On April 18, 1864, the First Kansas Colored Volunteers fought with valor against overwhelming Confederate forces at the Battle of Poison Spring in Arkansas. Outnumbered and encircled, the regiment broke through enemy lines during the fierce engagement, sustaining heavy casualties. In a brutal aftermath, many captured Black Union soldiers were murdered by Confederate troops — a grim reminder of the racism and terror they faced even as uniformed combatants. The battle became a symbol of Black soldiers’ courage and sacrifice in the Civil War and underscored the cruelty of Confederate treatment of Black prisoners. The First Kansas’ resistance at Poison Spring stands as one of the earliest and most heroic engagements by African American troops in U.S. military history.