Fort Lincoln (Kansas)
Encyclopedia
Fort Lincoln was established about August 24, 1861, by US Sen. James Lane
. Earlier, August Lane had reestablished Fort Scott
as a military post. Soon Confederate troops under former Missouri Governor Sterling Price
threatened to overrun the newly reopened post.
Lane moved 1200 troops, most of the citizens of the town of Fort Scott, Kansas
, and some refugees from Missouri to a point fifteen miles northwest of Fort Scott. On some low ground on the north side of the Little Osage River
, Fort Lincoln was established. The post was named for Pres. Abraham Lincoln
. Lane was criticized for choosing such a low spot, since it was difficult to see enemy troops coming and the area was prone to flooding during periods of heavy rains.
The post consisted of a number of buildings surrounded by a 5 feet (1.5 m) earthwork embankment. One large blockhouse was relocated to the town of Fort Scott about 1864 to help protect it and the post of Fort Scott. The town of Fort Lincoln was also established by Lane outside the post in 1861.
Once the threat to Fort Scott disappeared in September 1861, Lane took most of his troops from Fort Lincoln, leaving about 300 infantry and cavalry troops. In 1862, Lane's force was disbanded and then the post was occupied by black troops, who ran the post as a prisoner of war camp. Many Confederates were incarcerated there. In April 1863 the black troops were replaced by white troops. Between May and August 1863 the military abandoned the use of Fort Lincoln.
After its abandonment, George Walrod moved his family inside the fort. Walrod garrisoned the post as a one-man operation. Walrod died in October 1863 and in the winter a militia was formed in the area. The militia probably made use of Fort Lincoln until its destruction by retreating Confederates under Price on October 25, 1864. It was never rebuilt and the town of Fort Lincoln eventually disappeared.
James Lane
James Lane may refer to:*James H. Lane , Kansas senator and U.S. Army general*James H. Lane , Confederate general* Jim Lane...
. Earlier, August Lane had reestablished Fort Scott
Fort Scott
General Winfield Scott, former General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, was the namesake for five places named Fort Scott:*Fort Scott, Kansas, a city that grew up around a military fort of the same name**Fort Scott National Historic Site...
as a military post. Soon Confederate troops under former Missouri Governor Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
threatened to overrun the newly reopened post.
Lane moved 1200 troops, most of the citizens of the town of Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
, and some refugees from Missouri to a point fifteen miles northwest of Fort Scott. On some low ground on the north side of the Little Osage River
Little Osage River
The Little Osage River is an tributary of the Osage River in eastern Kansas and western Missouri in the United States. Via the Osage and Missouri rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
, Fort Lincoln was established. The post was named for Pres. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. Lane was criticized for choosing such a low spot, since it was difficult to see enemy troops coming and the area was prone to flooding during periods of heavy rains.
The post consisted of a number of buildings surrounded by a 5 feet (1.5 m) earthwork embankment. One large blockhouse was relocated to the town of Fort Scott about 1864 to help protect it and the post of Fort Scott. The town of Fort Lincoln was also established by Lane outside the post in 1861.
Once the threat to Fort Scott disappeared in September 1861, Lane took most of his troops from Fort Lincoln, leaving about 300 infantry and cavalry troops. In 1862, Lane's force was disbanded and then the post was occupied by black troops, who ran the post as a prisoner of war camp. Many Confederates were incarcerated there. In April 1863 the black troops were replaced by white troops. Between May and August 1863 the military abandoned the use of Fort Lincoln.
After its abandonment, George Walrod moved his family inside the fort. Walrod garrisoned the post as a one-man operation. Walrod died in October 1863 and in the winter a militia was formed in the area. The militia probably made use of Fort Lincoln until its destruction by retreating Confederates under Price on October 25, 1864. It was never rebuilt and the town of Fort Lincoln eventually disappeared.