Skirmish at Island Mound

Skirmish at Island Mound
Part of the American Civil War
A woodcut depicting the battle published in Harper's Weekly in 1863
Date October 29, 1862 (1862-10-29) Location Bates County, Missouri Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States of America	Confederacy (CSA)
Commanders and leaders
Richard G. Ward Henry C. Seaman	Jeremiah V. Cockrell Dick Hancock Bill Truman
Units involved
1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Colored)	Missouri State Guard
Strength
250	~350
Casualties and losses
8 killed 11 wounded	estimated 30-40 killed, unknown wounded

The Skirmish at Island Mound was a skirmish of the American Civil War, occurring on October 29, 1862, in Bates County, Missouri. The Union victory is notable as the first known event in which an African-American regiment engaged in combat against Confederate forces during the war.

Made up mostly of former slaves who had escaped from Missouri and Arkansas, the regiment was recently trained in Kansas. They were outnumbered in the skirmish, but stood their ground and fought with "desperate bravery," as headlined by the New York Times. This Kansas regiment was later made part of the Union Army as United States Colored Troops. The state acquired property here in 2011 and the area has been preserved since 2012 as the Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site.

Captain (soon to be Colonel) James M. Williams had been forming an African-American regiment in Kansas, made up largely of escaped slaves from Missouri, Arkansas, and Indian Territory, and some free blacks. In August 1862, these men were mustered into Kansas militia service as the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers. The United States was not yet ready to accept black troops in the Union Army. They were mustered into United States service until January 13, 1863, after the Emancipation Proclamation. Despite the uncertainty of the regiment's future as a federal military force, Kansas ensured the men were armed with a mix of good Austrian and Prussian muskets with bayonets.

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Wikipedia