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James Calhoun (soldier)
Encyclopedia
James Calhoun was a soldier in the United States Army
during the American Civil War
and the Black Hills War. He was the brother-in-law of George Armstrong Custer
and was killed along with Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
.
into a prestigious and wealthy merchant family that included his brother Frederick. When the American Civil War
broke out, he was travelling in Europe
and two years later, both joined the Union army. Both brothers were to forgo the merchant life for the frontier to the dismay of their parents.
, he enlisted in the Union Army
in 1864. By the end of the war, he was a Sergeant.
After the war, he was appointed as a second lieutenant in the infantry
. He met Margaret Custer while she was visiting the Custers in 1870, and they fell in love. His soon to be brother-in-law George Armstrong Custer
had him appointed to first lieutenant in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
, assigned to Company C.
in Montana Territory
during the Black Hills War, he was acting as temporary commander of L Company, whose commander was on detached service as aide to General Philip H. Sheridan, and killed along with most of the company. Evidence at the hill where he died, later known as Calhoun Hill, showed that he and his men fought fiercely until they were killed. He and his second in command, Lt. John Crittenden, were found within feet of each other and their men had been deployed in a defensive perimeter on the hill. His remains were initially buried on the battlefield, but were reinterred in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1877. A marble slab on the Little Bighorn battlefield marks the place where his body was discovered and initially buried.
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...
during 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 Black Hills War. He was the brother-in-law of George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and was killed along with Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle 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...
.
Early life
Calhoun was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
into a prestigious and wealthy merchant family that included his brother Frederick. When 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...
broke out, he was travelling in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and two years later, both joined the Union army. Both brothers were to forgo the merchant life for the frontier to the dismay of their parents.
Career
Upon returning to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he enlisted in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in 1864. By the end of the war, he was a Sergeant.
After the war, he was appointed as a second lieutenant in the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. He met Margaret Custer while she was visiting the Custers in 1870, and they fell in love. His soon to be brother-in-law George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
had him appointed to first lieutenant in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment
The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army Cavalry Regiment, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. Its official nickname is "Garryowen," in honor of the Irish air Garryowen that was adopted as its march tune....
, assigned to Company C.
Personal life
Calhoun was known as "The Adonis of the Seventh" due to his handsome features, but he was never a womanizer as he married Margaret in 1872. He was part of the so-called "Custer Clan," which was a clique of close-knit relatives and friends of the former Civil War general. Calhoun was also the brother-in-law of fellow Clan member Myles Moylan. He often wrote letters to his brother and to Margaret, or Maggie as she was called, writing with disdain of the Indian barbarism. He often referred to them as "heathens" and foresaw a day when civilization would wipe them out.Death
At 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...
in Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
during the Black Hills War, he was acting as temporary commander of L Company, whose commander was on detached service as aide to General Philip H. Sheridan, and killed along with most of the company. Evidence at the hill where he died, later known as Calhoun Hill, showed that he and his men fought fiercely until they were killed. He and his second in command, Lt. John Crittenden, were found within feet of each other and their men had been deployed in a defensive perimeter on the hill. His remains were initially buried on the battlefield, but were reinterred in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army installation north of Leavenworth, Kansas. It was officially established in 1862, but was used as a burial ground as early as 1844. The cemetery is the resting place of eight...
in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1877. A marble slab on the Little Bighorn battlefield marks the place where his body was discovered and initially buried.
Sources and links
- Jefferson Country Public Library History Rescue Project: "The Story of the Calhoun Family and General Armstrong Custer" ; James Calhoun, Frederick Calhoun and Miles Moylan http://www.mjcpl.org/historyrescue/records/the-story-of-the-calhoun-family-gen-armstrong-custer
- Son of the Morning StarSon of the Morning StarSon of the Morning Star is a 1984 non-fiction book on the subject of George Armstrong Custer, with the subtitle 'Custer and the Little Bighorn'. A 1991 television film was based on the book. Both the book and the film chronicle the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the personalities involved, and the...
, Evan S. Connell, 1984, ISBN 0-06-097161-4 - Classic Battles: Little Big Horn 1876, Peter Panzieri, 1995, ISBN 1-85532-458-X
- Cavalier in Buckskin, Robert M. Utley, 1988, ISBN 0-8061-2150-5
- Custer: A Soldier's Story, D.A. Kinsley, 1967, ISBN 0-88394-074-4
- The Custer Autograph Album, John M. Carroll, 1994, ISBN 0-932702-97-X