Douglas County, Kansas

Battle of Black Jack

By Terry Beckenbaugh, U. S. Air Force Command and Staff College

The Battle of Black Jack, fought on June 2, 1856, just outside of modern-day Baldwin City, Kansas, proved to be a watershed moment in United States history as the pro- and antislavery forces fought what some historians consider the first unofficial battle of the Civil War during “Bleeding Kansas.” Kansas Free-State forces, led by abolitionists John Brown and Samuel T. Shore, fought and forced the surrender of proslavery forces led by border ruffian, editor, and U. S. Deputy Marshal Henry C. Pate. The Battle of Black Jack highlighted the escalating violence in Kansas as Free-State and proslavery forces became more organized and the levels of violence increased.

Battle of Black Jack

In the unofficial first battle of the Civil War (nearly five years prior to the war's beginning), abolitionist John Brown and his followers attacked the forces of a proslavery settler, Henry C. Pate, who held two of Brown's sons captive.

Franklin, Kansas

As one of the three proslavery strongholds in Douglas County, Kansas, the town of Franklin emerged as a target of Lawrence Free-Staters who were angered at the Sacking of Lawrence in 1856.

Wakarusa War

Wed, 11/21/1855 to Sat, 12/08/1855

A skirmish breaks out in the Wakarusa River Valley near Lawrence, Kansas, following the murder of Charles Dow, a Free-State settler who is killed by the proslavery Franklin Coleman.

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