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The Battle of Baxter Springs, more commonly known as the Baxter Springs Massacre, was a minor battle of the American Civil War, fought on October 6, 1863, near the present-day town of Baxter Springs, Kansas. In late 1863, Quantrill's Raiders, a large Confederate guerrilla band, was traveling south through Kansas along the Texas Road to winter in Texas. Numbering about 400, this group captured and killed two Union teamsters who had come from a small Federal Army post called Fort Blair (frequently referred to as Fort Baxter).〔 ==Fight at the fort== Quantrill decided to attack Fort Baxter and divided his force into two columns, one under him and the other commanded by a subordinate, David Poole. Poole and his men proceeded down the Texas Road, where they encountered Union soldiers, most of whom were African Americans. They chased and attacked the Union troops, killing some before the soldiers reached the earth and log Fort Blair. The garrison there consisted of about 25 cavalry and 65-70 infantry men of the United States Colored Troops. Poole's column attacked the fort, but the garrison fought them off.〔 1st Lt. James Burton Pond received the Medal of Honor for leading the defense of the fort. The citation for his Medal of Honor reads: :For extraordinary heroism on 6 October 1863, while serving with Company C, 3d Wisconsin Cavalry, in action at Baxter Springs, Kansas. While in command of two companies of Cavalry, First Lieutenant Pond was surprised and attacked by several times his own number of guerrillas, but gallantly rallied his men, and after a severe struggle drove the enemy outside the fortifications. First Lieutenant Pond then went outside the works and, alone and unaided, fired a howitzer three times, throwing the enemy into confusion and causing him to retire. The American flag would remain standing over the fort thanks to the bravery of the 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry who helped rally the white federal soldiers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Baxter Springs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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