"CHARGE of the First Kansas (colored)"

The “Battle of Honey Springs” July 17, 1863 decided which side controlled Indian Territory for the remainder of the civil war. On the evening of July 16, the First Kansas (colored) left Fort Blunt on a mission that decided the Honey Springs battle. “Charge of the First Kansas (colored)” follows this historic black regiment to Honey Springs and return. Military eyewitness accounts from Official Records (ORs) provided sequence and integrity to maps and diagrams. Valuable eyewitness accounts came from slaves living in Honey Springs. From a historical perspective, “Charge of the First Kansas (colored)” provides a valuable timeline for civil war enthusiasts. Interestingly, their charge came to pass just one day before another black regiment Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts gained its fame July 18 at Battery Wagner, South Carolina. Through words and maps, “Charge of the First Kansas (colored)” shows the footpath of the first black regiment to engage confederates, suffer causalities, and taste victory.