2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guards, Kansas Infantry

Brief History
The 2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guards, Kansas Infantry was organized on Big Creek and at Five-Mile Creek, Kansas, June 22 to July 18, 1862. It mustered out May 31, 1865.

Attached to Dept. of Kansas to August, 1862. 1st Brigade, Dept. of Kansas, to October, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to February, 1863. District of Northwest Arkansas, Dept. of Missouri, to June, 1863. District of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to December, 1863. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to January, 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to February, 1864. Indian Brigade, District of the Frontier, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to February, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 7th Army Corps, to May, 1865.

Expedition into Indian Territory May 25-July 28, 1862. Capture of Fort Gibson July 18. Bayou Bernard, I. T., July 28. Blount's Campaign in Missouri and Arkansas September 17-December 3. Shirley's Ford, Spring River, September 20. Expedition to Sarcoxie September 28-30. Occupation of Newtonia October 4. Old Fort Wayne or Beattie's Prairie, near Maysville, October 22. Cane Hill, Boston Mountains, November 28. Capture of Fort Davis December. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren December 27-29. Capture of Van Buren December 29. Sent to Indian Territory and occupy line of the Arkansas River and protect friendly Indians, with Headquarters at Fort Smith, Ark., and at Fort Gibson, I. T, until May, 1865. Near Fort Gibson, I. T., May 20, 1863. Fort Blount and Fort Gibson May 22. Operations near Fort Gibson June 6-20. Greenlief Prairie June 16. Cabin Creek July 1-2. Elk Creek, near Honey Springs, July 17. Operation in Cherokee Nation September 11-25. Repulse of Quantrell's attack on Fort Gibson December 16. Near Sheldon Place, Barren Fork, December 18. Cabin Creek December 19

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
"Concurrently with the 1st Regiment of Indian Home Guards in May of 1862, this regiment, commanded by Colonel John Ritchie, consisted of one company each of Delaware, Kickapoo, Quapaw, Seneca, and Shawnee, two companies of Osage, and two of Cherokee. It took longer to organize, due to the political disagreements of the various government agents involved in the negotiations. They were attached to the first Indian Expedition given the task of clearing the territory north of the Arkansas River of Confederates. Lack of support from higher command, as well as “in fighting” and "in breeding" among the colonels, caused the expedition to be withdrawn." Text of interpretive sign on Trail #1 (Federal Units) at Honey Springs Battlefield

For a list of officers from Kansas not belonging to the state of Kansas, see Adjutant General's Report.

For a list of soldiers in this unit see The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,627 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Kansas in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Kansas in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Kansas, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.
 * The Civil War Archive, Union Regimental Histories, United States Volunteers - Indian Troops gives a more detailed history of the military unit.
 * American Indians in the Civil War is a related wiki page