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Honoring those who broke the chains
While researching Kansas Civil War history, Royal Valley Middle School students in Mayetta learned about the First Kansas Colored Guard.
They also learned that a statue honoring those soldiers was located in Missouri, but there was nothing similar in Kansas, where the guard was originally formed.
The students' work to give the soldiers that recognition is now complete and visitors to the Fort Scott National Historic Site on Saturday had the opportunity to be the first in the state to see it.
Three of the students and history teacher Nathan McAlister brought a mural the students created in the hopes that one day, a similar mural will hang on the Kansas capital grounds.
In all, it took two years for about 75 students to research and complete the 2-x-10-foot mural, McAlister said. Art instructor Cory Triplett oversaw the art project, while McAlister worked with students on research.
"Mainly because research, design and funding issues that went with it," McAlister said.
After the students suggested they do something to recognize the soldiers on the Statehouse grounds, McAlister said he contacted the statehouse architect to see if the students could create a statue or some other form of recognition on the statehouse grounds. That's when McAlister learned legislation was passed in 2001, which would allow a mural honoring the Colored Guard to be created and placed in the state capital. McAlister said he learned that no funding has been given for the project.
"The kids decided, 'Why don't we create a mural? Why don't we be the ones to do this?'" McAlister said.
The students submitted a Request for Proposal in order to obtain an artist. A muralist was hired to assist in the project, and while designs were created and much discussion took place,"things kind of fell through," McAlister said.
Finally, the team got in touch with the Kansas State Historical Society, which recommended a smaller version of the mural. The project was partially underwritten by a grant from the Freedoms Frontier National Heritage Area.
"It's 41 counties in Kansas and Missouri that tell the story of Bleeding Kansas, the Border War, the Civil War, and the enduring struggle for freedom, which this certainly fits into those kind of themes," Fischer said.
He said the organization partners with the National State Park.
"And that would become a traveling exhibit, to stoke the fire, to get people more involved in getting this mural finally put up in the state capital,"McAlister said."And that is the purpose of this, to get some interest in getting this completed. This mural that should have been done probably four or five years ago and still sits idle as a single piece of legislation in the state capital. And so this is our vision -- a temporary art exhibit to travel the state to give recognition to these men and what they did and hopefully get the final product in the Kansas Stat Capital. It doesn't have to be ours, although I'm sure (the students) would like to have it be theirs."
The First Kansas Colored Guard's largest battle was at Honey Creek, which McAlister said was a multicultural battle. There were whites, African Americans and Indians fighting against each other. The Battle of Honey Creek in what was Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, wasn't vital to the Civil War, but determined who would control the territory, McAlister said. It was one of the major battles the First Colored Guard fought in and won. There were others, more like skirmishes, McAlister said, with the first being the Battle of Island Mound, located on the Toothman Farm in Bates County, Mo.
"This was one of the first battles where they took African-American Soldiers and put them under the command of African-American officers,"Connor Grossoehme, seventh grader said.
The battle ensued when members of the First Colored Guard tried to take control of a group of guerrillas they knew were in the area.
The First Kansas was successful in defeating the guerrillas.
"If they had not won this battle, they would not have been taken seriously,"Grossoehme said."They wouldn't have been mustered in, because as of now, they were just a state militia."
After the battle, the First Kansas was accepted socially, as others realized the men could be good resources. The soldiers were mustered into a regiment the following year." Grossoehme said.
"They were described as fighting like lions. They fought with a lot of heart," Grossoehme said."They started somewhat of a revolution to make it acceptable for African-Americans to fight in militias and regiments and this just brought out a whole string of battles the Kansas Colored fought in."
McAlister said people expected the Kansas Colored to lose, and even though President Abraham Lincoln had sent out a call for 300,000 volunteer, he wasn't too happy with the idea of organizing the First Colored Guard because of its location, McAlister said. James Lang saw the"loop hole"in Lincoln's call.
Fischer said the First Kansas is beginning to get more recognition. Last year, the Missouri Department of Conservation opened a 40-acre historic site south of Butler near the Island Mound State Historic Site, Fischer said. This year, the FSNHS was recognized as a certified site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Fischer said everyone expected the First Kansas Colored Guard to fail. New York City newspaper correspondents reported on the Battle at Island Mound.
"It got tremendous coverage back east,"Fischer said."I cannot believe Abraham Lincoln was not involved in it in the Fall of 1862 to make sure the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in January 1863, in large part because of their courage they displayed on that battlefield."
While the mural depicts the men of the First Kansas in battle, it also represents the struggles the African-American has had, from breaking the chains of bondage to the Civil Rights Movement.
Noah McAlister said every aspect of the mural represents that journey.
"The banner being ripped at the beginning is them not being taken seriously, then on the end, being perfectly fine as being accepted,"Noah McAlister said.
He was one of many groups of students who"argued and talked about what they were going to do,"Nathan McAlister said.
Students created a smaller mural, 20x40 inches, which showed the sun rising in the center. However, when completed, the mural was too dark, so the design was changed to a landscape version, Nathan McAlister said.
Kyle Meyer is one of those students and spent numerous hours working on the mural, Nathan McAlister said.
The final work is done on a 4-by-8 foot sheet of Masonite, which is screwed together.
"I'm happy to have done this project and I think it made an impact,"Meyer said."I hope this can help get a bigger mural in the state house."
The students and Nathan McAlister agree that the project is about more than an event in history.
"Mr. McAlister is teaching us the last impact of history, Grossoehme said."He doesn't tell us this happened and then go on to the next thing. He helps us with every little detail."
"What's the impact of it? That's very important. What does it mean now? Noah McAlister said.
"I think a project like this, when you have talk to a legislator, write a formal letter, articulate what you want, that's going to have far-reaching impact," Nathan McAlister said.
The students' experience with this project will impact them as they go to college and later as they apply and interview for jobs, he said.