Department of the Missouri
Encyclopedia
Department of the Missouri was a division of the United States Army
that functioned through the American Civil War
and the Indian Wars
afterwards.
on November 9, 1861, after Abraham Lincoln
fired John C. Frémont
when he would not rescind his order emancipating the slaves of Missouri and imposing martial law
on the state. David Hunter
served briefly as the last commander Department of the West.
It included Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Kentucky west of the Cumberland River and later Kansas. Its first general was Henry W. Halleck
.
. Components of the Division which evolved in various reorganizations ultimately included:
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
that functioned through the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
afterwards.
Civil War
The department was formed following the reorganization and breakup the Department of the WestDepartment of the West
The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command of the United States Army during the 19th century. It oversaw the military affairs in the country west of the Mississippi River to the borders of California and Oregon.-Organization:The Department was first...
on November 9, 1861, after Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
fired John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
when he would not rescind his order emancipating the slaves of Missouri and imposing martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
on the state. David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
served briefly as the last commander Department of the West.
It included Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Kentucky west of the Cumberland River and later Kansas. Its first general was Henry W. Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck was a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory, "Old Brains." He was an important participant in the admission of California as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer...
.
Indian Wars, Division of the Missouri
In 1865 at the end of the Civil War the Department of the Missouri was renamed the Division of the Missouri (however widespread usage continued to call it the Department of the Missouri). The headquarters of the Division of the Missouri was first located in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and later moved to St. Louis and Chicago under successive commanders. The Division of the Missouri would oversee many famous incidents and battles of the Indian wars, including the Battle of the Little BighornBattle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
. Components of the Division which evolved in various reorganizations ultimately included:
- Department of DakotaDepartment of DakotaA subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866 to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Department of Dakota was initially headquartered at Fort...
– Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and parts of Idaho and South Dakota and the Yellowstone portion of Wyoming. - Department of the MissouriDepartment of the Missouri(Indian Wars)Department of the Missouri was a sub division of the Department of the Missouri of the United States Army that functioned through the Indian Wars. In 1865 at the end of the Civil War the Department of the Missouri was renamed the Division of the Missouri...
– Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Indian Territory, and Territory of Oklahoma - Department of the PlatteDepartment of the PlatteThe Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho...
– Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming (except Yellowstone), Territory of Utah - Department of Texas (originally part of the Department of the Gulf) Texas
Civil War
- Henry W. HalleckHenry Wager HalleckHenry Wager Halleck was a United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory, "Old Brains." He was an important participant in the admission of California as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer...
(1861–1862) – It briefly combined in 1862 for the Department of the Mississippi with Halleck in overall command John McAllister SchofieldJohn SchofieldJohn McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
in charge of the District of the Missouri. - Samuel CurtisSamuel CurtisSamuel Ryan Curtis was an American military officer, and one of the first Republicans elected to Congress. He was most famous for his role as a Union Army general the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.-Biography:Born near Champlain, New York, Curtis graduated from the United...
(1862–1863) - John SchofieldJohn SchofieldJohn McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
(1863) - William RosecransWilliam RosecransWilliam Starke Rosecrans was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War...
(1864) - Grenville M. DodgeGrenville M. DodgeGrenville Mellen Dodge was a Union army officer on the frontier and during the Civil War, a U.S. Congressman, businessman, and railroad executive who helped construct the Transcontinental Railroad....
(1864–1865)
Indian Wars (Division of the Missouri)
- William Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
(1866–1869) - Philip SheridanPhilip SheridanPhilip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
(1869–1883) - John SchofieldJohn SchofieldJohn McAllister Schofield was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and Commanding General of the United States Army.-Early life:...
(1883–1886) - Alfred TerryAlfred TerryAlfred Howe Terry was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869 and again from 1872 to 1886.-Early life and career:...
(1886–1888) - George CrookGeorge CrookGeorge R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
(1888–1890) - Nelson A. MilesNelson A. MilesNelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
(1890–1891)