Fort Titus facts for kids

Fort Titus was a strong home built in Kansas in April 1856. It belonged to Henry T. Titus, who supported slavery. During this time, people who supported Titus often fought with settlers who wanted Kansas to be a free state. This bigger conflict was a huge argument about whether slavery should be allowed in Kansas. It became known as Bleeding Kansas.

Building Fort Titus

Fort Titus was built around April 1856. It was meant to be the strong home of Henry T. Titus. He was a leader in the local army that supported the southern government of Kansas Territory.

People said Titus built his cabin on land that belonged to a free-state settler. He did this while the settler was away. Fort Titus was a log cabin made very strong. It had small openings in its walls. These "gun loopholes" allowed people inside to shoot out and defend the fort. The fort also had at least one window. A small log room was added on the north side to be a kitchen.

The Battle of Fort Titus

In August 1856, a U.S. Army camp called Camp Sacket was about a mile from Fort Titus. Another fort, Fort Saunders, was destroyed by free-state fighters on August 15, 1856.

Early on August 16th, people who supported slavery, including Henry T. Titus, attacked Judge Wakefield's strong home. But they could not take it. Later that same day, free-state men attacked Fort Titus. This fight became known as the Battle of Fort Titus.

The Attack Begins

About 400 free-state fighters, led by Samuel Walker, attacked Fort Titus. Titus had at least 21 men with him. This group included 13 German stonemasons from nearby Lecompton, Kansas.

The attack started before a large brass cannon arrived. This first try was not successful. The leader of this first attack was killed. Some of the attackers then placed themselves between Lecompton and the Army troops. This stopped messages from being sent between the governor, Wilson Shannon, and the soldiers.

The Cannon Arrives

Once the big cannon arrived, the battle ended very quickly. The fort's log walls were not strong enough for the cannonballs. The cannonballs went right through the fort. This cannon was named Old Sacramento. It had been captured and recaptured three times before this battle. The cannonballs were made from metal type from a newspaper in Lawrence.

The battle probably lasted less than 30 minutes. The commander of Camp Sacket, Major John Sedgwick, started moving his troops toward Fort Titus to stop the fight. But the battle was over before his soldiers arrived.

What Happened After

As soon as the battle ended, the people captured from Fort Titus were taken to Lawrence. Fort Titus was then burned down. It was never rebuilt.