The Baxter Springs Massacre

A photo long mislabeled as being the Third Wisconsin Cavalry Band is actually a photo of men who replaced the deceased Wisconsin unit. Right now, its the closest thing we have to a photo of the actual unit whose technical designation was the Band of the lst Brigade,1st Division, Any of the Frontier, U.S. Volunteers.

On October 6, 1863, “The 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Band” were slaughtered, unarmed and in cold blood. Their naked bodies were then mutilated and burned - some alive. Among the dead was the band leader, Henry Pellage, an Austrian born citizen of Madison and a 12 year old drummer boy.The Baxter Springs, Kansas massacre was the work of the traitor and terrorist, William Quantrill and his guerrillas. Jesse James was among them. The Wisconsin band was hand selected to accompany a column bound for Fort Baxter under the command of Major General James Blaine whose blundering lead to their demise. The band members were seated in wagons and performing a song before Quantrill stumbled upon them. The traitors were eventually driven away by the 2nd Colored Kansas Infantry under the leadership of 1st Lt James Burton Pond. Pond, a Wisconsin officer from Fon Du Lac was awarded a Medal of Honor for his bravery. Since the battle, there have been reports of the ghostly sound of a brass band playing in the distance near the site of the massacre.

The following is a list of known band members who died in the massacre. Henry Pellage, 31, Madison. Franz Ballien, 39, Milwaukee. Heinrich Bulow, 31, Reedsburg. Thomas L Davis, 22, Platteville. John Fritz,18,Town of Yorkville. Frank M Larue, 23, Madison. George Gemunder, unknown orgin. Theodore Luscher, 22, Milwaukee. Jens Peter Martin Madsen, 18, Appleton. Nathan A Nott, 23, Fitchburg. Svadek Quis, 20, Watertown. Franz Rothmanniss, 32, Jefferson. Frederick K Simon, 24, Sauk County. The 12 year old drummer may have been M. Mumser from Chicago.