The Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site is located in a rural area of Bates County, Missouri, in the western part of the state. The site was established to preserve the area of the American Civil War battle that took place in October 28–29, 1862 between Union forces and Confederate guerrillas. The battle was significant as the first time African-American troops on the Union side engaged enemy white troops in the Civil War. A correspondent of The New York Times reported on the battle; the headline noted the "desperate bravery" of the African Americans in achieving Union victory.
This area was active with guerrillas and raiding parties from either side. In this conflict, the Union forces were mainly the 1st Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry (Colored) with supporting elements of the 5th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry; they opposed a much larger, mounted force of Confederate guerrillas, who were supplemented with elements of the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard.
The historic site is located approximately eight miles southwest of Butler, Missouri, a short distance off State Highway K. The 40-acre site is near the battle location, which is located on private property one-half mile to the south. It encompasses much of the Toothman homestead, which was commandeered by the Union troops, fortified with temporary breastworks and christened "Fort Africa." It is believed to include the graves of the eight Union men who died in the battle, although their remains have not yet been located.
Although the battle was covered by a correspondent of The New York Times, who praised the "desperate bravery" of the black soldiers, the site and the battle were largely forgotten in the post-bellum period. Much historical research since the late 20th century has documented and interpreted African-American history. In addition, with the approach of the American Civil War sesquicentennial, interest was rekindled. The state of Missouri acquired the land in 2008 in order to preserve as much of this notable site as possible. Dedication ceremonies were held for the site on October 26–27, 2012, nearly 150 years to the day of the battle.
In May 2013, the site was accepted into the National Park Service's "National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom," a series of locations deemed to be significant to African-American history in their struggle for freedom, including the Underground Railroad.
During the Battle of Island Mound (aka "Battle of Fort Toothman" or "Fort Africa") on October 28–29, 1862, the Union 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers—composed of former Arkansas and Missouri slaves—and a scouting team of Cherokee and blacks from the 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry engaged a numerically superior force of Confederate guerrillas and recent Missouri State Guard recruits led by Vard Cockrell and Bill Truman (who was related to future President Harry S. Truman). The Union forces had crossed into Missouri on a mission to clear Confederate guerrillas from their base known as "Hog Island" in the Osage River.
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.
This page covers Battle of Island Mound. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside historic sites, land records, and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
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