Battle of Mine Creek Site

The Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site, located southwest of Pleasanton in eastern Kansas, United States, commemorates the Battle of Mine Creek in the American Civil War. On October 25, 1864, approximately 2,800 Union troops attacked and defeated about 8,000 Confederates along the banks of Mine Creek. It was one of the largest cavalry battles in the Civil War, and the only major battle fought in Kansas. The Union brigades were commanded by Colonels Frederick W. Benteen and John Finis Philips. After this battle, Federal forces pursued and defeated additional Confederates in Missouri as they attempted to return to Arkansas, the Indian Territory (Oklahoma), and Texas. In 1970, the Kansas legislature approved the acquisition of a parcel of the battlefield area. The battlefield was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and an additional were purchased in 1974. A visitor center opened on October 24, 1998, the 134th anniversary of the battle.