, on scouting and outpost duty. In October, 1863, it returned to Vicksburg, and was stationed at Black River Bridge, twelve miles south of the city, where it went into winter quarters. The spring of 1864 was also passed in the vicinity of Vicksburg. On June 1, 1864, the regiment, excepting two companies of reenlisted men and recruits, embarked on transports for home, its term of service having expired. While passing Columbia, Ark., the steamer was fired on by an eight-gun battery, killing two of the men. The two companies remaining in the field were continued in service until August 30, 1865, when they were mustered out” (Fox, p. 417).