KS The Baxter Springs Cemetery "Soldiers' Lot"

Buckeye Bill

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The Baxter Springs Soldiers' Lot is located in the north-central portion of the city cemetery in Baxter Springs, Kansas, approximately 60 miles south of Fort Scott. The cemetery may have been in use before the city of Baxter Springs was incorporated in 1868. The city of Baxter Springs donated the 0.7-acre soldiers' lot to the United States incrementally after the American Civil War. The earliest burials in the plot include 132 Union soldiers and officers killed on October 6, 1863, during the Battle of Baxter Springs. The battle, often referred to as the Baxter Springs Massacre, was just one of many murderous attacks on Kansas free-state citizens by the independent force of Confederate guerillas led by the ruthless border ruffian, Captain William Clarke Quantrill.

The federal government intended to remove the bodies of the men who died during the massacre to Springfield National Cemetery, but the citizens of Baxter Springs petitioned to keep them. As part of the arrangement to retain the burials, the city of Baxter Springs donated the tract of land to the government and agreed to keep the graves in good order.

In 1886, the federal government erected a large marble and granite monument at the soldiers' lot in memory of the men killed in the Battle of Baxter Springs, as well as soldiers and officers killed in other nearby engagements. Funds were appropriated to build the monument after the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post launched a petition drive in 1885, collecting signatures from more than 7,000 veterans. The monument was fabricated by Mitchell Granite Works of Quincy, Massachusetts, at a cost of $4,000. Dedicated on Decoration Day 1886, the monument is inscribed with the names of 163 soldiers and officers, including the names of the 132 soldiers killed during the Battle of Baxter Springs. The monument is over 20 feet high and is surmounted with a marble statue of a Union soldier at parade rest. Four 1853 24-pound siege-gun cannons, mounted in concrete bases, are located within the monument's perimeter, one at each corner.

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After the Battle of Baxter Springs, the dead U.S. Soldiers were buried just north of Fort Blair (Fort Baxter). Soon after the new cemetery land was donated, the U.S. Soldiers were reburied at the Baxter Springs Cemetery (Tour Stop 11).

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The Baxter Springs Soldiers' Lot is located in the north-central portion of the city cemetery in Baxter Springs, Kansas, approximately 60 miles south of Fort Scott.
Really nice set of pictures. When did you visit there?
 
Really nice set of pictures. When did you visit there?

Thanks, Texan!

I toured this venue, Honey Springs Battlefield and Mine Creek Battlefield on August 31, 2020. I placed photos of all 3 venues in the "Trans-Mississippi" forum. I was very impressed with the sites in Oklahoma and Kansas. I was going to tour John Brown sites but my trek was cut short by thunderstorms.

Bill

* I did visit the Fort Scott National Historic Site. I will post photos next week. Started early and ended late.
 
The Baxter Springs Soldiers' Lot is located in the north-central portion of the city cemetery in Baxter Springs, Kansas, approximately 60 miles south of Fort Scott. The cemetery may have been in use before the city of Baxter Springs was incorporated in 1868. The city of Baxter Springs donated the 0.7-acre soldiers' lot to the United States incrementally after the American Civil War. The earliest burials in the plot include 132 Union soldiers and officers killed on October 6, 1863, during the Battle of Baxter Springs. The battle, often referred to as the Baxter Springs Massacre, was just one of many murderous attacks on Kansas free-state citizens by the independent force of Confederate guerillas led by the ruthless border ruffian, Captain William Clarke Quantrill.

The federal government intended to remove the bodies of the men who died during the massacre to Springfield National Cemetery, but the citizens of Baxter Springs petitioned to keep them. As part of the arrangement to retain the burials, the city of Baxter Springs donated the tract of land to the government and agreed to keep the graves in good order.

In 1886, the federal government erected a large marble and granite monument at the soldiers' lot in memory of the men killed in the Battle of Baxter Springs, as well as soldiers and officers killed in other nearby engagements. Funds were appropriated to build the monument after the local Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) post launched a petition drive in 1885, collecting signatures from more than 7,000 veterans. The monument was fabricated by Mitchell Granite Works of Quincy, Massachusetts, at a cost of $4,000. Dedicated on Decoration Day 1886, the monument is inscribed with the names of 163 soldiers and officers, including the names of the 132 soldiers killed during the Battle of Baxter Springs. The monument is over 20 feet high and is surmounted with a marble statue of a Union soldier at parade rest. Four 1853 24-pound siege-gun cannons, mounted in concrete bases, are located within the monument's perimeter, one at each corner.

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Wonderful photos. Thank you.
 
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