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Fort Scott National Historic Site

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Fort Scott National Historic Site
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LocationBourbon County, Kansas, USA
Nearest cityFort Scott, Kansas
Area17 acres (0.07 km²)
EstablishedOctober 19, 1978
Visitors22,314 (in 2007[1])
Governing bodyNational Park Service

Fort Scott National Historic Site is a historical area under the control of the United States National Park Service in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. Named after Mexican-American War General Winfield Scott, during the middle of the 19th Century it served as a military base for army action in what was the edge of settlement in 1850, and then saw various military activity for the next quarter-century as a supply base and to provide security in turbulent areas during the the opening of the West to white settlement, which included Bleeding Kansas and the American Civil War.

The current national historic site protects 20 historic structures, a parade ground, and five acres (20,000 m²) of restored tallgrass prairie, inside the city of Fort Scott. It is open most days of the year to tourists.

History

In 1842 Fort Scott, named after Winfield Scott, was established on the American frontier on the military road between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Gibson. It was established due to the rapid immigration of settlers from the Eastern United States out west. Fort Scott became one of a chain of forts intended to protect the new settlers from the Indians, and protect the Indians from the settlers, as hopes the United States government had of permanent Indian lands west of the Missouri River proved for naught. Fort Scott's most active days were between 1842 and 1853.[2]

Army days

See also: Kansas Territory

The Cherokees of Oklahoma were upset with the presence of Fort Wayne in their proximity. After some delay, it was decided that the soldiers of Fort Wayne would abandon that fort and instead build a new fort between Fort Leavenworth and where Fort Wayne stood. It was hoped it would placate the Cherokee and provide some defense against the rampaging Osages for white settlers and other Indians. On April 1, 1842, some soldiers of Fort Wayne left their fort and on April 22 arrived where Fort Scott would be built, in the Osage Cuestas section of modern-day Kansas. After haggling with the Cherokees to acquire the land, the rest of Fort Wayne's garrison left the fort on May 26 and arrived at the Fort Scott site on May 30.[3]

Fort Scott NHS

Unlike most forts for military use, there were no defensive walls or structure when the fort was first built; the wide open area and the available artillery made it unnecessary for an enclosed fort.[1] Instead, the focus was on building the necessary lodging for the men, animals, and equipment an army post would require. These buildings were on the edges of a 350-foot (110 m) parade ground. The post quartermaster, Captain Thomas Swords, was in charge of building Fort Scott's structures, and had to deal with the problems of construction of the Kansas prairie, namely having only two bricklayers and three carpenters to rely on, as there were few civilians and most of the soldiers had other duties to perform. Wood was available, but the mill built 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away to saw the wood was plagued with lack of wood, skilled labor and working equipment to be truly efficient, and often freak accidents would destroy much of the wood intended for the fort's construction. As a result, only one duplex of the five planned officers quarters (four duplexes and post commandant's house) were built by 1844, and the intended enlisted barracks were not completed as well. Even so, in his 1844 inspection of the fort Colonel George Croghan reported that, in comparison to other frontier forts, he considered Fort Scott "above average".[4]

Increasingly, the United States Army was seen as needed more in the Southwest, due to the rising tensions that escalated in the Mexican-American War. Still uncompleted (it still lacked an additional Dragoons' Quarters and the Commandant's House), it was decided, on April 25, 1850, that no more construction would be done at Fort Scott, after eight years and $35,000. By the time it was finished, it was obsolete; three years later, it would be abandoned by the military in favor of the more western Fort Riley.[5]

Life at the fort for the average soldier was "monotonous". Until the permanent structures were built, soldiers had to live in uncomfortable tents. Aside from a few whiskey peddlers and prostitutes, there were few civilians at the fort, save for a few slaves that were owned by officers, including Captain Swords. A shop five miles (8 km) west in Missouri provided grog, and quite a few courts-martial took place due to some soldiers going AWOL at the shop. Desertions from the fort ranged from 12%-16%, due to boredom, irregular pay, and hatred for military life. There was no combat ever around the fort, making the fort seem more of a frontier village than a military base. Hunting was a popular pastime; according to Captain Swords, "wolf chasing and duck hunting" was the only way one officer could tolerate the place.[6] [7]

Bleeding Kansas

Main article: Bleeding Kansas

Two years after the army abandoned the fort, the buildings were sold by auction to civilians, with two of the buildings becoming hotels. In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which kept slavery out of Kansas. Missourians in favor of slavery soon moved to Kansas in order to sway the vote of whether or not Kansas would permit slavery. The two competing factions of what became known as the Bleeding Kansas conflict each claimed one of the hotels at Fort Scott: Free-Soil at the Fort Scott Hotel and Pro-Slavery at the Western Hotel. Most of the residents in Fort Scott supported slavery, but those in the environs tended to the free-soil side. During this time, Fort Scott would see murder and attempted arson, typical aspect of the guerrilla conflicts that were prevalent in the fighting.[8]

Army returns

See also: Kansas in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the fort again saw action as a military post. In August 1861, the Union Army took command of Fort Scott, and readied it for the war times. Unlike previous times, the United States Army took over several blocks within the town for commissarial and quartermaster functions. The Union Army did not actually own the property, but instead rented it from the current civilian owners. Troops from Indiana, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin would come to the fort, and either stayed by the fort, or traveled farther, to subjugate Missouri, Arkansas, or the Indian Territory. Fort Scott was also one of the few areas that recruited and train black soldiers for the Union Army.[1] A major supply depot was situated at the fort, and it was the dream of Confederate general Sterling Price to capture the town, but the closest the Confederate force came to the garrison was 10 miles (16 km) away at Battle of Dry Creek. The strategic importance of the site was by being within a Southern-sympathizing area close to the Confederate state of Arkansas and the "unstable" Indian Territory, which makes up modern-day state of Oklahoma. The fort also served as a "general hospital" (large military hospital) and prison until after the war, when in October 1865 the army again left the facilities, and sold what they controlled again by auction.[9][10]

The army would again return on January 14, 1870, when the Post of Southeast Kansas was formed. The Post was based at Fort Scott, but the soldiers camped along the rail tracks, and seldom used the original fort. They were sent to protect the railroads and their workers from the settlers who did not want the railroad to evict them from their homes. The settlers began to see the troops as lackeys to the railroads, and considered them the enemy as well. There were some conflicts with Indians and robbers still sympathetic to the Confederate cause, but by the spring of 1873 the troops would be pulled away from Fort Scott for good. From 1873 to 1965 the buildings of the fort were left unattended, and slowly wasted away, with many of the more decrepit military buildings being razed and replaced with civilian structures.[11][12]

Modern times

With the Act of August 31, 1965 the National Park Service gave the city government of Fort Scott, Kansas the necessary funds and technical knowledge to restore the fort.[13]

On October 19, 1978, Fort Scott became a National Historic Site under the supervision of the National Park Service, encompassing 17 acres (69,000 m2). Today the fort is open throughout the year, save for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Visitation has declined in recent years. In 2005 visitation was 25,528; in 2007 it was 22,314.[14][1]

Surviving structures include four officers' barracks, one dragoons' barracks, two infantry barracks, a hospital, guardhouse, dragoon stables, ordnance and post headquarters, quartermaster stables, bake shop, flagpole, and magazine.[15] Another feature of the park is 5 acres (2.0 ha) of tallgrass prairie as part of a restoration project.[1]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Janiskee, Bob (October 18th, 2008). "Park History: Fort Scott National Historic Site Tells Many Interesting Stories". National Parks Traveller. Retrieved 2009-05-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Oliva p.1
  3. ^ Oliva pp.1,8,13-15
  4. ^ Oliva pp.17-23,25
  5. ^ Oliva pp.28,34
  6. ^ "Fort Scott National Historic Site - Operating Hours & Seasons". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  7. ^ Oliva pp.53,57,61
  8. ^ "Bleeding Kansas". Bleeding Kansas. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  9. ^ "War! War! War! Fort Scott in the Civil War". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  10. ^ Arbogast Sec.8,p.6
  11. ^ "Soldier vs. Settler". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  12. ^ Arbogast Sec.8,p.7
  13. ^ Arbogast Sec.8, p.8
  14. ^ "Fort Scott National Historic Site - Park Statistics". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  15. ^ Arbogast sec 7, p.1,2

Sources

  • Arbogast, David (1976). Fort Scott NRHP Nomination Form (PDF). Omaha, Nebraska: National Park Service.
  • Oliva, Leo E. (1996). Fort Scott:Courage and Conflict at the Border. Kansas State Historical Society.
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