Fort Scott National Cemetery is a

United States National Cemetery The United States National Cemetery System is a system of 164 cemeteries in the United States and its territories. The authority to create military burial places came during the American Civil War, in an act passed by the U.S. Congress o ...

located in Fort Scott, in

Bourbon County, Kansas Bourbon County (county code BB) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 14,360. Its county seat and most populous city is Fort Scott. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Pla ...

. Administered by the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

, it encompasses , and as of 2021, had more than 8,000 interments. It is one of three national cemeteries in Kansas (the other two being

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

and Leavenworth).

History

Fort Scott was established in 1842, on what was known as Military Road, between

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...

and

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Fort Gibson is a town in Cherokee and Muskogee counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 4,154 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.5 percent over the figure of 4,054 recorded in 2000. It is the location of Fort Gibson Histor ...

. It was named for Lieutenant General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

. 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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, 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 United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

designated by

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, it has the distinction of being listed as U.S. National Cemetery #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 The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

, many frontier posts, such as Fort Lincoln, were abandoned and had their cemeteries transferred to Fort Scott. The cemetery also contains the

Commonwealth war graves The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

of two

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

officers of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Fort Scott National Cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1999.

Commemorative monuments

A large sandstone boulder marks the grave of

Eugene Fitch Ware Eugene Fitch Ware (May 29, 1847July 1, 1911), sometimes publishing pseudonymously as Ironquill, was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and writer. Early life Eugene Fitch Ware was born on May 29, 1847, in Hartford, Connecticut. His fami ...

, and his wife Jeannette Huntington Ware. Ware served in the Union Army during the Civil War, eventually reaching the rank of captain. He was subsequently admitted to the bar, and served two terms in the Kansas state legislature. He was noted in his time as an author and poet, writing under the pseudonym "Ironquill". Shortly before his death in 1911, he asked that the boulder, whose natural beauty appealed to him, be used as his grave marker."National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Fort Scott National Cemetery".Kansas Historical Society.
Retrieved November 17, 2017. A gray granite monument commemorates the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry, which was based at Fort Scott during the Civil War. The regiment was recruited as a Kansas state unit in August 1862, and mustered into federal service in January 1863, following the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

. The monument lists the names of soldiers killed in a May 18, 1863 fight near Sherwood, Missouri."First to Serve".National Park Service.
Retrieved November 17, 2017.

Notes

External links

Fort Scott National Cemetery
– photo tour
National Cemetery Administration

Fort Scott National Cemetery
* * * * {{National Register of Historic Places Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Protected areas of Bourbon County, Kansas Cemeteries in Kansas United States national cemeteries Kansas in the American Civil War Historic American Landscapes Survey in Kansas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Bourbon County, Kansas Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in the United States

History

Commemorative monuments

See also

Notes

External links