Captain Napoleon Bonaparte Blanton, A Soldier's Story
Captain Napoleon Bonaparte Blanton, A Soldier's Story
Captain Napoleon Bonaparte Blanton was born in 1829 in Polk County, Missouri. Entering government service at a young age, he spent his early twenties leading wagon trains along the Santa Fe Trail, a role that placed him at the center of westward commerce, migration, and federal logistics during a formative period of American expansion.
In 1854, Blanton left the wagon trains and settled near Lawrence, Kansas, along the Wakarusa River. There, he constructed and operated a toll bridge, providing a critical crossing point in a region already strained by political and sectional conflict. He later resettled in the Humboldt area, where he became involved in town founding and regional development as Kansas moved toward statehood.
During the Civil War, Blanton was mustered into United States Army service as a member of the 4th Kansas Infantry. His service included participation in border skirmishes tied to the volatile Kansas–Missouri theater, as well as duty in Washington, D.C., reflecting the broader responsibilities of western units beyond the major eastern battlefields.
After the war, Blanton returned to civilian life but remained deeply involved in frontier development. Commissioned by railroad interests, he surveyed and helped establish a trading post in southeastern Kansas. Though he lost a coin toss for naming rights, he played a central role in the founding of Coffeyville, Kansas, leaving a permanent mark on the region’s geography and economy.
Blanton later moved to Abbyville, Kansas, where he presided over a land company, before finally relocating to Wichita, Kansas, in 1903 as the city entered its modern era.
Captain Napoleon Bonaparte Blanton died on April 29, 1913, after being struck by an automobile, becoming Wichita’s first recorded auto-pedestrian fatality. He is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas. His life reflects the arc of a generation that bridged wagon trails, civil war, railroads, and the dawn of the automobile age.
* Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here*
_____________________________________________________________________________
About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
✨ #TakeTheBackRoads
Enjoyed this post? Support the adventure by visiting my sponsors, shopping the gallery, or buying me a cup of coffee!
