Research and Writing Opportunities

The last posting summarized the thirty-five “fighting regiments” that served at some point in the trans-Mississippi. While working on the series, I was struck by how few of them have been the subject of a full length history. So…are you interested in a research project that might take a few years? If so, here are the regiments in need of a historian:

22^nd Indiana Infantry: Glasgow, Mo.; Pea Ridge, Ark.

40^th Indiana Infantry: occupation duty in Texas

8^th Illinois Infantry: Charleston, Mo.; Milliken’s Bend, La.; occupation duty in Louisiana and Texas

20^th Illinois Infantry: campaigning in Missouri in 1861

21^st Illinois Infantry: served in Missouri until May 1862

22^nd Illinois Infantry: Charleston, Mo.; Belmont, Mo.

30^th Illinois Infantry: Belmont, Mo.

42^nd Illinois Infantry: served in Missouri until April 1862; occupation duty in Texas

44^th Illinois Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas

48^th Illinois Infantry: occupation duty in Arkansas

2^nd Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri until February 1862

3^rd Iowa Infantry: skirmishing in Missouri in 1861

5^th Iowa Infantry: New Madrid, Mo.; Milliken’s Bend, La.

7^th Iowa Infantry: Belmont, Mo.

9^th Iowa Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.

13^th Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri in the spring of 1862

1^st Kansas Infantry: Wilson’s Creek, Mo.; service in Louisiana

1^st Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory

5^th Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory

6^th Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory

11^th Missouri Infantry: actions in Missouri until March 1862

12^th Missouri Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; Arkansas Post, Ark.

26^th Missouri Infantry: New Madrid, Mo.

8^th U. S. Colored Infantry: occupation duty in Texas

79^th U. S. Colored Infantry [1^st Kansas Colored]: Poison Spring, Ark.; duty in the Indian Territory

16^th Wisconsin Infantry: Goodrich, La.

The following have all benefited from a history, but in some cases veterans wrote the works. Also, the 11^th Illinois and the 24^th Iowa were subjects of master’s degree theses.

11^th Illinois Infantry: garrison duty in Missouri; campaign to Morganzia, La.

31^st Illinois Infantry: Belmont, Mo.

36^th Illinois Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas

55^th Illinois Infantry: Arkansas Post, Ark.

6^th Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri until March 1862

22^nd Iowa Infantry: service in Louisiana from August 1863-July 1864

24^th Iowa Infantry: Red River campaign

15^th Missouri Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas

114^th New York Infantry: Fort Bisland, La.; Red River campaign 

Thirty-Five Fighting Regiments

Of the “Three Hundred Fighting Regiments” listed in William F. Fox’s Regimental Losses in the Civil War, thirty-five regiments, or almost 12%, served at some point in the trans-Mississippi. The breakdown by state is two Indiana units, twelve from Illinois, nine Iowa regiments, one from Kansas, three Michigan cavalry regiments, four Missouri regiments, one from New York, two U. S. Colored units, and one regiment from Wisconsin. Here is the list of the thirty-five fighting regiments with their primary service in the trans-Mississippi and the date of the blog posting that featured each one.

22^nd Indiana Infantry: Glasgow, Mo.; Pea Ridge, Ark. [March 3, 2011]

40^th Indiana Infantry: occupation duty in Texas [July 15, 2012]

8^th Illinois Infantry: Charleston, Mo.; Milliken’s Bend, La.; occupation duty in Louisiana and Texas [April 22, 2012]

11^th Illinois Infantry: garrison duty in Missouri; campaign to Morganzia, La. [May 23, 2012]

20^th Illinois Infantry: campaigning in Missouri in 1861 [July 10, 2011]

21^st Illinois Infantry: served in Missouri until May 1862 [February 13, 2012]

22^nd Illinois Infantry: Charleston, Mo.; Belmont, Mo. [September 25, 2011]

30^th Illinois Infantry: Belmont, Mo. [August 22, 2012]

31^st Illinois Infantry: Belmont, Mo. [March 4, 2012]

36^th Illinois Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas [May 20, 2011]

42^nd Illinois Infantry: served in Missouri until April 1862; occupation duty in Texas [November 22, 2012]

44^th Illinois Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas [March 13, 2011]

48^th Illinois Infantry: occupation duty in Arkansas [January 31, 2013]

55^th Illinois Infantry: Arkansas Post, Ark. [February 20, 2011]

2^nd Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri until February 1862 [March 27, 2012]

3^rd Iowa Infantry: skirmishing in Missouri in 1861 [January 29, 2011]

5^th Iowa Infantry: New Madrid, Mo.; Milliken’s Bend, La. [October 30, 2011]

6^th Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri until March 1862 [September 22, 2012]

7^th Iowa Infantry: Belmont, Mo. [April 11, 2011]

9^th Iowa Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark. [November 12, 2011]

13^th Iowa Infantry: service in Missouri in the spring of 1862 [October 31, 2012]

22^nd Iowa Infantry: service in Louisiana from August 1863-July 1864 [May 28, 2011]

24^th Iowa Infantry: Red River campaign [March 22, 2011]

1^st Kansas Infantry: Wilson’s Creek, Mo.; service in Louisiana [May 3, 2011]

1^st Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory [January 17, 2012]

5^th Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory [January 5, 2013]

6^th Michigan Cavalry: service in the Dakota Territory [July 19, 2011]

11^th Missouri Infantry: actions in Missouri until March 1862 [August 21, 2011]

12^th Missouri Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; Arkansas Post, Ark. [March 28, 2011]

15^th Missouri Infantry: Pea Ridge, Ark.; occupation duty in Texas [June 10, 2011]

26^th Missouri Infantry: New Madrid, Mo. [December 16, 2011]

114^th New York Infantry: Fort Bisland, La.; Red River campaign [January 22, 2011]

8^th U. S. Colored Infantry: occupation duty in Texas [December 14, 2012]

79^th U. S. Colored Infantry [1^st Kansas Colored]: Poison Spring, Ark.; duty in the Indian Territory [February 16, 2013]

16^th Wisconsin Infantry: Goodrich, La. [January 25, 2011]

"They Fought Like Veterans": The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry

In my imagination, I sometimes visualize the men of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry marching through the area where I live--not in the present time, of course, but nearly 150 years ago after fighting in the 1st Cabin Creek skirmish. Impressed with their performance, General James G. Blunt wrote that "They fought like veterans." Two years ago, I started highlighting regiments from William F. Fox’s list of “300 Fighting Regiments” that served at some point in the trans-Mississippi, and now the end has been reached. These units have been featured randomly with one exception—from the beginning I decided that the 1^st Kansas Colored Infantry would be the last regiment in the series. All of the regiments have been noteworthy, but the 1^st Kansas Colored Infantry, in my opinion, is the most special. Why? It was one of the first regiments of African-American soldiers to experience combat, and it was the only regiment in Fox’s list of 300 that served exclusively in the trans-Mississippi. 

There are a number of resources on the Internet about the 1^st Kansas Colored Infantry (later designated as the 79^th U. S. Colored Infantry), and the following were of particular interest to me:

American Ancestors: selected digital images of Captain Ethan Earle’s account book

Community & Conflict: a history of the regiment and a link to digital images of the unit’s Order Book

Fort Scott National Historic Site: a short history and suggested bibliography about the regiment

Kansas Historical Society: a flag of the 79^th U. S. Colored Infantry

The following is Colonel William F. Fox’s sketch of the regiment (note the incredible loss of Company K):

“Adam’s Brigade —Thayer’s Division--Seventh Corps.

Colonel James M. Williams; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.

Companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff								17
Company	A		16	16		22	22	111
	B	1	11	12		21	21	130
	C	1	17	18		17	17	108
	D		12	12		23	23	109
	E	1	15	16		17	17	116
	F		21	21	1	17	18	129
	G		13	13		19	19	136
	H	1	14	15		15	15	128
	I		16	16		7	7	121
	K	1	48	49		7	7	144
Totals		5	183	188	1	165	166	1,249

188 killed --15 per cent.

Battles.	K. & M. W.	Battles.	K. & M. W.
Island Mounds, Mo.	10	Horse Head Creek, Ark.	1
Sherwood, Mo.	16	Poison Springs, Ark.	111
Cabin Creek, C. N.	1	Flat Rock, C. N.	36
Honey Springs, C. N.	5	Timber Hills, C. N.	2
Fort Gibson, C. N.	1	Ivy Ford, Ark.	1
Lawrence, KS.	1	Roseville, Ark.	2
Baxter Springs, C. N.	1

Present, also, at Bush Creek; Prairie d'ann; Jenkins's Ferry; Joy's Ford.

Notes.--Organized originally as the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, its designation being changed to the Seventy-ninth United States Colored Infantry, December 13, 1864. Recruiting commenced in August, 1862, and within sixty days 500 men were enlisted and placed in camp, although not without the usual difficulty and opposition arising from the prejudice against colored troops. On the 28th of October, 1862, a detachment of recruits numbering about 225 men, under Captain H. C. Seaman, encamped near Butler, Mo. (Island Mounds), where it was attacked by a superior force under Colonel Cockrell; the enemy were repulsed and driven off,--Seaman's detachment losing 10 killed and 12 wounded, Captain A. J. Crew being among the killed. This affair is noteworthy as the first fight in the war in which colored troops were engaged. A regimental organization was not effected until January, 1863, when six companies were mustered in; the other four companies were organized by May, 1863. At Poison Springs, Ark., April, 1864, the regiment while on a forage expedition in company with the Eighteenth Iowa, one section of artillery, and a small detachment of cavalry, was attacked by a large force under Generals Marcy and Fagan. The Union troops were completely surrounded, but cut their way out, the regiment losing 189 killed and wounded, besides the missing. Colonel Williams was in command of the party. In the affair at Flat Rock, only one company (K), numbering 42 men, was engaged; it was surprised and attacked by General Gano, the company being nearly annihilated. In May, 1864, Colonel Williams was placed in command of the Second Brigade, Frontier Division, Seventh Corps, the regiment being included in that brigade. Mustered out October 1, 1865” (Fox, p. 422).