 | Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by telephone at 316-262-6501. He is located at 926 N. Mosley Wichita 67214. |
Veteran Affairs
2008-10-01 15:56:00
Kansas’ role in the Civil War
What role did Kansas play in the Civil War?
Answer: Kansas was a free state in 1861 when it entered the Union. During, before, and after it was a battleground between both slavery and anti-slavery groups. ”Bleeding Kansas” was a name known throughout the country and even through parts of the world. Anti-slavery groups shipped all manner of supplies as well as new immigrants to the plains of Kansas.
The southern slavery element came across the slave state of Missouri line as “Border Ruffians or Bushwackers” to terrorize the settlers before heading back across the border. Later the Northern settlers or “Jayhawkers” organized armed bands to fight back.
John Brown was one of the earlier settlers and one of the more blood thirsty of the crowd. He was a prominent abolitionist who came to later infamy in his failed attempt to start a slave revolution in Virginia. But while he was in Kansas, he and some members of his family raided Pottawatomie Creek in 1856. Unfortunately family fought family for supposed feelings for or against slavery.
During the Civil War towns in Kansas suffered. Olathe, Humboldt, Iola, Lawrence and other towns were attacked. In 1862 Olathe was attacked by William Quantrill and his southern raiders.
And that is how the labels “bushwhackers”(southern sympathizers) and “jayhawkers” (on the northern side) originated. Although as a general rule those from the south favored slavery and the north was against it. But many from the south moved to the west to get away from slavery and by the same token those in favor of slavery moved to the new western areas to claim them for a slave state.
The feelings caused by the slavery issue and the civil war lasted for a long while. Confederate veterans living in predominately Union towns after the war lived with hard feelings as did Union veterans who lived in the south.
I made a trip to Tennessee last year and visited the Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro. The tour guide, a Federal employee was expounding on the contributions of Tennessee soldiers towards the Confederacy, when I asked about the Tennessee Union soldiers. The reply was that there were very few Union solders from Tennessee. Behind her were row upon row of headstones marking the graves of Union veterans from Tennessee. Some with unknown names. Their names known only to God, since the headstones simply read “Unknown US Soldier”.
