Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Officers of the 1st US Cavalry in 1861, Part III

On April 17th, LtCol Emory was directed to proceed with all of his troops to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Captain Sturgis evacuated Fort Smith, Arkansas and marched to Fort Washita at roughly the same time. (Rodenbough, Army of the United States, pg 214). On the 22nd, the exodus resumed with the resignation of Captain George H. Steuart of Company K. 1stLt James E.B. Stuart assumed the captaincy and command of the company.

Regimental command changed again on April 25th, with the resignation of Colonel Robert E. Lee. LtCol John Sedgwick, again following in Lee’s wake, returned from the 2nd Cavalry to command the regiment. 1stLt Lunsford L. Lomax resigned the same day, replaced in Company C by 2ndLt Charles S. Bowman.

The president appointed two new second lieutenants to the regiment from civilian life on April 26th, but only one reached his unit. Walter M. Wilson of Massachusetts joined Company A, but Thomas T. Turner of Missouri declined his assignment to Company K. Wilson was promoted to 1stLt in Company G less than three weeks later, on May 14th.

May was a tumultuous month for the 1st Cavalry, as nine more officers resigned. Captain William S. Walker of Mississippi and 2ndLt Oliver H. Fish resigned on the 1st. 1stLt Edward Ingraham followed the next day. Captain James McIntosh of Company D resigned May 7th, as did 2ndLt Andrew Jackson Jr of Company E. 1stLt Richard H. Riddick of Company K resigned on May 9th. Also resigning on May 9th was LtCol William H. Emory, another blow to the regiment’s senior leadership. Captain James E.B. Stuart resigned May 14th, only 22 days after taking command of Company K. He was followed on the 24th by Captain Robert Ransom Jr.

These resignations spurred another series of promotions in the regiment. Major Delos R. Sackett was promoted to LtCol in the 2nd Cavalry on May 3rd, replacing Sedgwick. Major Thomas J. Wood was promoted to LtCol on May 9th, replacing Wood. Captain Samuel D. Sturgis was promoted to one of the major positions, and Captain George Stoneman of the 2nd Cavalry was advanced to the other. 1stLts Crittenden, Long, Otis, Thompson and McIntyre were all promoted to captain and took command of companies. 2ndLts Bowman and Taylor reached 1stLt, and Taylor was promoted again to captain in the 3rd Cavalry on May 14th. By May 31st, only three officers in the regiment, Captains William N.R. Beall, Henry B. Davidson and Eugene A. Carr, occupied the same duty positions that they held January 1, 1861. All six of the second lieutenants appointed to the regiment in February and March from civilian life were promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.

Newly appointed officers continued to flow into the regiment. The first West Point class of 1861 graduated on May 6th, and the 1st Cavalry received three of its members. Cadets Charles C. Campbell (24th in class), Malbone F. Watson (25th), and Eugene B. Beaumont (32nd) were assigned as second lieutenants in Companies F, I, and H respectively. 2ndLt Campbell was ordered dropped from the rolls of the army on May 22nd for tendering his resignation in the face of the enemy. 2ndLt Tillinghast L’Hommediu of Ohio was transferred to Company E from the 6th Infantry on May 7th. He had been appointed a 2ndLt from civilian life only eleven days before.

Five more civilian appointees were assigned to the regiment in May. Samuel W. Stockton of New Jersey was assigned to Company B as a 2ndLt on May 4th, only to be promoted to 1stLt in Company E on the 24th. Three more were appointed to the regiment the next day: Michael J. Kelly of the District of Columbia, Edward M. McCook of the Colorado Territory, and Edward D. Baker of Illinois. On May 17th, William W. Webb of the District of Columbia was appointed to the position in Company K declined by Thomas Turner the month before.

On May 29th, two companies were ordered to Fort Kearney, Nebraska to hold hostile Indians in that region in check. The remainder of the regiment closed on Fort Leavenworth, evacuating and abandoning Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Forts Gibson, Cobb, Arbuckle and Washita, Oklahoma before beginning to move east (Utley, Frontiersmen in Blue, pg 212). Officer assignments as of May 31, 1861 are listed below:

Colonel John Sedgwick
Lt Col Thomas J. Wood
Maj Samuel D. Sturgis
Maj George Stoneman
Adjutant (1Lt) Albert V. Colburn

Company A
Capt William N.R. Beall*
1st Lt Thomas H. McCormick
2nd Lt VACANT
Company B
Capt Frank Wheaton
1st Lt George G. Huntt
2nd Lt VACANT
Company C
Capt David S. Stanley
1st Lt Charles S. Bowman
2nd Lt Michael J. Kelly
Company D
Capt Eugene W. Crittenden
1st Lt George D. Bayard
2nd Lt Edward D. Baker
Company E
Capt James B. McIntyre
1st Lt Samuel W. Stockton
2nd Lt Tillinghast L’Hommediu
Company F
Capt Eli Long
1st Lt Thomas B. Alexander
2nd Lt VACANT
Company G
Capt Elmer Otis
1st Lt VACANT
2nd Lt Edward M. McCook
Company H
Capt Henry B. Davidson
1st Lt John A. Wilcox
2nd Lt Eugene B. Beaumont
Company I
Capt Eugene A. Carr
1st Lt Napoleon B. McLoughlin
2nd Lt Malbone F. Watson
Company K
Capt John A. Thompson
1st Lt Clarence Mouck
2nd Lt William W. Webb

3 comments:

1st Sgt. J.M.H. said...

Don: I just came across your site (2-13-08) and
would like to get in touch. For the past four years
I have been compiling a history of my great-grandfather's Regiment: 1st Sgt. John M. Herberich, 4th (formerly 1st) Regiment United
States Cavalry: 1859-1872. I think I have collected most of the primary documents, books,
etc. and have a 300 page outline to date. As you
are aware, there is very little available about the
Regulars, and yes, they have been overshadowed
by the volunteers! (I have a theory as to why).
I hope to correct this. I'm not very computer literate nor familiar with blogs, etc., however I had been thinking of doing something on net to see if I could locate descendants of the 4th or anyone interested with additional information. Would there be any way of tagging on to your site? I am anxiously looking forward to hearing from you to see what else you may have turned up on the 4th. I equate this project to putting together a million piece puzzle! Your "List of Officers", Part III was REALLY helpful!

Don said...

1SG,

Please contact me at dccaughey at aol dot com. I've been accumulating a good bit of 4th cavalry information, and am in the process of attempting to edit a manuscript narrating the regiment's war experience from the perspective of one of its enlisted men. There could be a good bit of information that we could share.

Unknown said...

Hello,

General Grant mentions Heintzelman's Cavalry going to Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 19, 1862. I am having trouble figuring out which unit this might be. I know that a detachment of the 4th U.S. Cavalry was attached to Heintzelman's Division at one time, but that was in the Eastern Theatre of the war. Is it possible that the 4th, which was at Cornith, Mississippi on April 30th, could be the regiment that Grant is mentioning?