Fort Simple
Encyclopedia
Fort Simple was built in Topeka, Kansas
, as a result of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price
's Missouri Raid in the late summer and fall of 1864 (see Price's Raid
). Topeka had become the permanent capital of the State of Kansas
in 1861, but no fortifications had been built to protect the city from guerrilla bands, which roamed eastern Kansas. Even the raid and massacre in August 1863 in Lawrence, Kansas
(see Lawrence Massacre), did not result in a fort being built to protect the capital, although plans had been made to build one by July 1864.
On October 8, 1864, Gov. Thomas Carney
called the state militia to defend Kansas against Price's Confederates. The 2nd Regiment, based in Shawnee County (where Topeka was located), was sent to western Missouri
to meet Price's force. A group of 292 men were also organized into a home regiment to guard Topeka. The men possessed one cannon, probably a mountain howitzer (see Mountain gun
).
The home regiment, led by Maj. Andrew Stark, built a stockade in the middle of the intersection of 6th and Kansas Avenues and two sets of trenches on the east side of town. The stockade, which until after the Civil War
had no name, was in the Topeka business district. Someone after the War called the structure Fort Simple and the name stuck. Both 6th and Kansas Avenues were wide streets and Kansas Avenue was at the top of a ridge that ran from 5th to 11th Streets. Therefore the view from the fort commanded the surrounding countryside. The temporary State Capitol was on Kansas Avenue just north of 5th Street.
Simple was a circular stockade. The walls consisted of cottonwood logs sixteen feet long and split in half. The bark side faced the fort's outside. The logs were driven into the ground until only the top ten feet of them stood above ground. Fort Simple wasforty to fifty feet in diameter. A flagpole in the center of the fort was erected.
The mountain howitzer was kept inside the fort and a port was cut in the east, west, south and north sides to allow it to be moved and fired. Notches for rifles were located completely around the fort. George A. Root claimed two notches were cut between each erect log, so one man could fire standing while another could fire kneeling. A wooden gate on the fort's west side was the only entrance to Fort Simple. No part of this fort had a roof, so it was completely open to the weather.
The home battalion guarded Topeka while the rest of the 2nd Regiment was east engaging Price's men. On October 23, in the evening, news reached Topeka that the Union forces had been crushed in the Battle of Westport
, waged in what is now part of Kansas City
. The entire city was in a state of panic and 350 armed men manned the trenches and Fort Simple through the night, expected an attack. In the morning a lone horseman raced into Topeka with the news that Price, not the Union forces, had been defeated.
The fort was used to defend Topeka until almost the end of the Civil War. In April and July 1865 the Topeka city council took actions to make the fort appear more attractive, since it was no longer used. In April 1867 it was decided Fort Simple had become an unsightly relic and it was torn down. In 1929 a bronze tablet was laid on the southwest corner of the intersection to honor Fort Simple's memory. In 1995 this tablet was removed during construction and not replaced.
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, as a result of Maj. Gen. 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...
's Missouri Raid in the late summer and fall of 1864 (see Price's Raid
Price's Raid
Price's Missouri Expedition, also known as Price's Raid, was an 1864 Confederate cavalry raid through the states of Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. While Confederate Major General Sterling Price enjoyed some successes during this campaign, he was decisively beaten at the Battle...
). Topeka had become the permanent capital of the State of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1861, but no fortifications had been built to protect the city from guerrilla bands, which roamed eastern Kansas. Even the raid and massacre in August 1863 in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
(see Lawrence Massacre), did not result in a fort being built to protect the capital, although plans had been made to build one by July 1864.
On October 8, 1864, Gov. Thomas Carney
Thomas Carney
Thomas Carney was the second Governor of Kansas.Carney was born in Delaware County, Ohio to James and Sarah Carney. James died in 1828, and Thomas remained at home farming with his mother until age 19...
called the state militia to defend Kansas against Price's Confederates. The 2nd Regiment, based in Shawnee County (where Topeka was located), was sent to western Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to meet Price's force. A group of 292 men were also organized into a home regiment to guard Topeka. The men possessed one cannon, probably a mountain howitzer (see Mountain gun
Mountain gun
Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use in mountain warfare and areas where usual wheeled transport is not possible. They are similar to infantry support guns, and are generally capable of being broken down into smaller loads .Due to their ability to be broken down into smaller...
).
The home regiment, led by Maj. Andrew Stark, built a stockade in the middle of the intersection of 6th and Kansas Avenues and two sets of trenches on the east side of town. The stockade, which until after the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
had no name, was in the Topeka business district. Someone after the War called the structure Fort Simple and the name stuck. Both 6th and Kansas Avenues were wide streets and Kansas Avenue was at the top of a ridge that ran from 5th to 11th Streets. Therefore the view from the fort commanded the surrounding countryside. The temporary State Capitol was on Kansas Avenue just north of 5th Street.
Simple was a circular stockade. The walls consisted of cottonwood logs sixteen feet long and split in half. The bark side faced the fort's outside. The logs were driven into the ground until only the top ten feet of them stood above ground. Fort Simple wasforty to fifty feet in diameter. A flagpole in the center of the fort was erected.
The mountain howitzer was kept inside the fort and a port was cut in the east, west, south and north sides to allow it to be moved and fired. Notches for rifles were located completely around the fort. George A. Root claimed two notches were cut between each erect log, so one man could fire standing while another could fire kneeling. A wooden gate on the fort's west side was the only entrance to Fort Simple. No part of this fort had a roof, so it was completely open to the weather.
The home battalion guarded Topeka while the rest of the 2nd Regiment was east engaging Price's men. On October 23, in the evening, news reached Topeka that the Union forces had been crushed in the Battle of Westport
Battle of Westport
The Battle of Westport, sometimes referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West," was fought on October 23, 1864, in modern Kansas City, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Union forces under Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumbered Confederate force under Major General...
, waged in what is now part of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. The entire city was in a state of panic and 350 armed men manned the trenches and Fort Simple through the night, expected an attack. In the morning a lone horseman raced into Topeka with the news that Price, not the Union forces, had been defeated.
The fort was used to defend Topeka until almost the end of the Civil War. In April and July 1865 the Topeka city council took actions to make the fort appear more attractive, since it was no longer used. In April 1867 it was decided Fort Simple had become an unsightly relic and it was torn down. In 1929 a bronze tablet was laid on the southwest corner of the intersection to honor Fort Simple's memory. In 1995 this tablet was removed during construction and not replaced.