Fort Scott National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near Fort Scott, in Bourbon County, Kansas. It encompasses 21.8 acres (8.8 ha), and as of the end of 2005, had 5,789 interments.
History[]
Fort Scott was established in 1842, on what was known as Military Road, between Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. It was named for Lieutenant General Winfield Scott. During the initial years, a small plot on the west side of the fort was used as a cemetery. In 1861, a new plot was purchased, and named Presbyterian Graveyard as it was maintained by the Presbyterian Church. During the American Civil War, it was used to inter soldiers who died in battles near in the area. The plot and an adjacent tract of land became Fort Scott National Cemetery on November 15, 1862. One of the twelve original United States National Cemeteries designated by Abraham Lincoln, it has the distinction of being listed as U.S. National Cemetery #1.[1]
At the end of the Civil War, the original fort cemetery interments were moved into the National Cemetery, as well, at the close of the Indian Wars, many frontier posts, such as Fort Lincoln, were abandoned and had their cemeteries transferred to Fort Scott.
Fort Scott National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Notable monuments[]
A granite monument, erected in 1984 in memory of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry which was stationed at the fort in 1863 and took the most casualties of any Kansas regiment, in numerous engagements of the Civil War.
Notable interments[]
- Captain Eugene Fitch Ware aka "Ironquill", poet, politician, and Civil War veteran.
See also[]
Notes[]
External links[]
- Fort Scott National Cemetery - photo tour.
- National Cemetery Administration
- Fort Scott National Cemetery
- Fort Scott National Cemetery, 900 East National, Fort Scott, Bourbon, KS at the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS)
The original article can be found at Fort Scott National Cemetery and the edit history here.