Fort Baxter

Fort Baxter (1862-1865) - A U.S. Army post established in 1862 in Cherokee County, Kansas. Abandoned in 1865. Also known as Fort Blair. History Fort Baxter began as a camp in early 1862 under the control of Fort Scott. The post was built with log cabins enclosing all four sides of the fort. A separate cooking camp was located about 200 yards from the main post. On 6 Oct 1863 the guerilla band of William Quantrill's Raiders attacked Fort Baxter and caught the majority of the garrison eating a meal at the separate cooking camp, the garrison was forced to run for the main post. Most made it back to the main post and the raiders were held off. An unsuspecting wagon train under the command of Major General James Blunt approached the post and mistakenly thought the raiders were a welcoming party. The raiders attacked and killed 85 of General Blunt's party. Blunt and his wife escaped. Many of Blunt's men were killed by Quantrill's raiders after they had surrendered and the incident came to be known as the Baxter Springs Massacre. Fort Baxter was probably abandoned as the war drew to a close in 1865. Current Status Part of Baxter Springs Heritage Center & Museum, Cherokee County, Kansas Location: Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas. Maps & Images Lat: 37.029820 Long: -94.734767 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 843' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 292 Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 58 Links: North American Forts - Fort Baxter Wikipedia - Fort Baxter Old West - Fort Baxter Legends of America - Fort Baxter Visited: No