David.... you asked about Captain E. E. Harvey's Company D, 5th Kansas Cavalry.

2) CPT E.E. Harvey's Co'D'/5th Ks Rgt which became Co'B'/6th Ks in Mar 62. Since they originated in Appanoose Co., IA (in eastern Iowa) did they go to Leavenworth and join a Kansas Rgt because during Mexican War CPT Harvey served as a musician in same regiment as Senator Lane served (the 3rd Indiana)? I'm just curious why they ended up in Ks instead of Mo or Ill.

I still have some work to do on this, however I will speculate some on past research. Hamilton Perry Johnson raised one company, John Ritchie's Company A, for the 5th Kansas Cavalry in 1861 and struggled to raise other companies. Before the rush to Fort Scott to defend the border, Johnson went on a recruiting trip to Grundy and Mercer Counties, Missouri and swayed at least two companies to join his cavalry regiment rather than joining the 18th Missouri Infantry who was recruiting in the same area. So, it is possible that Johnson was in the area when Captain E. E. Harvey's company was looking at affiliating with a regiment. The draw to Kansas was strong at that time because, some state quotas were being filled rapidly and commissions for officers may have been less available. Kansas was seen as the buffer to the newly formed Missouri State Guard and action seemed immenient.

A second possibility was Lane and Kansas sending recruiting officers to such places as Chicago, Quincy, Illinois and in Iowa since Kansas was concerned about raising enough men to fill regiments.

Howard Mann