Edward Richard Sprigg Canby General
General Richard Sprigg Canby killed by Indians . Canby, Minnesota named after him
The Major General, Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was killed by Keintpoos, or
"Captain Jack", Chief of the Modoc Indians. The killing took place in the
Lava Bed country of Northern California, while the General was engaged in
peace talks with the Modoc tribe. The event took place on April 11, 1873,
when "Captain Jack' raised to his feet and shot the general below the left
eye, breaking his jaw. As the General staggered to his feet to run, a rifle
from another Modoc, Ellen's Man, struck him down. General Sherman, under
instructions from the President of the United States, ordered Canby's
subordinate, Colonel Gillem, "to make the attack so strong that their fate
may be commensurate with the crime.
CANBY, EDWARD RICHARD SPRIGG (1817-1873).² Edward R. S. Canby, United States
Army officer, son of Israel T. and Elizabeth (Piatt) Canby, was born at
Piatt's Landing, Kentucky, on November 9, 1817. His father, a country
doctor, later moved his family to Indiana. Canby enrolled in Wabash College
and was appointed in 1835 to the United States Military Academy; he
graduated thirtieth of thirty-one in the class of 1839. He married Louisa
Hawkins of Crawfordsville, Indiana, on August 1 of that year. Lieutenant
Canby served in the South, notably in the Second Seminole War in Florida
(1839-42). During the Mexican Warqv he earned two brevets in the campaign of
Gen. Winfield Scott against Mexico City. Between 1848 and 1855 Major Canby
held staff posts on the West Coast and in Washington, D.C. He was ordered to
the Tenth Infantry Regiment in the Trans-Mississippi and later took part in
the Mormon Expedition (1857-58) under Col. Albert Sidney Johnston.qv
Soon after the Civil Warqv began, Canby was named colonel of the Nineteenth
Infantry at Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory. In a series of battles
(Valverdeqv on February 21, 1862, and Apache Canyon and Glorietaqv on March
27 and 28), Canby's troops blunted a Confederate invasion led by Gen. Henry
H. Sibley,qv who turned back into Texas. Canby's actions prevented
Confederate expansion from Texas into the greater Southwest.
After staff duties in Washington, D.C., from January 1863 through May 1864,
Canby, as newly promoted major general of volunteers, took command of the
Military Division of West Mississippi. He was wounded by guerrillas at White
River, Arkansas, on November 6, 1864, but recovered and led the land
campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama (March through April 1865), in
cooperation with Gen. Gordon Grangerqv and Adm. David G. Farragut. Canby
received the surrender of Confederates under Gen. Richard Taylor on May 4,
1865, and that of the Trans-Mississippi forces of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smithqv
on May 26.
The army was reorganized in July 1866, and Canby ranked ninth of only ten
regular brigadier generals. His command included several states on the Gulf
of Mexico, but Gen. Philip H. Sheridanqv reduced Canby's department to
Louisiana. Sheridan supervised Texas through subordinate officers, Gen.
Charles Griffin and Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds.qqv All three of these officers
were strong Republicans. After devoting Reconstructionqv time to Louisiana
and the Carolinas, Canby replaced Reynolds in the Fifth Military District,qv
where he served from November 1868 to March 1869. As an independent in
politics, Canby was recognized during Reconstruction as one of the most
fair-minded army officers in the South.
His main accomplishment in Texas was supervising the process that led to the
ratification of the Constitution of 1869.qv New southern state constitutions
giving blacks the right to vote were required under the congressional
Reconstruction Acts of 1867. Canby saw to it that the convention records
were preserved and published. He removed few civilian officials, and his
political appointments were judicious. He carefully protected the rights of
freedmen without suppressing Democrats.
In March 1869 President U. S. Grant reinstated Reynolds as commander in
Texas. Reynolds had been removed by President Andrew Johnson, who thought he
was partisan. Grant reassigned him, however, and ordered Canby to the
Department of the Columbia, in the Pacific Northwest. There the Modoc
Indians, based in an area known as the Lava Beds in California, were
attacking settlers in California and Oregon. On April 11, 1873, Canby went
unarmed to a parley and was killed when set upon by Modoc negotiators,
including their leader, Captain Jack. Canby was the only regular army
general killed in the Trans-Mississippi Indian wars.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Martin Hardwick Hall, Sibley's New Mexico Campaign (Austin:
University of Texas Press, 1960). Max L. Heyman, Jr., Prudent Soldier: A
Biography of Major General E. R. S. Canby (Glendale, California: Clark,
1959). William L. Richter, The Army in Texas during Reconstruction,
1865-1870 (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1987). James E.
Sefton, The United States Army and Reconstruction (Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State University Press, 1967). Joseph G. Dawson IIIThe 1850 census shows a servant in the household of Edward Canby, John Hammett, 32, from Germany.
Canby, Edward Richard Sprigg.Ky. Ind. Cadet Military Academy 1 July 1835 (30); 2 lieutenant 2 infantry 1 July 1839; 1 lieutenant 18 June 1846; regimental adjutant 24 Mar 1846 to 3 Mar 1847; brevet captain assistant adjutant-general 3 Mar 1847; major 10 infantry 3 Mar 1855; colonel 19 infantry 14 May 1861; brigadier-general volunteers 31 Mar 1862; major general volunteers 7 May 1864; honorable mustered out of vol services 1 Sept 1866; brigadier-general United States Army 28 July 1866; brevet major 20 Aug 1847 for gallant and meritorious conduct at the battles of Contreras and Churubusco; lieutenant colonel 13 Sept 1847 for gallant conduct at Belen Gate of City of Mexico; brigadier-general 13 Mar 1865 for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Valverde N Mexico and major general 13 Mar 1865 for gallant and meritorious services in the capture of Ft Blakely and Mobile Ala; murdered 11 Apr 1873 by Modoc Indians near Van Bremmer's ranch Cal while engaged in a peace conference.
Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, C, page 279------------------------------------------------------
Biography: EDWARD RICHARD SPIGG CANBY
Canby, Edward R. S., major-general, was born in Kentucky in 1817, received his early education there, and in 1839 was graduated at West Point, being commissioned 2nd lieutenant, 2nd infantry. He served as quartermaster in the Florida war, assisted in escorting the Indians who emigrated to their new
lands in Arkansas, and then served on garrison and recruiting duty until the outbreak of the Mexican war. Entering the war with the rank of 1st lieutenant, he participated in the siege of Vera Cruz, in the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras and Churubusco, and upon the assault upon the Belen gate of the
City of Mexico, being rewarded for his services with the brevets of major and lieutenant-colonel. After the close of the war he was employed in adjutant duty and on the frontier, and was from 1858 to 1860 in command of Fort Bridger, Utah.
At the opening of the Civil war he was in command of Fort Defiance, N. M., and at once become a most zealous and ardent supporter of the Union. He became colonel of the 19th regiment, U. S. infantry, May, 1861, and, acting as brigadier-general of the forces in New Mexico, he repelled the
Confederate Gen. Sibley, forcing him to retreat, "leaving behind him," as he observed in his report, "in dead and wounded, in sick and prisoners one-half of his original force." He was promoted brigadier-general in March, 1862, was transferred to Washington, and had command of the United States troops during the draft riots in New York in July, At the opening of the campaign of 1864, Gen. Canby was
given command of the military division of west Mississippi, and, while on a tour of inspection on White river, Ark., Nov. 4, 1864, was severely wounded by Confederate guerrillas. In the following spring he led an army of thirty thousand men against Mobile, and captured the city April 12, 1865. On learning that Lee had surrendered in Virginia, Gen. Richard Taylor, who commanded west of the Mississippi, surrendered to Gen. Canby, thus ending the war in the southwest. Gen. CanbyCwas given the brevet ranks of brigadier-general and major-general U. S. A., March 13, 1865, and continued to command the
Department of the South until 1866, when he was given the full rank of brigadier-general in the regular army, and transferred to Washington. He had charge of the military district with headquarters at Richmond, after the surrender, and organized Gen. Lee's disbanded cavalrymen for suppression of
bushwhacking, with complete success. Subsequently, from 1869 to 1873, he commanded the Department of the Columbia, and lost his life while trying to arrange peace with the Modoc Indians.
He met Capt. Jack, the leader of the Modocs, on neutral ground for the purpose of discussing peace terms, on the morning of April 11, 1873, in Siskiyou county, Cal., and, at a signal planned before hand, the Indians attacked him and two fellow officers, killing all three. Capt. Jack and two subordinates
were afterwards captured and hanged for murder. Gen. Canby bore a reputation for honesty, gallantry and unselfishness which few officers have enjoyed. He was popular among almost
all classes and was universally respected among his fellow-officers.Source: The Union Army, vol. 8
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CANBY, EDWARD RICHARD SPRIGG (1817-1873). Edward R. S. Canby, United States Army officer, son of Israel T. and Elizabeth (Piatt) Canby, was born at Piatt's Landing, Kentucky, on November 9, 1817. His father, a country doctor, later moved his family to Indiana. Canby enrolled in Wabash College and was appointed in 1835 to the United States Military Academy; he graduated thirtieth of thirty-one in the class of 1839. He married Louisa Hawkins of Crawfordsville, Indiana, on August 1 of that year. Lieutenant Canby served in the South, notably in the Second Seminole War in Florida (1839-42). During the Mexican Warqv he earned two brevets in the campaign of Gen. Winfield Scott against Mexico City. Between 1848 and 1855 Major Canby held staff posts on the West Coast and in Washington, D.C. He was ordered to the Tenth Infantry Regiment in the Trans-Mississippi and later took part in the Mormon Expedition (1857-58) under Col. Albert Sidney Johnston.qv
Soon after the Civil Warqv began, Canby was named colonel of the Nineteenth Infantry at Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory. In a series of battles (Valverdeqv on February 21, 1862, and Apache Canyon and Glorietaqv on March 27 and 28), Canby's troops blunted a Confederate invasion led by Gen. Henry H. Sibley,qv who turned back into Texas. Canby's actions prevented Confederate expansion from Texas into the greater Southwest.
After staff duties in Washington, D.C., from January 1863 through May 1864, Canby, as newly promoted major general of volunteers, took command of the Military Division of West Mississippi. He was wounded by guerrillas at White River, Arkansas, on November 6, 1864, but recovered and led the land campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama (March through April 1865), in cooperation with Gen. Gordon Grangerqv and Adm. David G. Farragut. Canby received the surrender of Confederates under Gen. Richard Taylor on May 4, 1865, and that of the Trans-Mississippi forces of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smithqv on May 26.
The army was reorganized in July 1866, and Canby ranked ninth of only ten regular brigadier generals. His command included several states on the Gulf of Mexico, but Gen. Philip H. Sheridanqv reduced Canby's department to Louisiana. Sheridan supervised Texas through subordinate officers, Gen. Charles Griffin and Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds.qqv All three of these officers were strong Republicans. After devoting Reconstructionqv time to Louisiana and the Carolinas, Canby replaced Reynolds in the Fifth Military District,qv where he served from November 1868 to March 1869. As an independent in politics, Canby was recognized during Reconstruction as one of the most fair-minded army officers in the South.
His main accomplishment in Texas was supervising the process that led to the ratification of the Constitution of 1869.qv New southern state constitutions giving blacks the right to vote were required under the congressional Reconstruction Acts of 1867. Canby saw to it that the convention records were preserved and published. He removed few civilian officials, and his political appointments were judicious. He carefully protected the rights of freedmen without suppressing Democrats.
In March 1869 President U. S. Grant reinstated Reynolds as commander in Texas. Reynolds had been removed by President Andrew Johnson, who thought he was partisan. Grant reassigned him, however, and ordered Canby to the Department of the Columbia, in the Pacific Northwest. There the Modoc Indians, based in an area known as the Lava Beds in California, were attacking settlers in California and Oregon. On April 11, 1873, Canby went unarmed to a parley and was killed when set upon by Modoc negotiators, including their leader, Captain Jack. Canby was the only regular army general killed in the Trans-Mississippi Indian wars.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Martin Hardwick Hall, Sibley's New Mexico Campaign (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1960). Max L. Heyman, Jr., Prudent Soldier: A Biography of Major General E. R. S. Canby (Glendale, California: Clark, 1959). William L. Richter, The Army in Texas during Reconstruction, 1865-1870 (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1987). James E. Sefton, The United States Army and Reconstruction (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1967).
Joseph G. Dawson III
9/2/95 Film 0514658 Misc. Genealogical Records, SI 1649 - 1925, lists the Merrell family early generations. Compiled by W.D. Merrell, 21 Arnold Park, Rochester, N.Y., in 1942.
2/5/00 Wright, Tobias Alexander, ed. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1909.
Name: Mahala
Parent1: Abraham Merril
Parent2: Elizabeth [Martino]
Birthdate: 11 Apr 1810
Baptism Date: 06 May 1811
Witnesses: The parents; the gr.-mother Mrs. Eleonor Martino
Gen:Name: Rev. Nathaniel Brown
Comment: farmer
2/5/00 Wright, Tobias Alexander, ed. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1909.
Name: Abraham Merril
Spouse: Elisabeth Martino
Maiden Name:
Marriage Date: 14 Jan 1810
Comment: single; single, dau. of Stephen Martino & Eleon., his wife. Md. in presence of some of their friends here in the laborers' room
9/2/95 Film 0514658 Misc. Genealogical Records, SI 1649 - 1925, lists the Merrell family early generations. Compiled by W.D. Merrell, 21 Arnold Park, Rochester, N.Y., in 1942. Betty Martineau (Martino).
2/5/00 Wright, Tobias Alexander, ed. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1909.
Name: Mahala
Parent1: Abraham Merril
Parent2: Elizabeth [Martino]
Birthdate: 11 Apr 1810
Baptism Date: 06 May 1811
Witnesses: The parents; the gr.-mother Mrs. Eleonor Martino
Gen:Name: Rev. Nathaniel Brown
Comment: farmer
2/5/00 Wright, Tobias Alexander, ed. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1909.
Name: Abraham Merril
Spouse: Elisabeth Martino
Maiden Name:
Marriage Date: 14 Jan 1810
Comment: single; single, dau. of Stephen Martino & Eleon., his wife. Md. in presence of some of their friends here in the laborers' room
9/2/95 Film 0514658 Misc. Genealogical Records, SI 1649 - 1925, lists the Merrell family early generations. Compiled by W.D. Merrell, 21 Arnold Park, Rochester, N.Y., in 1942. Mahala Merrell and 2 others died young.
2/5/00 Wright, Tobias Alexander, ed. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1909.
Name: Mahala
Parent1: Abraham Merril
Parent2: Elizabeth [Martino]
Birthdate: 11 Apr 1810
Baptism Date: 06 May 1811
Witnesses: The parents; the gr.-mother Mrs. Eleonor Martino
Gen:Name: Rev. Nathaniel Brown
Comment: farmer
Buried at the Providence General Baptist Cemetery.
1880 Census: Sumner Co. Tn. Age 2
(1) 1880 Census: Sumner Co. Tn. Age 4
Birthdate from inscription at Fairfield Cemetery.
(1) Death: 1919 Deaths of Sumner Co. Tn. (Pulmonary Tuberculois)
(2) Tombstone
(3) 1880 Census: Sumner Co. Tn. Age 15
Death Records State of Tennessee 1919. (Died of Pulmonary Tuburculosis)
Tombstone
1880 Census: Sumner Co. Tn. Age 12