The Battlefield of Mine Creek

 A couple weeks ago they were having a Heritage Day at the Mine Creek Battlefield so I headed down with the girls to see what it was all about. Located about 45 minutes south of the Kansas City area it is a little over midway between KC and Ft Scott. You may have seen my post from 2018 where we went to a few locations around KC and Ft Scott If not, here is a link to it We had briefly stopped at the battlefield because I has seen a sign for it on the way to Ft Scott. This time I wanted to go see the visitors center since it was closed the first time. It is a very small and somewhat cramped VC, it has a decent amount of stuff none the less.

Couldn't get a very good shot of the gun. It looked to be a smoothbore, but I am not too sure what type. It was iron.

They also had a room telling the story of the battle with some uniforms and such

The item I found most interesting was the flag for the 11th Kansas Cavalry

Outside there are a number of placards outlining the battle  This one really helps to see where they all were. It is a small site so easy to view from the VC location.

These two show the battle lines, and the ensuing battle. Ever since I came upon this particular battle, I have wondered at Benteen's aggressiveness, outnumbered almost 3-1, and his utter lack of it at the Little Big Horn 13 years later.  Here are some of the other placards.

The battle field now, is covered in prairie grass, as I imagine it was back then. Certainly much of it was trampled prior to the battle, due to Prices army having moved through the area.  Here are some shots from one of the trails they mow through the park.

Much of the grass ranges from 4' to 6' high. I did not hike the trails as it was over 90 and quite humid. I plan on going back to the trails when it is cooler. The treeline in the back ground is the location of the creek. The last picture was taken in the direction of the VC. I took a few pics of the event itself. It was rather small, but given the park is located in the middle of nowhere I think the attendance is what you could expect. Here are a few shots I took.

The last is a 12# mountain howitzer. There are additional pictures of the event on their Facebook page for those that may be interested. Definitely going to get back there and walk the trails this fall. I should have a post with more painted minis coming up this week as well.