Jesse Henry Leavenworth
Encyclopedia
Colonel Jesse Henry Leavenworth (March 29, 1807–March 12, 1885) was military careerist and the second member of his family to serve in the regular army. He was the son of Brigadier General Henry Leavenworth
and his wife Elizabeth Eunice Morrison. He was born March 29, 1807, in Danville, Vermont
. He was a graduate of West Point class of 1830. Upon graduation he was appointed as a second lieutenant to the Fourth Infantry of the Second Colorado Cavalry, known as the "Rocky Mountain Rangers" based near Denver, Colorado
, which protected the frontier against bandits and Indian marauders. Leavenworth married Elvira Caroline Clark, daughter of Festus Clark, of Sackett's Harbor, New York, June 12, 1832, and they had four sons and four daughters between 1833 and 1853. He left military service for the reserves in 1836 to spend more time with his family.
Leavenworth was a civil engineer active in the west with a private practice based in Chicago, Illinois, for twenty two years. In 1858 he was listed in directories as a lumber merchant in Wisconsin
. In 1862, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he resumed active service as a Colonel, taking command of the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment
. He was once again assigned to the "Rocky Mountain Rangers" in which he now had the added responsibility of guarding against action by Confederate sympathizers. In 1864 the Army made him Indian agent to the Southern Cheyenne
, Kiowa
and Comanche
representing the United States government in its attempts to keep peace with the tribes. He was responsible for a unusually high number of captive releases of hostages taken by the tribes. After his military retirement around 1870 he returned to Wisconsin and resumed his activities as an engineer and merchant; he died in an uneventful manner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in 1885. His daughter Mary was the wife of Charles James Kershaw
, a major grain broker trading on the Chicago Board of Trade
.
Henry Leavenworth
Henry Leavenworth was an American soldier active in the War of 1812 and early military expeditions against the Plains Indians...
and his wife Elizabeth Eunice Morrison. He was born March 29, 1807, in Danville, Vermont
Danville, Vermont
Danville is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. It was named for the 18th-century French cartographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville...
. He was a graduate of West Point class of 1830. Upon graduation he was appointed as a second lieutenant to the Fourth Infantry of the Second Colorado Cavalry, known as the "Rocky Mountain Rangers" based near Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, which protected the frontier against bandits and Indian marauders. Leavenworth married Elvira Caroline Clark, daughter of Festus Clark, of Sackett's Harbor, New York, June 12, 1832, and they had four sons and four daughters between 1833 and 1853. He left military service for the reserves in 1836 to spend more time with his family.
Leavenworth was a civil engineer active in the west with a private practice based in Chicago, Illinois, for twenty two years. In 1858 he was listed in directories as a lumber merchant in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. In 1862, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he resumed active service as a Colonel, taking command of the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment
2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment
The 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment during the American Civil War from the state of Colorado. On October 13, 1863 the 2nd Colorado Infantry was consolidated with the 3rd Colorado Infantry Regiment in order to create the 2nd Colorado Cavalry Regiment.-Prior to official...
. He was once again assigned to the "Rocky Mountain Rangers" in which he now had the added responsibility of guarding against action by Confederate sympathizers. In 1864 the Army made him Indian agent to the Southern Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
and Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
representing the United States government in its attempts to keep peace with the tribes. He was responsible for a unusually high number of captive releases of hostages taken by the tribes. After his military retirement around 1870 he returned to Wisconsin and resumed his activities as an engineer and merchant; he died in an uneventful manner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in 1885. His daughter Mary was the wife of Charles James Kershaw
Charles James Kershaw
Charles James Kershaw was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, in 1832. He came to America in 1841, and received his education at the Derby Line Academy, in Derby Line, Orleans County, Vermont. He came West in 1853, and engaged in a general trade in provisions, grain and flour, both in Milwaukee...
, a major grain broker trading on the Chicago Board of Trade
Chicago Board of Trade
The Chicago Board of Trade , established in 1848, is the world's oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and eTrading. Volumes at the exchange in 2003 were a record breaking 454 million...
.