Profile: Alfred Brooks, Private, Co. C.

Alfred Brooks

 The above image of Alfred was located by the author in Alfred's Pension File.

Alfred Brooks was enlisted on December 28, 1862, at Fort Scott, Ks., by Lt. Graton, the commanding officer of Co. C. Alfred age was stated as being 16 years old and he was described as being 5 feet 2 1/2 inches tall with a yellow complexion, gray eyes and black hair. Alfred indicated that he was born in Lafayette County, Missouri and listed his occupation as a farmer.  Regarding Alfred's appearance, a comrade from Company C, William Rose, stated, "You could hardly tell Alfred Brooks from a white man." Another comrade from the regiment, Doc McWilliams, added, “He [Alfred] had a mustache in service but it was not so heavy as shown in the picture.”

On January 13, 1863, Alfred was mustered into Company C. of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers at Fort Scott, Ks., and was listed as present on every Company Muster Roll until discharged with the regiment on October 1, 1865 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

On the Company Muster-out Roll, Alfred is listed as being a slave at the time of his enlistment, and after the war a Claim for Compensation for Enlisted Slave was filed by a Harriett C. Jay in Lafayette County, Mo, on November 12, 1866, claiming  she owned Alfred when he enlisted. Harriet stated she had bought Alfred in Lafayette County, Mo. "when said Alfred was but one year old."  Harriet was illiterate and had to sign the slave claim with her mark... an " X ".

After the war Alfred was active in the Free Masons and served as a Lieutenant in the "Lawrence Guards", a company as part of the Kansas State Militia. (Cunningham, The Black Citizen-Soldiers of Kansas, 1864-1901). He appears on the 1870 US census living with his wife, Malinda, and son, James M.  Alfred is employed as a laborer as he was throughout his post-war life. 

In 1875, per the Kansas State Census, Alfred owned his own home valued at $200 and had other assets worth $50.

Like many veterans of the war Alfred applied for an "Invalid Pension" due to disabilities received while in the service. As part of his application (#1053858), he had to contend with identity fraud/theft as another individual claiming to be Alfred Brooks of the 1st KCV had already filed a claim. Eventually, this was resolved to the satisfaction of the Pension Bureau and Alfred was awarded his claim on June 23, 1891. (Certificate # 745267) His pension file also indicates that he married a Nancy Kennedy on Dec 11, 1889, in Lawrence, KS. (It is not known what happened to Malinda.).  

Alfred passed away on November 14, 1901 and was buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence, Ks. The Chaplain at his funeral was Milton Simms, a comrade of Alfred's from the 1st KCV. His government headstone was provided through a government contract with the Lee Marble Works of Massachusetts.

After his death Nancy filed for and was awarded a Widow's Pension on December 2, 1901. 

Sources: Author's research files, CMSR, Pension File, US Census, Kansas Census, Roger D. Cunningham, "Black Citizen Soldiers of Kansas, 1864-1901"

Copyright: 2014 - Chris Tabor

Island Mound State Historic Site

When I began my research into the 1st Kansas Colored and Island Mound some 17 years ago - I could only hope that one day there would be a state or federal park there - to protect the site and for people to come and reflect on this very significant event in the history of our nation.

Knowing that my involvement would be impacted by our move to Texas - prior to that move I had donated my monograph on Island Mound to the Bates County Historical Society and Museum and I met with representatives of the Missouri State Parks system and turned over copies of all my research on Island Mound.

I would continue my research into the 1st KCV from Texas but others would have to step forward and become the driving force for the formation of a park and historic site. Let me tell you - they sure did.

Just prior to our move to Texas my wife was telling her friend Donna Gregory, Bates County Commissioner, about my research. This sparked Donna's interest and she along with the Bates County Historical Society, the State of Missouri, Brig Gen Donald L Scott, the Amen Society, and many others took up the cause with a vengeance - resulting in the dedication of the Island Mound State Historic Site in October of 2012. Fittingly, the 150th anniversary of the engagement.

Unlike during the dedication of the statue at the Bates County Courthouse 4 years earlier - the weather was unseasonably cold - nevertheless I could not stop smiling the entire weekend as what I had long envisioned had become a reality.

I am absolutely thrilled that the State of Missouri came through (as a result of the dedication and efforts of many people) and not only protected a portion of the battlefield but also made serious investments to the site to include a restroom, pavilion, interpretive kiosks and a walking trail...

People will be able to come here to not only learn about Island Mound and the 1st KCV, but also about the Civil War as it was fought on the Kansas-Missouri border (which had its own special type of brutality), pioneer life on the western frontier of the United States up to the 1850s and much more.

However, work remains -  Only the north 40 acres of the Toothman farm are currently preserved - I am hopeful that in time the remainder of the land significant to the engagement will come under the protection of the State of Missouri.


Just a few links to information on the Island Mound State Historic Site:

• Island Mound State Historic Site: Lots of great pictures available via links in the related content section
• Google Map showing the State Historic Site:  
• Wikipedia entry
• Youtube video of dedication: A couple of the speakers are showcased as is the monument unveiling.
• Battlefield Dispatches No. 344: How the fight!: Arnold Schofield' recurring article in the Fort Scott Tribune (Kansas)
• Missouri County Record: See the Article the begins on page 20.

A statue for the 1st KCV

All along, one of the stated goals of the Amen Society was to raise enough funds to commission a statue dedicated to the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers. They were successful in their efforts and I was fortunate to be invited to participate in the ceremony that was attended by local, state and federal dignitaries.

The dedication of the statue on the lawn of the Bates County Courthouse was to be held on the weekend of October 10, 2008.

We pulled the kids out of school and drove back to our home of 10 years to participate in the historic event and to visit old friends and neighbors.

It was a beautiful fall weekend...  My hat is off to the Amen Society. Unfortunately, Eleanora Burton had passed prior to the statue dedication - but her hard work was on full display. Reverend Coleman and the rest of the society did a wonderful job as did everyone who helped make the statue a reality.

The statue is a life-size bronze statue of a member of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers that was sculpted by Joel Randell. To my knowledge it is but a handful of such monuments dedicated to African American soldiers of the Civil War.

(My sincere thanks to my good friend David Todd for taking such great pictures during that weekend.)

Workers placing the statue - First time that I got to see it.

Arnold Schofield and author giving a tour of the Toothman farm.

Group touring the battle site.

Arnold Schofield and author on the battle site.

Author and Col Robert Lull (descendent of JM Williams discussing our common interest.) Col. Lull has published an outstanding book on James M Williams available on Amazon.com

Jimmy Johnson at the statue dedication

Author speaking at dedication.

The 1st KCV reenactor that modeled for the statue.

The Visit Missouri website has directions and additional info if you would like to see the statue.

Writing about Island Mound

The commemoration of the 137th anniversary of Island Mound - conducted by the Amen Society in 1999, was really the start of the renewed awareness in this historical event.  Also, as a result of the interview I conducted with Jim Fisher and the article he wrote  several individuals from across the country reached out to me about my research and Island Mound.

I determined that I needed to write about Island Mound.

At first, I thought I would either write an article for publication in a historical journal or one of the magazines dedicated to the American Civil War - or I might write a longer, more in depth book on the subject. However, as my intent was to increase awareness at a grass-roots level in western Missouri and eastern Kansas - I decided to focus my efforts on writing a monograph detailing the results of my research.

Once I completed writing the monograph (and the multiple, necessary revisions/edits) I contacted the Blue and Gray Book Shoppe in Independence, Mo. about self-publishing the manuscript through them. In April 2001, the monograph was finally published.

Consisting of 33 pages that include the results of my research aw well as maps that I created regarding the engagement, the monograph became an important vehicle to "get the word out" as I conducted interviews and gave presentations to organizations across the state of Missouri and eastern Kansas.

From 2000 to 2005,  I gave interviews to newspaper reporters and gave radio interviews (even appeared on Mayor Emmanuel Cleaver's "Under the Clock" radio show). I  also posted to Civil War Message Boards, spoke to various Civil War Roundtables and County Historical Societies. All with the ultimate goal of "getting the word out" and hopefully to someday see a state or federal park on the land that was the Toothman farm and the battle site where people would be able to go and learn about this historic event.

As life will have it, in 2006 my family and I moved to Katy, Texas (in the greater Houston area) and I knew that my ability to remain heavily involved in "getting the word out" and working to get the battlefield preserved would be much more difficult from Texas - some 700 miles away.

As such I decided to donate the "Skirmish at Island Mound" monograph to the Bates County Historical Society and Museum for them to take up the mantle of "getting the word out" and as a possible source of revenue for them.

The monograph is no longer available on Amazon.com, but can still be purchased through the Bates County Historical Society and Museum as well as through Missouri State Parks.

As I've continued my research I've learned even more about Island Mound and the men who fought there on both sides - enough that a 2nd edition of the monograph is long overdue. 

Getting the word out - Jim Fisher, the Kansas City Star and the Amen Society

In October of 1999, the Amen Society of the local AME Church in Butler, Missouri, organized a commemoration to mark the 137th anniversary of Island Mound and to draw awareness to their efforts to recognize the historic battle.I contacted Reverend Larry Coleman and Eleanora Burton of the Amen Society and asked if I could show them the research I had conducted.

Eleanora and her daughters graciously invited me into their home where I was able to show them all of the information I had found and invited me to come speak at their event.  Present at the event was Jim Fisher, a correspondent of the Kansas City Star newspaper, who interviewed me about my research. The article he wrote appeared on the front page of the Sunday edition of the Star....

Man seeks glory for black Civil War soldiers killed in Missouri

By Jim Fisher, Knight Ridder newspapers

November 26, 1999 12:00 AM

BUTLER, Mo. -- Chris Tabor has a dream.

Someday -- perhaps in the not-too-distant future -- what will be akin to an archaeological dig will take place 8 miles southwest of here, and human remains will turn up. Those bones, 137 years old, will belong to the first black combat soldiers killed in the Civil War.

As dreams go, Tabor's is huge. The public perception, cemented by the hit movie "Glory," is that black troops saw their first combat and suffered their first casualties in mid-July 1863 in the storming of Fort Wagner near Charleston, S.C.

Actually, Tabor said, the official record shows that the first black troops killed -- Cpl. Joseph Talbot, and Pvts. Samuel Davis, Thomas Lane, Marion Barber, Allen Rhodes and Henry Gash -- died nine months earlier, on Oct. 29, 1862. They were killed in the fight at what was called Island Mound or Toothman's farm along the old Fort Scott road in Missouri's Bates County.

The story is riveting. Enough so that 150 people piled into the civic auditorium at the Butler City Hall one recent Sunday to hear it, ignoring a gloriously warm autumn day and not bothering with the Kansas City Chiefs' whomping of the San Diego Chargers.

There were church services and a big dinner, and even re-enactors of the ninth and 10th Horse Cavalry Association of Leavenworth and Kansas City. The Rev. Larry Coleman, pastor of the Brooks Chapel A.M.E. Church, which along with the Mount Zion Methodist Church sponsored the event, was adamant 

"This is something that has to be told."

It is a story basically unfamiliar in western Missouri, said Tabor, probably for several reasons Vestiges of the Civil War still linger; the engagement was relatively small, being a bloody skirmish rather than a full-fledged battle; and the fact that the black contribution to the Union and the 180,000 blacks who wore blue had been largely forgotten until the mid-1950s, when Dudley Cornish, then a professor of history at Pittsburg State University, wrote a seminal work called "The Sable Arm."

"One old black man came up to me and said, 'Why couldn't this have been in my schoolbooks?' " Tabor said. "It touches something in people."

Tabor is white and a former combat Marine who served in Operation Desert Storm and Somalia. He was discharged after 10 years of service when he injured his knees on his 82nd parachute jump. He has a degree in geography and is finishing a graduate degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Tabor said there was a strange duality in Missouri about what happened here in the early days of the Civil War, which were particularly vicious along the Missouri-Kansas border.

"Go over to Jefferson City, and right there in the state Capitol is a diorama of the Island Mound fight," said Tabor. "It explains the whole thing," but few people in Butler know about it.

The story of Island Mound is straightforward, said Tabor, a native of Scranton, Pa.

In October 1862 about 200 black recruits, almost all of them escaped slaves from Missouri and Arkansas, were training at Fort Lincoln, a ramshackle post west of Fulton, Kan. President Abraham Lincoln had not yet authorized black troop levies, but that meant nothing to Kansas Sen. Jim Lane. He welcomed any man willing to fight and kill "secesh," a common term used for secessionists.

On Oct. 26, reinforced by other black troops from Fort Leavenworth, what eventually would become the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry -- about 240 enlisted men, 10 white officers, and six white scouts -- tramped eastward into Bates County to "clean out a bunch of bushwhackers" in the vicinity of the Marais de Cygnes river.

Oddly enough, the Union recruits wore gray uniforms. Most carried surplus Austrian muskets.

Once at the farm of Enoch Toothman, the troops used the heavy fence rails to throw up a bastion they dubbed "Fort Africa."

On Oct. 28 there were brief contacts between the guerrillas and the troops. On the 29th the real fight started when a foraging party was sent outside the Union position.

Soon the rebels had set the surrounding prairie on fire. Running fights broke out, and a group of black troops soon was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the mounted bushwhackers near the prominent mounds just south of the Toothman farm.

At that point a large number of the 1st Kansas came running and fired volleys into the enemy, thus driving them into another volley of fire from a blocking force.

The Confederates skedaddled.

Bill Turman, one of the rebel commanders, reportedly complained a few days later that the black soldiers "fought like tigers and the white officers had got them so trained that no one would surrender."

"Not that it would have mattered," said Tabor. "This was like most fights between black troops and rebels. It was fought 'under the black flag,' meaning that no quarter was given on either side. There were no prisoners."

Tabor said two other Union soldiers died in the fight, Capt. A.G. Crew and Pvt. John Six-Killer, a Cherokee. Eleven other Union soldiers were wounded. Casualties on the other side probably will remain unknown, said Tabor, since irregular Confederate forces in Missouri left almost no records.

"I think the bodies may still be out there," said Tabor, referring to the black troops and Six-Killer. The officer's body was returned and might have been buried in Lawrence.

Finding Fort Africa and the battle site

With most of the key locations associated with Island Mound identified and located - I turned my attention to finding the location of the Toothman home and the actual site of the climactic fight of the engagement.

Per the accounts of the engagement, the 1st KCV marched from Fort Lincoln, Kansas to clear out  a gang of bushwhackers on Hog Island. They commandeered the Toothman house, tore down the farm's split-rail fences to erect a barricade around the house. Raising a Union flag they dubbed their defenses "Fort Africa."
 
Per the deed of sale, we knew where the 80 acres that was the Toothman farm was located - but where on those 80 acres was the farm house (Fort Africa) that figured so prominently in accounts of Island Mound?

At the time I was conducting my initial research (late 1990s) the land that was the Toothman farm was divided between two separate land owners - with the north 40 acres under one owner and the south 40 under another. I made contact with both - told them about my research and requested permission to access their land to try and find the Toothman home. The owner of the south 40 acres had no interest and denied my request, but the owners of the northern part of the Toothman farm were very interested and granted me full access to that portion of their land.The boundaries of the Toothman farm are outlined in red on the map below. (The black, dashed line shows the demarcation of ownership of the farm when I was conducting my research.)

Modern Topographic Map

 Armed with the Island Mound accounts, topographical maps, binoculars and a compass, I began my search.  

The earliest map of the area showing land ownership and buildings, the  1877 Atlas of Cass and Bates Counties indicated that the  the Toothman farm was then owned by J. Cowgill. The boundaries of the Toothman farm are outlined in red on the map below.

1877 Cass and Bates Counties Atlas

 Per the map, a Methodist Episcopal Church was located in the northwest corner of the former Toothman farm and another structure, presumably the Cowgill house, was located in the southeast corner.  Could one of these have been the Toothman home? 

As I only had access to the northern portion of the Toothman farm, I focused my efforts on the former church site. Nothing remained of the church, but a clump of trees. (I had learned that as farmers encountered obstructions on their land, as they farmed, they would simply work around those obstructions. Over time, trees would grow up around the obstruction - leading to such clumps of trees in otherwise cleared land.) 

Perhaps this was the site of the Toothman house, but I was skeptical that an existing structure would have been converted to a church.  There was another clump of trees to the southeast from the former church site, but still on the northern 40 acres of the Toothman farm.

Suspected site of Toothman house

Within this clump of trees there was no evidence of any house, but there was an old well that had been capped by a large field stone as well as iris flowers and a rose of sharon bush. Although these flowers do occur in nature - their proximity to the well was very intriguing.

Capped well at suspected Toothman house site

Also, the view to the south (towards Hog Island) from this site was commanding.

View to south from suspected site of Toothman farm house

On the photo above, the treeline immediately to the south is the boundary line between the northern and southern sections of the Toothman farm.

Although I did not have access to the southern portion of the Toothman farm to investigate the building site indicated on the 1877 map, I was able to view that portion of the property from the north 40 acres and from the township and range road that bordered the western edge of the property. Based on these observations and studying the topographical map, the southern structure was located at a lower elevation than the suspected site in the northern section that would not have provided  much in the way of a view shed - nor have been very defensible by the 1st KCV.

Based on information in the accounts of the engagement, the climactic fight between the 1st KCV and the bushwhackers occurred about 1 mile south of the the Toothman home (Fort Africa) and involved a mound and a ravine. The topographic map indicated the existence of both of these features almost exactly 1 mile to the south of the suspected site of the Toothman house - in the clump of trees with the well on the northern portion of the property.

View from top of mound looking southwest (direction that the 1KCV detachment would have retreated)

 

View of mound looking north (from the south)

After many days walking the ground - maps and accounts in hand I was confident that I had located Fort Africa and the battle site. It was time to get the word out.

Relating the findings of my research from the top of the mound with Arnold Schofield.

Showing Arnold the site of the Toothman home (Fort Africa)

At the site of the Toothman farm (Fort Africa) with Arnold - The battle site on the mound is in the distance, between Arnold and myself.

Discovering Island Mound...

Obsession would be an appropriate label to describe my interest in Island Mound between 1996 and 2001.

I had recently left the Marines after 10 years of service and with support of my wife and family I returned to college to complete my undergraduate degree and to undertake a graduate degree. My return to college honed my critical thinking abilities and armed me with an arsenal of research tools and techniques that I applied with vigor in my effort to learn all that I could about this forgotten event – an event that from my perspective was seminal in the history of our nation.

With confirmation that black troops did fight and win at a place called Island Mound so early in the war I started off with a series of research questions:

• Was this the first battle fought by black troops during the war?
• Where was Island Mound located?
• Who were the men that fought there, on both sides, and how many?
• What actually happened at Island Mound?

On my journey to discover Island Mound  archives, libraries and old/historical maps were my tools. Archivists, librarians and fellow historians were my friends that provided leads to the answers to the initial research questions above. However, every path that led to an answer spawned many more questions not just about Island Mound but about a myriad of other items that would result in a Venn diagram on steroids - if ever I graphically plotted out all the tendrils of my research.

I poured over the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion (O.R.), the publications of both the Kansas and Missouri Historical Societies at the university library – all of which were helpful, but the real progress came when I dug into the treasure trove of microfilmed historical newspapers held by the Kansas Historical Society. 

I was searching for contemporary accounts of the fight at Island Mound and through hard work and a bit of luck, I was able to find several first hand accounts of the engagement. Through these accounts I was eventually able to establish a full picture of what happened at Island Mound. I will expand further on these accounts in subsequent posts.

Now to locate Island Mound…

[Note: Unlike today, when I began my research the amount of information available on the web was infinitesimal. Where applicable, I have provided links to modern references to material that is now online that back then was not.]

Pouring over old maps of Bates County I could find no physical feature named “Island Mound,” but from the contemporary accounts I had the following key pieces of information to help me in finding the exact location of the fight:

1. The 1st KCV spent their first night on the march from Fort Lincoln, Kansas at a place called Fort Defiance.
2. The regiment crossed the Marais des Cygnes at a place called Dickey's Ford (sometimes referred to as Dickey's Crossing).
3. The regiment then proceeded to the farm of Enoch Toothman where they commandeered the house and erected hasty barricades and defenses.
4. The pro-southern forces had a base of operations located on an island in the river.
5. The fight took place near the Marais des Cygnes River (pronounced as "meer de seen"). 
6.  The climactic portion of the fight took place on mounds near that river. 

I can not say enough how important the old/historical maps were to my efforts and fortunately, I was able to find quite a few maps that were critical to my research.

I knew the location of Fort Lincoln... so, if I could locate Fort Defiance and the Toothman farm I could establish the regiment's route of march. I could then reference this with the oldest map (from the 1874) of Bates County that I was able to find that showed transportation routes.

1874 Campbell Atlas

Not surprisingly, the historical transportation routes portrayed on the map all converged on the the town of Butler, the County Seat, with two of the routes leading to Kansas; One to the northwest through the then town of West Point and another to the southwest.  I focused my attention on the route to the southwest as it crossed the Marais des Cygnes River and as Fort Lincoln was located to the southwest - that would have been the direction the regiment would have come from.

I subsequently learned that in Kansas this route was known as the Butler Road, and in Missouri it was called the Fort Scott Road. Today remnants of this road can be found in the town of Butler as Fort Scott Street.  In Kansas, the road terminated on the Old Military Road near the town of Potosi, Kansas.

Fort Lincoln was established by Senator Jim Lane (driving force behind formation of the 1st KCV) in 1861, in response to a threatened invasion of Kansas and possible attack upon Fort Scott, Kansas by Confederate forces under Sterling "Pap" Price (former Governor of Missouri and head of the Missouri State Guard). Lane believed Fort Scott was not defensible and ordered the construction of Fort Lincoln on the north bank of the Little Osage River near the present day hamlet of Fulton, Kansas, approximately 15 miles north of Fort Scott.

Fort Defiance (Camp Defiance) was initially a defensive position used by Free-State Kansans to protect against incursions from Pro-slavery Missourians into that portion of Linn County, Kansas during the days of the Border War that preceded the Civil War. With the onset (continuance) of hostilities during the Civil War the Free-State Kansans (now Union soldiers) established a camp at Defiance the winter of 1861-1862 as part of the winter quarters of a portion Lane's Brigade (Senator Jim Lane). The Fort/Camp was located right on the border between Kansas and Missouri, approximately 5 miles to the north and east of the then town of Potosi.

Dickey's Ford (sometimes referred to as Dickey's Crossing) was the point at which the Fort Scott Road crossed the Marais Des Cygnes River and figured prominently in the history of that portion of Bates County. The ford/crossing is also referenced in several accounts of both Union and Confederate activity during the Civil War. The ford/crossing was likely operated by Jameson D. Dickey, the first postmaster at the town of Marvel, and/or his son Melvin W. Dickey, who succeeded his father as the postmaster at Marvel. Both are buried in the Woodfin Cemetery, in Walnut Township, near the town of Foster.

Again, I turned to the maps and was able to locate an Atlas of Cass and Bates Counties dated 1877. Focusing on the Walnut Township portion of the map I found Dickey's Ford! Rather than being located above the town of Marvel, as indicated on the 1874 Campbell map, it  was in fact located below the town at a bend in the river.

The Toothman farm: I was sure that the farm was located somewhere along the Fort Scott Road, but needed to find the deed or other record that provided the exact location. I visited the Bates County Recorder's office, in the Bates County Courthouse, and  searched through the Index to the deed records showed no entry for Toothman. Perhaps those records had been destroyed during the Civil War (elements of Lane's Kansas Brigade burned the County Courthouse and a large portion of the town of Butler in 1861) or were otherwise lost to time. In discussing this with the staff at the Recorder's Office, being very familiar with the records they kindly told me that the land records survived the war and dated back to 1840, but that the Index was rife with errors. If I wanted to try and find any record to the Toothman farm I was going to have to go through the records, page by page.

I'm sure glad that I did as I found it!  On page, 332 of Book F, of the Bates County Recorder, the transaction of the purchase of 80 acres by the Toothmans' from James S. Robinson and his wife was recorded. The legal description of the Toothman farm was, "The West half (1/2) of the North West quarter (1/4) of Section thirtyfive (35) Township (40) Range, Thirty two (32)." (Of interest is the fact that the land was purchased in the name of Enoch's wife, Christiana, verses his name.)

We now knew where the Toothman farm was - the destination of the regiment and a vital reference point to the actions and fighting at Island Mound.

The location of the Toothman farm is indicated on the map by the rectangle outlined in black.

Now to find the Island...

Hog Island, The Island, Osage Island - were all names I had run across describing the rendezvous used by the pro-southern partisans/bushwhackers in Bates County. [Based on my research, Hog Island, appears to be the most common name for the island and is the name that I will use as part of this blog.]

Pouring over old maps, early topographic maps and even aerial photographs, that I had ordered, revealed no evidence of any island in the river. In fact the Marais des Cygnes was more a stream or a creek other than when flooded. I was sure that the passage of time, seasonal flooding and the construction of the Bates County Drainage Ditch (see the paragraph that starts with "Prior to 1911...") had obliterated any trace of an island.

However, I remembered two accounts of an ambush staged by Bates County bushwhackers on the 1st Iowa Cavalry in the spring of 1862. The accounts of the ambush were of interest to me as two of the participants were also referenced in the accounts of Island Mound.

Per the accounts two of the bushwhackers were John Toothman (a son of Enoch and Christiana Toothman) and Bill Turman, who figures prominently in the Island Mound accounts.  Recalling these accounts, I remembered that they referenced an island in the Marais des Cygnes being used by the bushwhackers as a hideout and rendezvous. Both accounts are are in agreement in describing the island as being,

"...in the Marias [sic] des Cygnes River, about eight or nine miles from the town of Butler. The island is about 3 miles long, and from one to a half mile wide. On the north side runs the river, and on the south side is bounded by an impassable, deep, muddy slough. The interior is composed of  impenetrable thickets and swamps, and in every way adapted to shield and protect desperadoes." 

The article goes on to say,

"The main force [of bushwhackers in Bates County], headed by one Bill Turman, a cunning, crafty man, who by his intimate knowledge of the country... formed a kind of headquarters on the island..."

Further, on page 890 of the same book, there is a reference to a water feature called "Island Slough" located in New Home Township.

Also, from the accounts related to Island Mound, the island was said to be near to and below Dickey's Ford (which we now knew the location of) on the river

Armed with this additional information to assist my efforts to locate the island, I redoubled my study of the maps and aerial photographs in my possession. Focusing on the New Home Township map from the 1877 Atlas of Cass and Bates Counties... the island that had eluded all my previous efforts to locate had been right in front of me the entire time!  The Island Slough is easily identified on the map and the island itself dominates the map of the township.


It was not an island in the Marais des Cygnes - rather it was an island that had been formed by the Marais des Cygnes!

Like may rivers in the mid-west, the Marais des Cygnes has a very wide flood plain and would change her channel in response to flooding events, over time.  The island had been formed by one of these events when the river abandoned her southern channel and carved out a northern channel, leaving her previous course to become a muddy slough.

I now knew the location of nearly all the major geographic features mentioned in the accounts of Island Mound: Fort Lincoln, Camp Defiance, Dickey's Ford, the Toothman Farm and Hog Island.

However, I still needed to find the location of the climactic action of Island Mound, and the exact location of the Toothman home, which the 1st KCV commandeered and dubbed "Fort Africa."  and as always, additional research questions presented themselves...


Why did the 1st KCV march to the Toothman Farm?
What actually happened over those 3 days in late October 1862, in Bates County, Missouri?
Who were these men, on both sides, that fought at Island Mound?
What happened to them after Island Mound?
What were the implications of Island Mound?