Paola's post facts for kids

Paola's Post, sometimes called Post Paola, was a military base in Miami County, Kansas. It was located just west of the town of Paola, Kansas, near Bull Creek. This post was likely set up in December 1861.

It quickly became a very important military base. It was one of the key posts along the border between Kansas and Missouri during the American Civil War. In 1863, it even became a main headquarters for military operations in the area. A year later, in September 1864, it became a sub-headquarters. This happened when the main headquarters moved to Lawrence, Kansas. The important military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Gibson passed right through Paola. This made sure the post always had a special role.

A Busy Civil War Post

The number of soldiers at Paola's Post changed a lot during the Civil War. Sometimes there were many troops, and other times very few. At least once, the post was even left empty for a short time. This led to trouble.

When the Post Was Attacked

On August 21, 1863, Confederate guerrillas attacked the empty post. Guerrillas were like unofficial soldiers who fought in small groups. They looted the post, taking supplies. The night before, a famous guerrilla leader named William Quantrill led about 400 guerrillas and Confederate recruits on a raid. They attacked the town of Lawrence.

Soldiers from Paola's Post had moved into the town of Paola to protect it. They were ready to defend against Quantrill. After raiding Lawrence, Quantrill and his men moved toward Paola.

Since the post was empty, one of Quantrill's helpers, William T. Anderson, went inside. Anderson was later nicknamed "Bloody Bill Anderson." He took some men with him to get supplies. Because it was a district headquarters, the post had a lot of military supplies. There were hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items. Quantrill himself had to move north of Paola. Union troops had surrounded him for a while.

Facing a Major Invasion

In the fall of 1864, a Confederate general named Sterling Price led a big raid into Missouri. This caused a lot of activity at Paola's Post. Soldiers were moved in and out of Paola from early October. This continued until General Price got close to the area in late October. People worried that Paola's Post, which had many military supplies, would be left without enough defenders.

General Price was defeated in the Battle of Westport on October 23. After that, he retreated south along the Kansas-Missouri border. The very next day, Price passed within 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) of Paola. Luckily, some troops were still there to defend the post.

The End of Paola's Post

For the rest of the Civil War, Paola's Post usually had one to three companies of soldiers. A company is a group of about 100 soldiers. It took until June 1865 for the last Confederate guerrillas to stop fighting.

In August or September 1865, the war was over. There was no longer a need for so many military posts in the area. Because of this, Paola's Post was officially closed down.