Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-02-06
The Price Raid Claims.

Among the petitions thus far present
ed to this session of the legislature are
many from old settlers, and their repre-
sentatiyes, asking that payment be made
Of the above long standing and just
claims against the state of Kansas and
the general government.
While to older Kansans the history of
the Price RAID is a familiar story few
OF the hundreds of thousands of new
corners, who have settled in Kansas
since the close of the war, as we'll as the
generation now taking the place of the
pioneer settlers, know anything of that
stirring episode in the history Of this
state,
Perhaps, in this legislature, which is
called upon to act concerning these
long pending claims, there are not a
score OF members who have more that a
vague idea aconcerning these Price Raid
Claims" or of the events in the existing
history Of Kansas at that period. For
the benefit of members of the legisla-
ture, and the public, the Commonwealth
will present brief synopsis of the his
tory Of the Price Raid, which, although
occurring twenty years ago, many old
settlers of Kansas have reason ever to
hold in sorrowful remembrance.
In the fall of 1854 it became known
that General Price, with large force Of
Confederate troops. was moving upon
Kansas, in order to make a safe return
to the south with the plunder which he
had gathered up in his raid through
Missouri. Impelled by the sense of dan
ger, the governor of Kansas-then
Thomas Carney-immediately issued a
stirring call for the state militia to meet
tie emergency, which call was nObly re-
sponded to, the governor calling upon
all able bodied men between the ages of
eighteen and sixty years to resist this
invasion Of the state, the call requesting
those responding to supply themselves
with provisions, horses and transpOrta-
tion for an immediate march to the bor-
der.
In obediance to this proclamation of
GOveror Carney, an order was issued
by Geo. w. Deitzler, major general of
the Kansas state militia, commanding
the militia of Kansas to take the field,
and designating the points of rendez-
vous for the same. In this order,
commanders of brigades and regiments
were instructed to prepare their COM
mands for their active service of thirty
days, with transportation, rations, ETC.,
to be provided by each volunteer, the
order pleading that all such charges
would be promptly betrayed by the
general government.
Never was an appeal for help respond
ed to more promptly by the people of a
commonwealth. In most instances
within two days after the receipt of the
proclamation at regimental beadquar-
ters the regiment itself, in full force, was
on the march for the DESIGNATED rendez-
vous. In no case did more than three OF
four days elapse before the most dis
tant command had taken up the line
of march for the border;. not less than
fifteen thousand men, in all. responding
to the call, who few days later were
gathered in the vicinity of Kansas
City, No., Westport and Shawnee Mis-
sion.
This body of militia thus hastily sum-
moned and constituting the greater por.
tion of the male population of the state
capable of bearing arms, participated in
the important engagements at West
port, Big Blue, Little Blue and Hickman
Mills, and assisted the Federal troops in
vanquishing the large and powerful
army of General Price, without which
assistance, in the opinion of competent
military authority, the Confederate
forces could not have been beaten.
The enemy being signally defeated, on
the 9th of October, 1854, Governor
Carney issued a proclamation disband-
ing the militia and thanking them for
their gallant services in the field; again
pledging to these defenders of the state
that all claims for forage, subsistence
transportation, etc, incurred in the
campaign, should be betrayed by the
general government.
In due time, following the disbanding
of the militia, muster rolls were made
out, showing the term of service of each
man, while the state, by legislative en-
actment, provided for the auditing and
assumption of all claims for personal
service, transportation, subsistence
and horses and other property lost n
battle.
That these claims, the justice of which
has been established, should have Leen
promptly paid in full-whether compen.
sation due the gallant defenders of the
state, orclaims arising from the destruc
ton OF property by the invading army :
would seem to be a reasonable PROPOSE
tion. But to attempt to explain the de.
lays oflaw and Of auditing commissions
which have prevented this act of naked
justice would be beyond the limits ol
this article. Suffice it to say, that thu
greater part of the losses thus incurred
by Kansas settlers, including horses
much Of the provisioning Of the arm,
and transportation, after twenty year,
OF delay, remains unpaid.