EDITORIAL: Give glory to 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment

Mar. 15—"Glory" got the glory.

Maybe not for long, though. The 1989 movie starting Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick told the story of the 54th Massachusetts, one of the earliest infantry units of Black soldiers during the Civil War.

The real honor belongs to the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, with many ties to our area.

Earlier this week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill authorizing plans for a mural honoring the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment, which was organized in Fort Scott, Kansas.

The honor is overdue.

The 1st Kansas Colored was the first Black regiment to be organized in a northern state and the first Black unit to see combat during the Civil War.

It distinguished itself in October 1862 at what is known as the battle of Island Mound, near Butler. The Nov. 10, 1862, edition of the Chicago Tribune reported: "The men fought like tigers, each and every one of them."

Their heroism pushed open the door for service by other Black units in combat.

On May 18, 1863, Union soldiers from the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, based at a fort in Baxter Springs, Kansas, were involved in a deadly skirmish after they crossed into Jasper County to forage for food.

The unit also would see action at the Cabin Creek and Honey Creek battles in Oklahoma, and Poison Spring in Arkansas. According to reports at the time, rebel troops massacred many of the wounded and captured soldiers of the 1st Kansas after the battle at Poison Spring.

This mural deserves a prominent place in the Kansas Capitol, along with the famous "Tragic Prelude" featuring John Brown painted by John Steuart Curry. We are encouraged to see the state moving forward on this.