Potosi's post

38.1601°N 94.6678°W / 38.1601; -94.6678

Potosi's Post
eastern Linn County, Kansas
TypeU.S. Army post
Site information
Controlled by11th Kansas Cavalry, possibly other units at times
Site history
Builtca. August 1863
In useca. August 1863 - October 1864
Garrison information
Garrisonsame

Potosi's post, in eastern Linn County, Kansas, was established at the small town of Potosi, Kansas, founded in 1857 by those loyal to the southern cause in Kansas. The other side, the free-staters, soon gained control of the town and it was loyal to the Union when the Civil War broke out in 1861. Potosi was located along the north bank of Mine Creek and it was along the military road running from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Gibson. At its height the town had thirty residents, a store and a post office. [1]

Background

In December 1861 a group of 120 men loyal to the Confederacy raided Potosi, basically pillaging most or all of its buildings. Camp Defiance was established 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northeast of Potosi soon after. Later, a group of Union soldiers was stationed at Potosi to protect it. The first time they were mentioned was in August 1863.[2]

Troops continued to stay at Potosi until October 1864. One report said twenty-five troops were at the post. In October Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price and about 10,000 troops were in Missouri on a raid and were moving west toward Kansas. The troops were removed to join the Union forces meeting Price. On October 25, 1864, the Battle of Mine Creek took place about three miles to the west of Potosi. Possibly some Confederate troops camped at Potosi.[3][4][5]

The town itself did not last much longer, becoming abandoned in 1869. Today all that remains is an overgrown and unused stretch of the military road, which no longer crosses Mine Creek.[6]

References
  1. William G. Cutler, History of the State of Kansas (Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1883), pp. 1106-7, 1116.
  2. Charles M. Chase, letter to the Republican, August 17, 1863, pp. 3-5 (in the Manuscript Div. of the Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kans.).
  3. "Troops in the Department of Kansas, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, U.S. Army, commanding, June 30, 1864," The War of the Rebellion (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891), Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Part IV, p. 620.
  4. A Little History about Mound City, Kansas, and Our Neighbors (N.p.: n.d), p. 23.
  5. Cutler, pp. 1106-7.
  6. Cutler, p. 1107.
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