Veteran of Civil War (1861-1865) – Cimarron Cemetery, Cimarron, Gray County, Kansas

Sgt. Levi Locken enlisted on February 22, 1862, in Co. M 1st WI Cavalry. The regiment headed to Missouri and Arkansas for scout and train guard duty. On August 3, 1862, a skirmish took place at L’Anguille Ferry, Arkansas. The Confederates won and Corp. Locken was taken prisoner. He was discharged in 1865. The Kansas US Enrollment of Civil War Veterans reported that Sgt. Locken was “diseased” at the time of his discharge.

Levi Locken was born on April 1, 1841, in Germany. It is unknown when he emigrated to the United States. However, the US Federal Census of 1860 has Levi living in Wisconsin which is where he enlisted in the military.

After being discharged, he married Margaret “Maggie” Melvina Henderson. She was born in Scotland in 1843 and came to America as a teenager. Levi and Margaret were the parents of five children. The family came to Gray County between 1886-1888 and settled in Richland Twp.

Levi died on May 21, 1898, of a “stomach ailment” and is buried in the Cimarron Cemetery. Margaret passed away in 1927 and is buried next to her husband.

Note: Levi attended a reunion of his war buddies in Wisconsin in 1893. The Cimarron New West (Cimarron, Kansas) 23 Nov 1893 recalls the event. “At the close of the rebellion, Peter Meyers, . . had his foot shot off in the battle of Pulaski, Tenn. He would undoubtedly have found his death on the battle field if it had not been for the true comradeship of a member of his company, Levi Locken, who braving all danger picked up his wounded chum and carried him to a place of safety . . .”

Note: Levi’s regiment fought at the Battle of Chickamauga, the siege of Atlanta, and helped capture Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The 1st Cavalry lost a total of 401 men; 73 were killed and 328 died from disease.1

1 https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2224