A Moment in Time

"When the Civil War Came to Kansas: An Eyewitness Account"

October 1998
By Joel Walker

A monthly series from the Kansas Historical Society

With the light drizzle of early morning came the Confederate Army of Sterling Price rumbling through Mine Creek just north of her father's farm. Barbara Jane Palmer Dolson, with her infant daughter, was staying with her mother and two sisters while her husband and father marched off with the militia to defend the state from invasion. Now, suddenly, that army of invasion was passing in full view, pillaging and looting as it went. She could only hope that the federal pursuit was close behind. Within a few hours a battle would be fought on this very spot, and unlike her husband and father who were well in the rear and would miss the battle, Barbara Jane Dolson would witness the only Civil War battle fought on Kansas soil.

The first Confederate soldiers reached the Palmer house just as breakfast was being served. Uninvited, the first few soldiers that entered the house sat down and helped themselves. They were soon followed by others, who, not finding food, took whatever they could lay their hands on. From underneath her bed, one soldier pulled out a box that contained the clothes of her young daughter. Her pleading to leave the clothes alone fell on deaf ears until a Confederate officer appeared and ordered the man to put them back where he had found them. Taking a bed sheet from another soldier, the officer wrapped it around the shoulders of Barbara Jane, explaining that she might keep it as a shawl.

A harsh-looking man, dressing his wounded foot nearby, grew upset by the officer's manners. "I would kill all the women and children I could get my hands on if I had my way." Mrs. Dolson later recalled the man saying. The officer quickly reprimanded the insolent soldier but was interrupted by someone shouting that there was going to be a battle. Barbara Jane Dolson never saw the kind officer again as he rushed out of the house to prepare for battle. She would forever remember him as "my rebel officer."

The battle lines quickly formed as Barbara Jane Dolson stood at the north door of the house, watching. The cannons belched their smoke and flames as the onward rush of men collided. Soon she could hear nothing but the rattle of musketry. Then men came over the creek in what seemed a massive flood of humanity; the Confederates racing southward with Union troops in hot pursuit.

In long minutes it was over. Dolson and her mother and ventured outside to aid the wounded. Men had fallen all about the house and crawled to the protection of fence corners and brush so as not to be trampled by the pursuing mounted troops.

Gathering the wounded, they were taken to a vacant cabin north of the creek. Here, in this field hospital, Barbara Jane Dolson continued to help the wounded. As she remembered in later life, "Here . . . was a sickening scene. . . . Some were bearing their pain without a murmur, some groaning, some crying, some praying, and some dying. I often wonder how I could bear to look on such a fearful scene, much less to try to care for the poor fellows. I certainly have no desire ever to see such a sight again."

Approximately 400-500 people were killed that day at the Battle of Mine Creek, October 25, 1864; most were Confederate soldiers. The Union army victory at Mine Creek marked the end of the war on the western front. Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic site, near Pleasanton, opens a new visitor center in celebration of the anniversary on October 24, 1998. Dolson's eyewitness accounts, along with others, help visitors better understand the battle. Exhibits tell the dramatic story through historic objects, photographs, maps, and sketches of the battle. The Mine Creek Battlefield grand opening begins at 10:00 a.m. with a memorial service and wreath presentation. Bob Edmiston, chief operations officer for the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites in Hagerstown, Maryland, presents a program at 10:30 a.m. on the importance of battlefield preservation.

In addition to the opening ceremonies, visitors can view living history demonstrations 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25. Among the cavalry and artillery groups scheduled are the 4th> Missouri reenactors who portray the Union cavalry unit that fought in the battle. The Wilson Creek Battlefield original Civil War cannon will be on display.

Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site is located two miles south of Pleasanton on U.S. 69, west one-half mile on K-52. The new visitor center will be open 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Wednesday - Monday; the history trail is open 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. daily. The mailing address is RR 1, Box 97A, Pleasanton KS 66075; 913-352-8890. The site is one of fifteen administered by the Kansas Historical Society. The Society is headquartered at 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka KS 66615-1099; 785-272-8681; TTY 785-272-8683; www.kshs.org.

The Kansas Historical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs. The Society requests prior notification to accommodate individuals with special needs or disabilities.