Arms, Ammunition and Hard Service

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Early in October of 1864, along the Kansas-Missouri Border, there was worry and concern about the movements of Confederate Major General Sterling Price and his "Army of Missouri." Where was this Confederate force going? That was the big question! By Oct. 11, there was no doubt, the Yankee "Blue Bellies" knew that the Confederates were advancing up the Missouri River Valley on their way to attack Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis commanded the Department of Kansas at Fort Leavenworth and ordered all available Union forces in eastern Kansas to march north to defend the "Jayhawker" state! This included activating the "Kansas Militia" which was done by the governor at the request of General Curtis. In Fort Scott, Quartermaster Merritt H. Insley did not wait for "orders." He knew that the Confederates needed the supplies and war material that was stored at Fort Scott. Therefore, in order to prevent the capture or destruction of more than $1 million worth of the "Necessities of War" he used all the quartermaster wagons, rented or confiscated all civilian wagons to haul the supplies further "west" in Kansas and safety near Iola so they would be out of "harms way"!

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