Robert Byington Mitchell Contents Early life and career Civil War service Governor of New Mexico Territory Later life See also References External links Navigation menu"Index to Politicians: Mitchell, O to R""A Civil War Biography: Robert Byington Mitchell"the original"Robert Byington Mitchell"The Indian War of 1864:"Robert Byington Mitchell"e
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1823 births1882 deathsGovernors of New Mexico TerritoryPoliticians from Mansfield, OhioUnion Army generalsPeople from Linn County, KansasPeople of Ohio in the American Civil WarPeople of Kansas in the American Civil WarOhio lawyersKansas DemocratsAmerican military personnel of the Mexican–American WarBurials at Arlington National CemeteryPeople from Mount Gilead, OhioNew Mexico Democrats19th-century American politicians
brigadier generalUnion ArmyAmerican Civil WarNew Mexico TerritoryMansfield, OhioKenyon CollegeWashington CollegeMount Vernon, OhioMexican Warsecond lieutenantMount Gilead, OhioLinn CountyKansas Territory1860 Democratic National ConventionCharleston, South CarolinaAdjutant General of Kansas2nd Kansas InfantryBattle of Wilson's CreekAbraham LincolnbrigadeFort RileyCharles C. GilbertBattle of PerryvilleNashville, TennesseeChickamauga campaignGeorge H. ThomasArmy of the CumberlandThird Battle of Chattanoogacourt-martialDistrict of NebraskaDistrict of North KansasDistrict of KansasColorado TerritoryIndian raid on Julesburg, ColoradoOverland TrailUnited States SenateSante FeUnited States CongressArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Robert Byington Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Governor of New Mexico Territory | |
In office 1866–1869 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Connelly |
| Succeeded by | William A. Pile |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 4, 1823 Mansfield, Ohio |
| Died | January 26, 1882(1882-01-26) (aged 58) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician |
Robert Byington Mitchell (April 4, 1823 – January 26, 1882) was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and the Governor of the New Mexico Territory from 1866 to 1869.[1]
Contents
1 Early life and career
2 Civil War service
3 Governor of New Mexico Territory
4 Later life
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
Early life and career
Mitchell was born on April 4, 1823, in Mansfield, Ohio.[2] For some odd reason, it was recorded that he graduated from both Kenyon College and Washington College, although neither school has a record of his attendance.[3]
He studied law in Mount Vernon, Ohio. After completing his studies, he practiced law in Mansfield. He served in the Mexican War as a second lieutenant in the 2nd Ohio Volunteers. He was elected mayor of Mount Gilead, Ohio, in 1855. Next year, he moved to Linn County, Kansas Territory. He served in the territorial legislature, as a delegate to the Leavenworth Convention, from 1857 to 1858. He served as treasurer of the Kansas Territory from 1859 to 1861. He was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina.[2]
Civil War service
After the start of the Civil War, Mitchell served as the Adjutant General of Kansas from May 2, 1861, to June 20, 1861. He later led the 2nd Kansas Infantry. He was badly wounded at the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. He was shot from his horse while leading his regiment.[2]
After recovery, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as a brigadier general to rank from April 8, 1862, and he was given command of a mixed brigade at Fort Riley. He commanded the 9th Division in Charles C. Gilbert's III Corps at the Battle of Perryville. He was then sent to Nashville, Tennessee, where he remained for several months.[2]
During the Chickamauga campaign, Mitchell served as George H. Thomas's Chief of Cavalry for the Army of the Cumberland. Just before the Third Battle of Chattanooga, he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for court-martial duty. According to some sources, this was due to severe wounds which incapacitated him from field duty but this is contradicted in the Official Records by Mitchell's own correspondence. Whether incapacitated or not, he would not see active campaigning again, and for the remainder of the Civil War, he commanded the District of Nebraska, then the District of North Kansas, and finally the District of Kansas.[2] He saw service in Colorado Territory in January 1865, following the Indian raid on Julesburg, Colorado, on the Overland Trail, but he did not succeed in locating the Indian camp on the Republican River until after they had departed.[4][5]
Governor of New Mexico Territory
Mitchell was honorably mustered out of the army on January 15, 1866. On the same day, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination as the Governor of the New Mexico Territory. He took the oath of office on June 6, 1866. He never appeared to take his duties as governor seriously. He was often absent from the territorial capital Sante Fe, without explanation, forcing the legislature to forward bills it had passed to Washington, D. C., for approval of the United States Congress. He resigned as governor in 1869.[2]
Later life
After leaving the office, Mitchell returned to Kansas. He was unsuccessful in his bid to represent Kansas in the U.S. Congress in 1872. He then moved to Washington, D. C., where he died on January 26, 1882.[2] He was buried with full military honors in Section 2, Grave 1023, of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.[3]
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)
References
^ "Index to Politicians: Mitchell, O to R". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 1, 2008..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ abcdefg "A Civil War Biography: Robert Byington Mitchell". Civil War Interactive. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
^ ab "Robert Byington Mitchell". Arlington Cemetery Website. Retrieved August 1, 2008. Another Ohio-born Civil War general with the same surname, John G. Mitchell, did graduate from Kenyon, so he may have been confused in some early reference works with Robert B. Mitchell.
^ Footnote 6, page 188, The Fighting Cheyenne, George Bird Grinnell, University of Oklahoma Press (1956 original copyright 1915 Charles Scribner's Sons), hardcover, 454 pages
^ Chapters 32, 33, 34, Ware, Eugene, The Indian War of 1864: Being a Fragment of the Early History of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming", Crane & Company (1911) Eugene Ware was the most junior officer in the Seventh Iowa Cavalry when on September 19, 1863, it was deployed to Omaha en route to the Indian Wars.
External links
Media related to Robert Byington Mitchell at Wikimedia Commons
"Robert Byington Mitchell". Find a Grave. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
Media related to Robert Byington Mitchell at Wikimedia CommonsGovernors of New Mexico | ||
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| U.S. Military Admin .mw-parser-output .noboldfont-weight:normal (1846–51) |
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| U.S. Territory (1851–1912) |
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| State (since 1912) |
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See also Mexican governors of New Mexico, Spanish governors of New Mexico | ||
1823 births, 1882 deaths, Governors of New Mexico Territory, Kansas, Ohio, People from Linn County, People of Kansas in the American Civil War, People of Ohio in the American Civil War, Politicians from Mansfield, Union Army generalsUncategorized
