Benjamin Grierson
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Benjamin Henry Grierson | |
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Indian Wars |
Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826 – August 31, 1911) was a music teacher, then a career officer in the
He is most noted for
Early life and career
Grierson was born in the borough of
In 1851, he became a music teacher and band leader in Jacksonville, Illinois. He married Alice Kirk of Youngstown, Ohio on September 24, 1854. The couple had seven children, four of whom survived to adulthood.
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War, Grierson enlisted as a volunteer
In the spring of 1863, he led
More importantly, Grierson diverted the attention of the Confederate defenders of Vicksburg away from General Grant's main thrust. Gen. Sherman considered Grierson's raid "the most brilliant expedition of the war." Grierson was promoted to
In June 1864 Grierson returned to command a cavalry division in the Army of the Tennessee during
Between December 21, 1864, and January 5, 1865, Grierson led an expedition of two brigades of the Cavalry Division against the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. On Christmas Day he surprised and captured Forrest's dismounted camp at Verona, Mississippi, and on December 28 engaged a train carrying an ad hoc Confederate force of approximately 1,200 men at Egypt Station, Mississippi, south of Aberdeen, capturing more than 500 troops, including 253 former Union prisoners who had enlisted as "Galvanized Yankees" in the 10th Tennessee. For this expedition Grierson received a brevet promotion to the rank of major general.
In the spring of 1865, he took part in Canby's successful campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama.
Postbellum service in the West
Grierson decided to pursue a career in the
The only White officer who supports the unit is Regimental Commanding Officer Colonel Benjamin Grierson. Ostracized by other officers for his enthusiastic command of the African-American troops, Grierson believes in the abilities, dedication, and record of performance of the Buffalo Soldiers and declines offers to lead at any other post. General Pike offers to relieve Grierson 'of this self-imposed exile and have him commanding a real cavalry regiment within a month,' but Grierson refuses
— Turner Network Television's documentary, "Buffalo Soldiers".
Postbellum command history
- 1867–69: Commanded Fort Riley, then later Fort Gibson.
- 1868–69: Headed the District of the Indian Territory.
- 1869–72: Selected the site for Camp Wichita, later renamed Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with the 10th Cavalry. Supervised construction and acted as post commander. He angered residents of the Texas frontier with his support of the peace policy on the Kiowa-Comanche Reservation. Saved the life of visiting General wagon trainnear Salt Creek Prairie, Texas.
- 1873–74: Superintendent of the Mounted Recruiting Service at St. Louis.
- 1875–78: Commander at Fort Concho, Texas.
- 1878–80: Commander of the District of the Pecos. In 1880 he helped defeat Victorio to end the Indian threat to West Texas.
- 1882–82: Moved his headquarters to Fort Davis, Texas.
- 1883–83: Commanded the Department of Texas in September and October.
- 1885–86: Transferred to Arizona, commanded Whipple Barracks and later Fort Grant.
- 1886–88: Commanded the District of New Mexico. There he dealt sympathetically and effectively with problems on the Jicarilla and Navajo reservations.
- 1888–90: Commanded the Department of Arizona.
- April 5, 1890: Promoted to Brigadier General.
- July 8, 1890: Retired, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64.
His wife, Alice, died August 14, 1888. Grierson much later married Lillian Atwood King, a widow, on July 28, 1897. During his life, he had homes in Jacksonville, Illinois, Fort Concho, and a summer home at Omena, Michigan. In 1907 he suffered a debilitating stroke; he died on August 31, 1911, in Omena, Leelanau County, Michigan. He is buried in Jacksonville East Cemetery in Jacksonville, a town in Morgan County, Illinois.
Grierson in media
Colonel Grierson is a prominent figure in Turner Network Television's documentary, "Buffalo Soldiers".
The part of Colonel Marlowe, played by John Wayne in the movie The Horse Soldiers, is loosely based on Grierson.
See also
Notes
- ISBN 978-0-89029-061-3.
- ^ "Harper's Weekly". June 6, 1863. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
- ISBN 0-8071-0834-0, p. 195
References
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
Further reading
- Foreman, Carolyn Thomas (1946). "General Benjamin Henry Grierson" [OCLC 655582328.
- Leckie, William H.; Shirley A. Leckie (1998). Unlikely Warriors: General Benjamin H. Grierson and His Family. Norman: ISBN 0-8061-3027-X.
External links
- Alice Kirk Grierson, Wife Of Benjamin Grierson
- The Handbook of Texas
- Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Leavenworth
- Buffalo Soldiers
- Alice Kirk Grierson and the Tenth Cavalry Officers' Wives at Fort Davis
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Grierson, Benjamin H.
- Benjamin Henry Grierson Papers Archived 2015-12-09 at the The Newberry Library