Quantrill's column killed most of the detachment, including many who attempted to surrender. Among the dead was a military band, Maj. Henry Z. Curtis (son of Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis), and Johnny Fry (first official westbound rider of the Pony Express), a total of 103 men. Also killed was James R. O'Neill, an artist-correspondent for Leslie's Weekly. When a few men escaped to Fort Baxter, soldiers went out to search for survivors; there were few, but Blunt was among them. After the massacre of Blunt's troops, Quantrill sent a demand ordering Pond to surrender the fort. Pond refused the surrender. Quantrill's subordinate, William T. Anderson, known as "Bloody Bill," wanted to attack the fort again, but Quantrill refused, and the guerrillas left for Texas. Aftermath Blunt was removed from command for failing to protect his column, but he was soon restored. Union supporters called the killings a massacre; the conflict at Baxter Springs was characteristic of the vicious Kansas–Missouri border warfare. Fort Baxter was temporarily reinforced but by the end of 1863, the Union Army pulled its troops back to Fort Scott, which was better fortified. Before abandoning the fort, U.S. forces demolished it and removed everything usable to prevent use by the enemy. Quantrill and Anderson would continue to disagree on conducting warfare on the Kansas–Missouri border. In 1864 the two split their forces, limiting the bushwhackers' use to fighting in Missouri only. Baxter Springs later developed as the first "cow town" in Kansas, a way station for cattle drives to markets and railroads further north. By 1875 it had a population estimated at 5,000. See also Battle of Lawrence Camp Ben Butler List of battles fought in Kansas Notes References Nichols, Bruce Guerrilla Warfare in Civil War Missouri, Volume II, 1863, McFarland 2004 The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, Vol. XXII, Part 1, pp. 700–1 Battle of Baxter Springs: Summary, Civil War Sites Advisory Commission "Battle of Baxter Springs", CWSAC Report Update and Resurvey: Individual Battlefield Profiles http://www.baxterspringsmuseum.org/Civil-War.html External links Edmund V. Ness, Battle of Baxter Springs mural, Baxter Springs Heritage Center William C. Pollard, Jr., "Kansas Forts During the Civil War", 1992 "Fort Blair and the Baxter Springs Massacre", Legends of America Baxter Springs Baxter Springs Cherokee County, Kansas Baxter Springs Baxter Springs Baxter Springs Baxter Springs October 1863 events 1863 in Kansas