Charles W. Blair

Charles White Blair was born in Ohio in 1829 and living in Fort Scott, Kansas when the Civil War started. During the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Blair was lieutenant colonel of the 2d Kansas Infantry and assumed command of the regiment when Col. Robert B. Mitchell was wounded. With its soldiers’ 90-day enlistments having expired, was reorganized into the 2d Kansas Cavalry and Blair mustered in as a major in February 1862. Blair was with the regiment when it fought in the First Battle of Newtonia. In September 1863, Blair mustered in as lieutenant colonel for the 14th Kansas Cavalry. He was promoted to colonel on November 20, 1863. During 1864 the 14th Kansas Cavalry was stationed in Arkansas in Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele’s command. Before the Camden Expedition, Company E had been detached for service in the Department of Kansas and Blair accompanied this company to Kansas. Thus, Blair found himself as a brigade commander in the Army of the Border during Price’s 1864 invasion of Missouri. Blair was in command at Fort Scott, Kansas when he received an order to proceed towards Kansas City with all of his volunteer cavalry forces. When Blair reached Hickman Mills, he found orders placing him in command of the 3d Brigade in General Blunt’s Provisional Cavalry Division, Army of the Border. Most of his brigade was made up of Kansas State Militia units which had only recently been called into service. Blair’s brigade spent October 20-21, 1864 strengthening the Federal defenses along the Big Blue River. On October 22, Blair’s brigade was deployed downriver from Byram’s Ford and saw little action on Saturday. Blair’s forces were in the thick of the fighting south of Brush Creek on Sunday, October 23. During the pursuit of Price in his retreat from Westport, his brigade saw little action. Blair, himself, served as an aide to Curtis during the pursuit. On February 13, 1865, Blair received a promotion to brevet brigadier general. Blair mustered out of service in August 1865.