First Kansas Vol. Inf., Co. D

The First Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed in May 1861 in response to President Lincoln's call for 400,000 volunteers. Men were recruited between May 20 and June 3. The regiment was mustered in on June 3, at Leavenworth, Kansas, and commis-sioned by Governor Charles Robinson. The regiment was led by Colonel George W. Deitzler from Lawrence, Kansas.

The men of the regiment gained notoriety almost immediately for the capture of one of the first rebel flags during the Civil War. On the night of June 4, 1861, the men were celebra-ting their arrival at Camp Lincoln near Ft. Leavenworth. During the course of the drunken revelry, a number of the men from companies A, D and I decided to attack the rebel cav-alry camp near Iatan, Missouri. After the eight-mile hike to the river bank opposite the rebel camp, the men of company I realized the foolishness of such an act; however, six men of company D, led by Sergeant Frank H. Drenning, swam the river determined to at-tack. By the time the party reached the camp, dawn had arrived, and a Sergeant was rais-ing a large rebel flag. The Kansas men demanded the flag at gunpoint "in the name of Abraham Lincoln, the Congress of the United States, and the American Union"; then, they lowered the flag with the aid of a butcher knife. They retreated to the river under fire from the cavalry. After firing two volleys with no result, the Kansans had no more ammunition. All six men then swam across the river, returned to their own camp with three wounded (Sergeant Drenning had been wounded twice), and during the morning's formation, proud-ly presented the rebel flag to their Colonel. Colonel Deitzler was not pleased and issued a standing order that no man was to cross into Missouri without orders. Never the less, Sergeant Drenning was promoted to First Sergeant of Company A the next day. After being discharged due to wounds from Wilson's Creek, Frank Drenning went on to serve as a Major in the Kansas Militia.

The First and Second Kansas regiments were soon ordered to Kansas City, Missouri, and then to Clinton, Henry County, Missouri. On this march, the men got their first taste of hardship. Not only were they required to march over twenty miles each day, but they also ran out of supplies to the point where "fresh beef without salt was the only luxury the com-missary afforded." While waiting to join the forces of General Nathaniel Lyon, the printers in the regiment, including Captains Swift and Chenoweth of Companies C and A respec-tively, bided their time by publishing a paper named "First Kansas" in the deserted office of the Clinton Journal.

On July 19, 1861 a private of the First was murdered. Michael Stein, and irish private of Company G, was killed by Private Joseph W. Cole, a comrade in the same company. Private Cole was arrested, tried, and shot for his crime by order of General Lyon.

The first engagement for the regiment came at Dug Springs, Missouri, on August 3. The battle was short, indecisive, and wounded a few Kansas men. General Lyon observed, however, that Confederate Generals Price and McCulloch had united their forces and were continually receiving reinforcements and intelligence. Lyon also realized the Rebels were concentrating their forces at Wilson's Creek, about twelve miles southeast of Spring-field. Aware of the imminent dismissal of many of his men--the entire Second Kansas reg-iment had signed Ninety-day papers--and the steady buildup of rebel forces, Lyon was determined to force an engagement as soon as possible. During a council of his field off-icers on the night of August 8, he made the following statement:

"Gentlemen, there is no prospect of our being reinforced at this point; our supply of provisions is running short; there is a superior force of the enemy in front, and it is reported that Hardee is marching with nine thousand men to cut our line of communication. It is evident that we must retreat. The question arises, what is the best method of doing it? Shall we endeavor to retreat without giving the enemy battle beforehand and run the risk of having to fight every inch along our line of retreat? Or shall we attack him in his position and endeavor to hurt him so that he cannot follow? I am decidedly in favor of the latter plan. I propose to march this evening with all our available force, leaving only a small guard to protect the property which will be left behind, and, marching up the Fayetteville road, throw our whole force upon him at once and endeavor to rout him before he recovers from his surprise."

Lyon decided to attack at dawn on August 10. After an overnight march, Lyon divided his command into two columns; the first, a group of about 3,700 under his own command, would attack the rear of the enemies' encampment while the second, a group of about 1,500 men under the command of General Franz Sigel, was ordered to move to the Fay-etteville road to strike the enemy at daybreak from the front of the encampment. Being attacked from both sides, the enemy would have no choice but to fight.

By 3:00 A.M. Lyon's men were in position. The Union scouts penetrated near enough to the enemy camp to see that there were no pickets. The Confederates, numbering 20,000 effective and 5,000 poorly armed soldiers, were confident in their superior numbers and strong position and had not arranged any advance defenses. Their plan had been to attack Springfield that very morning. The rebel men were assembled and prepared for the coming battle, then ordered to sleep under arms. In the confusion of the preparations, no officer remembered to post pickets for that night. About 5:00 Colonel Deitzler addressed the First Kansas from his horse, raising their spirits with cries of "Boys, we've got them, damn them!"

The booming sound of General Sigel's cannons was the signal for the attack to begin. A line of battle was formed with the First Iowa Regiment in the lead position. The First Kan-sas formed on the right of the First Iowa, and the First and Second Missouri regiments filled in to the right of the First Kansas. The Second Kansas was held in reserve with General Lyon himself.

Although the hard and driving rain worked to the advantage of the attackers by hiding their movements and rendering useless the flintlock muskets carried by nearly one-fifth of the Confederates, the defenders, who slept with their arms and ammutition, quickly formed their lines and the battle was joined in earnest. General Lyon's troops advanced from the west up and around a 150-foot spur of land that would soon be known as Bloody Hill. The hardest fighting fell to the First Kansas and the First Missouri who were ordered up Bloody Hill. Andreas' History of Kansas reports:

The rebels led battalion after battalion against the determined little band, only to be repeatedly driven back in confusion, and from the beginning to the close of the struggle, in the language of the official report, "all the officers and men of this command fought with a courage and heroism rarely, if ever, equaled."

All through the morning's battle the question often heard was "Where is Sigel?" Unknown to those in Lyon's column, Sigel's men broke ranks shortly after firing the opening volley thinking the battle was over. The Confederates counterattacked while the men were dis-organized capturing Sigel's artillery pieces, flag, and 300 men. Sigel's men routed in disor-der all the way back to Springfield.

After General Lyon fell, there was a respite of about twenty minutes. During this time, a column of heavy infantry carrying the Union flag advanced from the direction of Sigel's position. Supposing them to be Sigel's men, they were allowed to move to a covered pos-ition near Dubois' Union battery. When the Confederate guns opened fire from the top of the hill, the disguised rebel infantry threw down the Stars and Stripes and fired their mus-kets into Dubois' battery. The whole line came under attack and the battle reached its most fierce as shrapnel and canister from the rebel artillery gouged great holes in the fed-eral lines. The combatants at this time were "literally fighting muzzle to muzzle." At this des-perate junction, Companies A, C, and E of the First Kansas moved to the right and dis-covered a prominence that overlooked the enemy position on Bloody Hill. As the rebels charged up the Hill they were exposed to fire from both the front and the right flank "killing or wounding almost every enemy within sixty or seventy rods of our front, until their killed and wounded lay literally in piles." Colonel Deitzler led the three companies in a short charge downhill into the exposed flank of the confederates. The rebels' moral was broken and they began a rout, not even attempting to rally their flying, disorganized forces.

In order to prevent his little force from being surrounded, Colonel Deitzler ordered a re-treat back to the Union lines. Amid the noise and confusion, the order was not heard by Captain Clayton of Company E who continued to advance over the brow of the hill. There he discovered a regiment who's uniforms resembled those worn by Sigel's men. The Colo-nel of the regiment asked Captain Clayton where the enemy was. When Clayton indicated the retreating rebels the regiment formed in line with Clayton's company. Suddenly Cap-tain Clayton recognised the regimental commander as Colonel Clarkson, the pro-slavery former postmaster of Leavenworth. The Captain ordered his men to march "right oblique" about thirty paces until the Adjutant of the rebel regiment rode over and ordered him to halt. Company E halted and turned "about face" now facing into the rebel band. The Adju-tant demanded to know the identity of the unit and admitted his regiment was the Fifth Missouri Confederate. Whereupon Clarkson drew his pistol and ordered him to dismount and surrender his sword. With their prisoner the Kansas men slowly backed away until the Adjutant shouted for his men to open fire. As soon as the words left his mouth he was shot by the Captain and bayonetted by a Sergeant who left him spiked to the ground. The men ran for their lives until they passed friendly lines and reformed.

At the start of the day, the First Kansas numbered six hundred and forty-four men and of-ficers. When the battle was over six hours later, seventy-seven had been killed and two hundred fifty-five wounded accounting for fifty-one percent of those engaged. The Kansas boys, who "went upon the field distrusted, and as 'raw and undisciplined' troops, were complimented at night, by old and experienced officers in the regular army, as having 'be-haved and fought like veterans.'"

Having made sure that the enemy could not follow, the union men moved to Rolla and then by rail to St. Louis without harassment. They took with them a large amount of valuables, including $250,000 from the Springfield Bank, in a baggage train five miles long.

For the rest of the year, the regiment was employed in guarding important rail and commu-nications lines. They were posted first in Hannibal guarding the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, then in Tipton guarding the Missouri Pacific Railroad and finally in Lexington as garrison for that town.

In February, 1862, the First was ordered back to Fort Leavenworth where they received ten days furlough, and then proceeded to Fort Scott to join General Curtis. Curtis' forces spent the spring at Fort Riley in anticipation of an expedition to New Mexico. When the New Mexico expedition was abandoned in May, the First was ordered to Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee. Along the way, their destination was changed to Columbus, Ken-tucky, where they arrived in June. From then until the end of September, the Kansas men performed a familiar duty: guarding the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.

On October 3 1862, the First Kansas became a part of Mcpherson's Brigade, and was ordered to reinforce General Rosecrans at Corinth. Arriving October 4, just before sun-set, the fresh troops of the First were given the advance position for the pursuit of Van Dorn the next morning. For the next fifty miles, the First engaged in numerous engage-ments, capturing a large number of prisoners. On November 27, 1862, Grant began ad-vancing his troops, including the First Kansas, from Grand Junction, Tennessee toward Vicksburg, Mississippi. The rebels retreated south of Holly Springs to the fortifications at the Hatchie river where they rallied for a counterattack. The Seventh Kansas Cavalry Regiment (the Jayhawkers) was caught alone by the Confederate advance. A member of the Seventh Cavalry later reported:

Forty siege-guns were filling the atmosphere with bursting shells, and things looked dubious. But just then the infantry column came up at double time, the First Kansas in the advance--"Jayhawkers, ye'll have help now!" All hell couldn't have taken that hill.

Soon after arriving at Oxford, the regiment was ordered to return and garrison Holly Springs, because Van Dorn had doubled back and cut Grant's communication and destroyed stores and munitions. From Holly Springs the First moved toward Salem, Mississippi, in an attempt to intercept Van Dorn's retreat. Failing to engage Van Dorn,
the First returned to Holly Springs and then moved by rail to Collierville near Memphis, Tennessee. December was a month of rest in Memphis for the Kansas men.

Beginning February 1, 1863, the regiment participated in the siege of Vicksburg as mount-ed infantry by order of General Grant. They were transported by steamer to Young's Point, opposite Vicksburg. There, they were employed chiefly as scouts and pickets in the vicinity of Lake Providence, Louisiana. Led by Captain Spicer, Company D of the First Kansas was employed as pioneers, or unskilled engineers. "Spicer's pioneers" used saws to cut trees six feet under water to clear the bayou in the northern end of Grant's Canal.

In their capacity as mounted scouts, one company of the Sixteenth Wisconsin, and nine companies of the First Kansas Mounted Infantry, then under the command of Major William Y. Roberts, attacked a group of approximately 800 rebels on the west side of Bayou Macon near Caledonia, Louisiana on May 10, 1863. The bayou was impassable for horses so Company F was ordered to build a bridge, this they accomplished before dawn. The rebels were fortified in a brick kiln and negro quarters. Captain Zesch, com-manding Companies G and I, was ordered to charge across ditches and levees collapsing the enemy's left flank. With the left broken the rest of the Union forces attacked, driving the Rebels from their positions and causing them to retreat toward Pin Hook, a town nine miles away. Major Roberts ordered a pursuit in two columns; but, upon reaching Pin Hook, one column was ambushed. The small Confederate force was reenforced by troops from Delhi and Floyd comanded by Colonel Frank Bartlett who directed them to fortify their position amoung the trees and log cabins. Major Roberts determined that the strong forces in Pin Hook could not be dislodged without more forces or some artillery. The First fell back to the bridge with several wounded and two dead, one, a promising young First Lieutenant, the other, an orderly who drowned while swimming a bayou to deliver a dispatch. For these actions both Major Roberts and Captain Zesch received commendations from Brigadier General Hugh Reid in his report on the incident.

On June 9 the Thirteenth Lousiana and Thirteenth Texas under the command of Colonel Bartlett marched on Lake Providence to destroy the negro camps of instruction and dis-rupt the plantations held by unionists as far south as Milliken's Bend. Upon their approach to the town they discovered that the Federal forces had wisely destroyed the bridge over Bayou Tensas, one mile west of Lake Providence. General Reid ordered the First Kansas and the Sixteenth Wisconsin to prevent the confederates from crossing the bayou. The rebels were attempting to rebuild the bridge when the Federals arrived and began to at-tack. For an hour and a half the two forces fired at each other across the bayou, until dusk ended the skirmish. Under cover of darkness the rebel force withdrew. The victorious Kansans returned with a few casualties including Lieutenant Francis Becker of the "dutch" company, Company I.

Later in June, Confederate Colonel W. H. Parsons launched an offensive from Arkansas to destroy or recapture the Union-held plantations around Lake Providence. The attack began on Mounds plantation, ten miles from Lake Providence. There the confederates forced the surender of two companies of the First Arkansas Volunteers, African. The offensive continued toward Goodrich's Landing destroying plantations along the way. The First Kansas moved from Lake Providence to drive the rebels away, but a superior con-federate cavalry force drove the First back to the town. Just then, the gunboat Raine ar-rived and opened fire on the rebels, who retreated with great haste. The men of the First, along with Ellet's Marine Brigade from the Raine, followed the retreating Arkansas cavalry until dark, rescuing several hundred colored soldiers. The exhausted Kansans returned to Lake Providence while the Marines joined with other Federal forces at Goodrich's Land-ing where they caused the rebels to retreat to Monroe on June 30.

Sometime after the fall of Vicksburg July 4, 1863, the regiment joined the expedition to occupy the port at Natches, Louisiana. While there, they crossed the Mississippi river and "routed a rebel force of about 2000 men."

That July in Lake Providence, a woman was discovered in the ranks of the First. A ser-geant, she died of disease and her sex was discovered when the body was being prepared for burial. A witness in the hospital described her as, "more than average size for a woman with rather strongly-marked features, so that with the aid of a man's attire she had quite a masculine look." She joined the First in Missouri sometime before the battle of Wilson's Creek. Comparing that information with the official rosters published in the reports of the Adjunct General of the State of Kansas, one person matches: Sgt. Danl. Mullhattur, who enlisted into Company C June 14, 1861 after the First began moving into Missouri and died July 19, 1863 in Lake Providence, Louisiana.

Begining in October, the Fall and Winter of 1864 were spent at Black River Bridge, twelve miles south of Vicksburg, continuing their duty as scout and pickets. In the spring, the First became part of General McArthur's expedition, under the command of Lt. Col. Spicer, up the Yazoo River, attacking the Central Mississippi Railroad at Benton. For the remainder of spring, the Kansans returned to the vicinity of Vicksburg once again as scouts and pickets. On June 1, 1864 the regiment embarked on the steamer W. R. Arthur to be mustered out at Fort Leavenworth at the end of its term of service. The next day the boat was attacked by an artillery battery near Columbia, Arkansas, killing a civilian and mortaly wounding Private Charles Ranchfuss. The regiment was mustered out in Leaven-worth, Kansas on the seventeenth of June, 1864.

The Veteran Battalion First Kansas Infantry consisting of two companies, New Company B and New Company D, was formed on May 28, 1864 in Bovina Mississippi from vet-erans who volunteered to remain in service until the end of the war. The Veteran Battalion fought at Alchafalaya Bayou, Lousiana, on October 4, and White River Landing, Arkan-sas on October 27, 1864. They continued to serve in various capacities in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas until finally garrisoning Little Rock, Arkansas, where they were honorably discharged on August 30, 1865.

During the term of its service, the First Kansas participated in thirty battles or skirmishes. Its movements covered over 6,000 miles through portions of six rebel States, not counting Missouri and Kentucky. The service and actions of the First are a mark of pride for all Kansans. No words can better describe the honor due the memory of these men than those penned by Simeon M. Fox Adjunct of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, "The First Kansas fought on the bloody field of Wilson Creek, and their heroism there has given a luster to the name of Kansas that time can never dim. One hundred and six men was the death record of the First Kansas alone during that terrible day, and this regiment marched off the field in perfect order." God bless the First Kansas Volunteers.

1. A. T. Andreas. History of the State of Kansas, 1883, (Chicago: By the author, 1883) p 180.
2. William E. Connelley. History of Kansas State and People. 1928. (New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1928) p 828.
3. Simeon M. Fox. The Early History of the Seventh Kansas Cavalry. (Topeka: State Printing Office 1910) p 9.
4. Simeon M. Fox. The Seventh Kansas Cavalry: Its Service in the Civil War, an Address Before the Kansas State Historical Society. (Topeka: State Printing Office) p 6.
5. The Ladies' Repository, Devoted to Literature & Religion, Rev D. W. Clark D.D. Ed. July, 1863, Vol XXIII. p 444.
6. Kansas, Adjutant General's Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kansas, for the year 1864. ( Topeka: P. H. Hubbell & Co.,1865) p 3-50.
7. Kansas, Adjutant General's Office. Military History of Kansas Regiments During the War for the Suppression of the Great Rebellion. (Leavenworth: W. S. Burke, 1870) p 3.
8. National Park Service, Civil War Battles by State. 1998, CWSAC Reference# :LA014.
9. Lieutenant Colonel Robert N. Scott. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,1889, (Washington: Government Printing Office) p 124.
10. United States Printing Office. Official army registr of the volunteer force of the United States army for the years 1861, '62, '63, '64,'65 ,1887, (Washington: Government Printing Office).
11. John D. Winters. The Civil War in Louisiana, 1963, (Louisiana State University Press) pp 198,202-205.