Soldier Jesse Marion's gravesite in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Oldest standing building at the fort Thanks to Arnetia for these pictures! To read about Jesse Marion, visit our Illinois Genealogy Trails Effingham County website. Fort Leavenworth (1827 - present) Fort Leavenworth, Ks. Around 1873 Fort Leavenworth is the oldest U.S. Army Fort in continuous existence West of the Mississippi. Fort Leavenworth, on the bluffs of the Missouri River, was established in 1827 as a frontier post to protect trade on the Santa Fe Trail. It became essential to the overland expansion on both the Santa Fe and Oregon trails. Colonel Henry Leavenworth, with the officers and men of the 3rd Infantry Regiment from Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis, Missouri, established Fort Leavenworth in 1827. For 30 years, Fort Leavenworth was the chief base of operations on the Indian frontier. In 1839, Col. Stephen W. Kearny marched against the Cherokees with 10 companies of dragoons, the largest U.S. mounted force ever assembled. Throughout the Mexican-American War, Fort Leavenworth was the outfitting post for the Army of the West. During these early years, soldiers from Fort Leavenworth protected wagon trains hauling supplies over the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and other trails to most forts, posts and military camps of the West, some as far as the Pacific Ocean. When the Kansas Territory was organized in 1854, Governor Andrew Reeder set up executive offices on post and lived for a short time in the quarters now known as "The Rookery". At the outbreak of the Civil War, Camp Lincoln was established on post as a reception and training station for Kansas volunteers. News of the approach of Confederate General Sterling Price prompted construction of Fort Sully, a series of earthworks for artillery emplacements on Hancock Hill, overlooking what is now the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. However, Price's forces never reached Fort Leavenworth, having met defeat at Westport, which is now part of Kansas City. During its long history, the post was never subject to enemy attack. For three decades following the war, the Army's chief mission was control of the American Indian tribes on the Western plains. Between 1865 and 1891, the Army had more than 1,000 combat engagements with Apache, Modoc, Cheyenne, Ute, Nez Perce, Comanche, Kiowa, Kickapoo and other tribes. In 1866, the U.S. Congress authorized the formation of four black regiments, the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments and the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments. The 10th Cavalry Regiment was formed at Fort Leavenworth under the command of Col. Benjamin H. Grierson. Today, a monument stands at Fort Leavenworth in tribute to the "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments. The United States Disciplinary Barracks, now a maximum-security military prison, was established in 1875. The fort's first Catholic Church was built in 1871, and was later replaced by St. Ignatius Chapel in 1889. St. Ignatius Chapel was destroyed by fire in December 2001. The first Protestant chapel, Memorial Chapel, was built by prison labor in 1878 of stone quarried on post. In 1881, Gen. William T. Sherman established the School of Application for Cavalry and Infantry. That school evolved into the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. During the Mexican War, the Army of the West departed from Fort Leavenworth. When Kansas opened for settlement, the fort served the governor as his territorial capital. During the Civil War it was the Union's linchpin to the far West, serving as an arsenal and training point. After the Civil War, Col. Benjamin Grierson formed the Black 10th Cavalry Regiment that so distinguished itself throughout the frontier. George Armstrong Custer, William Tecumseh Sherman, George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Colin Powell all served there. 20th Century History World War I was the first opportunity to evaluate the impact of Sherman's school. Graduates excelled in planning complex American Expeditionary Forces operations. By the end of the war, they dominated staffs throughout the AEF. In the years between the World Wars, graduates included such officers as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley and George S. Patton. During World War II, some 19,000 officers completed various courses at Fort Leavenworth. By the end of 1943, commanders and staffs of 26 infantry, airborne and cavalry divisions had trained as teams at the school. In 1946, the school was given its current name. In 1959, the college moved to the newly built J. Franklin Bell Hall on Arsenal Hill. In 1985, the Harold K. Johnson wing was added to house the Combined Arms and Services Staff School. Eisenhower Hall was dedicated in 1994. Classes for the School of Advanced Military Studies and the School for Command Preparation, as well as the Combined Arms Research Library, are located in Eisenhower Hall. The Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery is one of the first 12 national cemeteries established by Abraham Lincoln on July 17, 1862. Veterans since the War of 1812 have been laid to rest in the cemetery. One veteran of the War of 1812 is the cemetery's most famous occupant, Col. Henry Leavenworth, who gave his name to the fort, the cemetery, and the town and county they are located in. Others buried in the cemetery include 10 Medal of Honor recipients, seven Confederate prisoners of war and two soldiers killed in Operation Desert Storm. Although there is no longer space for new burial sites, burials frequently take place for those who already have family members interred in the cemetery. Fort Leavenworth is considered as one of the most significant historic military installations in the Department of the Army, as well as to the Nation. The fort's 5,634 acres (23 km²) contain a 213-acre National Historic Landmark District (NHLD), which was established in 1974. A number of historic preservation investigations have been conducted over the past few decades at Fort Leavenworth. In 1970, for example, two historic sites were listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP): the Main Parade Ground and the Santa Fe Trail Ruts. Today Fort Leavenworth is the home of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, considered the finest senior tactical school in the world for advanced military education. The Frontier Army Museum gives a history of the frontier army from 1817 to 1917 and Fort Leavenworth from 1827 to the present. Also on the fort are many historic buildings including the "Rookery" (1830), the oldest residence in Kansas; the Post Chapel (1872); the 15-acre Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery; and the Buffalo Soldier Monument honoring the Black 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments. Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday   10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday   12:00 - 4:00 p.m. Sunday and holidays   Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.   913-684-5604   7th Street and U.S. 73, Leavenworth   Fort Leavenworth's Frontier Army Museum   Official Website   United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB)  established in 1875 Oldest penal institution in continuous operation in the federal system Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery One of the first 12 national cemeteries established by Abraham Lincoln on July 17, 1862. Burials began in the 1840s. Over 30,500 graves of veterans and dependents. click on images for larger view General Edward Hatch 1832-1889 Thomas Ward Custer 2 Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Died with his brother George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn Henry Clay My ggreatgrandfather, Martin V. Coulson, CO. K., 42 MO. INF. is buried in The Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Military Cemetery. I found it due to a picture of him in his uniform from my mom. The cemetery was written on the back. He served from Aug. 06, 1864 to March 22, 1865, honorably discharged. He inlisted at Macon, Mo. He died October 18, 1909 at Western Branch, National Home,  D.V.S. in Kansas. Information concerning dates of service & place of death received from the National Archives.  Submitted by Shirley Edwards Ray <boburlyone@aol.com> Buffalo Soldiers Page Buffalo Soldiers - Ready for WWII Buffalo Soldier Monument of the 9th and 10th Cavalry History from Wikipedia.org - the free Encyclopedia via Kim Torp. Pictures submitted by researcher Arnetia Other pictures submitted by Sara Hemp Back to Military page Back to the Index Page Copyright © 2006-2007 to Kansas Genealogy Trails' Leavenworth County host & all Contributors   All rights reserved