The Battle of Island Mound marked the first time that Black troops engaged in Civil War combat, nearly a year before the battle depicted in the film “Glory.”
Battle of Island Mound State Historic site encompasses Fort Africa, where the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry camped in 1862 before a pitched battle with pro-Confederate forces near a low hill named Island Mound.
Information at the site details the battle, as well as the effect that the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry had on later Union decisions to allow Black units to fight.
The historic site is an unmanned facility and is overseen by Stockton State Park in Dadeville. The site is located in Bates County, west of Butler, at the junction of County Road 1002 (also called Marth Road) and County Road 5001 (also called Cooper Road).
