On July 17, 1963, at the Battle of honey Springs, the 1st Kansas Colored volunteers wrote a stirring page in American History, becoming one of the first black units of the Civil War to play a key role in a Union victory. As Major General James G Blunt, the Union Commander at Honey Springs, reported "the first Kansas (colored) particularly distinguished itself; they fought like Veterans, and preserved their line unbroken throughout the engagement.