Main Gallery Exhibits
at the Kansas Museum of History
Civil War
Hear the sounds of battle reverberate at the Kansas
Museum of History in Topeka.
 You'll
see:
- Pike purchased by abolitionist
John Brown to arm slaves
- Camp scene with Sibley stove,
folding camp chair, and lap
desk
- Uniforms and weapons used by Kansas soldiers
- Paintings of the Battle of the Blue
Kansas was the center of attention during the tense
years leading up to the Civil
War.
The whole nation knew that when Kansas became a state it would
alter the balance of power between North and South. Hundreds
of people came to the territory in the 1850s to fight for either the
pro-slavery or anti-slavery causes.
The territory became known as "Bleeding Kansas"
because of the violent clashes between these factions. Some settlers
in Missouri, the neighboring slave state, crossed the line into Kansas
and attacked residents who spoke out against slavery. Kansas settlers,
too, conducted bloody raids into Missouri.
After years of bloodshed and political bickering, Kansas finally entered
the Union as a free state in January 1861. The first
shots of the Civil War were fired about three months later.
Many Kansans answered the call to volunteer, and the state provided
the greatest number of soldiers per capita
in the Union. Most saw fighting near or west of the Mississippi River.
Noteworthy service came from the state's two African American regiments.
The First Kansas Colored Infantry
was the first such regiment raised in the northern states, and the first
to see fighting. Six flags from the First and Second Kansas Colored
infantries--one of the largest collections in the country--are rotated
on and off display at the Kansas Museum of History.
"Sadly they marched up the aisle. Father Fairchild,
who had prayed over them and sent them to battle such a short time ago,
received them with tears rolling down his wrinkled cheeks. They placed
the flag in his hands. He unfolded it. We saw it full of bullet holes,
ragged and battle-stained. He pointed to the dark stains on the staff
where the blood of our young soldier had trickled down, and told us
how even in the struggle of death he had borne it up until a comrade
could take its place. It was the target for the whole Rebel army. .
. . We sobbed and cried aloud. It was our first experience of the horrors
of war." --Anna Watson Randolph, Emporia
Learn more about Kansas in the Civil War by visiting the on-line exhibit,
Keep the Flag to the Front: Battle
Flags of Kansas.
Hours and Fees
Museum hours are 9:00 a.m.
- 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
Closed Mondays and state holidays.
Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for members and seniors, $2 for students,
and $1 per student for school tours.
Information
For information on our facilities, see Visiting
the Kansas Museum of History. Contact us at KansasMuseum@kshs.org.
Learn more about the Civil War at the
National Park Service Civil War web site .
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