After a lengthy campaign, Kansas will create a mural to honor the sacrifice and service of the first black regiment to fight in the Civil War

(Courtesy of Kansasmemory.org, Kansas Historical Society; copy/reuse restrictions apply)

A 20-year effort finally met success Monday when Kansas’ governor signed a bill calling for the creation of a mural honoring the first African-American regiment to be raised in the North and to see combat during the Civil War.

“It is well past time we pay tribute to the contributions the 1st Kansas Colored Voluntary Infantry Regiment made to Kansas and to our country as they fought valiantly to defeat slavery,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a news release. “Once this mural is complete, all who enter the Statehouse will be reminded of the sacrifice and service these soldiers made for our nation’s progress.”

The unit first saw combat at the Battle of Island Mound in Missouri on October 29, 1862. In this skirmish, roughly 225 black troops drove off 500 Confederate guerillas, according to the National Park Service. The Nov. 10, 1862, edition of the Chicago Tribune reported: “The men fought like tigers, each and every one of them.”

The regiment was organized a few months earlier but they were not at first accepted into Federal service.

“The delay was due to an opposition to the arming of black troops among many in the North and federal policy that reflected this prejudicial attitude. This would not deter them from training or seeing action. Despite the existence of a widespread national reticence, many Kansans advocated the use of black troops early on,” says the Kansas Historical Society, which has the regiment’s preserved flag.

Slavery was prohibited in Kansas, which endured intermittent violence following it becoming a territory in 1854. Sen. James Lane pushed for the formation of the unit despite concerns by President Abraham Lincoln that their formation would push border states away from Union loyalty.

Fort Scott in Kansas served as the home base for both the 1^st and 2^nd Kansas Colored Infantry, with both regiments being mustered into federal service on its former parade ground. They were composed largely of free blacks and former slaves. The regiment was formed several months before the more famous 54th Massachusetts.

On Jan. 1, 1863, during a celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, Capt. William D. Matthews, who led Company D of the 1^st Kansas Infantry, declared, "Today is a day that I always thought would come …Now is our time to strike. Our own exertions and our own muscle must make us men. If we fight we shall be respected. I see that a well-licked man respects the one who thrashes him." (Photo of Matthews courtesy of Kansasmemory.org, Kansas Historical Society; copy/reuse restrictions apply)

The regiment’s combat history includes Reeder Farm near Sherwood, Mo., Honey Springs in Indian Territory (both 1863) and Poison Spring in Arkansas (1864). The latter fight included allegations that Confederates killed wounded and captured 1st Kansas soldiers. The regiment lost nearly 120 men at Poison Spring.

The regiment late in the war became part of the 79^th U.S. Colored Infantry. About 180,000 African-Americans served in the US Army during the conflict.

Plans for the mural at the Capitol in Topeka have been in the works since 2000, but funding issues stalled the project, according to the Kansas Reflector.

With the passage of the bipartisan bill, the Capitol Preservation Committee will begin raising money from donors and procuring an artist for the mural.

Rep. Valdenia C. Winn (left), a member of the committee, said, “A mural honoring this Regiment will not only honor the sacrifices of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry but will also further recognize Kansas’ role in holding the Union together. This story and its inspiration are more relevant than ever today – and long overdue.”