This preserved regimental flag of the First Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry documents the unit’s gallantry. Emblazoned on it are the battle honors Island Mound, Cabin Creek, Honey Springs, and Poison Spring, as well as the battles of Sherwood, Prairie Deanne, Jenkins Ferry, and Camden. The flag is one of the few remaining artifacts from the regiment.
The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry was organized on August 4, 1862, at Fort Scott, Kansas, without presidential authorization. They were the first African-American regiment to fight in combat with white soldiers during the Civil War, at Island Mound, Bates County, Missouri. During the Civil War, the regiment lost 344 men, more than any other Kansas regiment.
On December 13, 1864, the regiment became the 79th U. S. Colored Infantry. The flag is in the collection of the Kansas Museum of History, Topeka, Kansas.
