The Battle of Fort Blair ( also known as the Battle of Fort Baxter ) was a Civil War battle . It was fought in Cherokee County , Kansas , on October 6 , 1863 . The Battle of Fort Blair , sometimes called the Fort Baxter Massacre , or the Battle of Fort Baxter was a minor battle of the American Civil War , fought on October 6 , 1863 , near the present-day town of Baxter Springs , Kansas .