During the American Civil War , the fort was renewed as a US military post . In August 1861 , the Union Army took command of Fort Scott , and readied it for the war times . The United States Army also took over several blocks within the town for commissary and quartermaster functions . The Union Army rented the properties from the current civilian owners . Troops from Indiana , Iowa , Colorado , Ohio , and Wisconsin would come to the fort , and either stayed by the fort , or traveled farther , to subjugate Missouri , Arkansas , or the Indian Territory . Fort Scott was one of the few installations that recruited and trained black soldiers for the United States Colored Troops of the Union Army .