John Beach
Encyclopedia
Major John Beach was a United States Army
officer during the Black Hawk
and American Civil War
as well as the last US Indian Agent to the Sac and Fox tribes. A son-in-law to General Joseph Street, Beach succeeded him as agent to the Sac and Fox upon his death and eventually hosted the week long council that resulted in the signing of the treaty for the purchase of much of Iowa from the Sac and Fox Indians in October 1842.
Born in Massachusetts
to William Beach and Lucy Tucker, John Beach enlisted in the U.S. Army
during his late teens and graduated from the West Point Military Academy on July 1, 1832. He was commissioned as a brevet 2nd lieutenant served on the frontier with the Infantry Regiment, assigned to Fort Armstrong
and Fort Crawford
during the 1830s. In 1836, he took command of the Fort Armstrong garrison after its commanding officer Lt. Col. William Davenport ordered an evacuation and led a march to Fort Snelling in Hennepin County, Minnesota
. Beach would remain at Fort Armstrong until being assigned elsewhere in November. During his last year with the army, he was involved in recruitment efforts before his resignation on June 30, 1838. Beach later married Lucy Frances Street, the daughter of General Joseph Street.
Two years later, he succeeded his father-in-law General Joseph Street as US Indian Agent to the Sac and Fox tribes following Street's death. He continued his predecessor's work in establishing farming and education to the Raccoon River Agency reservation, although he was ultimately unsuccessful in the former goal. He also opposed settlers sqatting on reservation land as, in 1841, a force of dragoons under Lieutenant C.F. Ruff removed James Jordan and other settlers illegally living on the reservation. They had previously ignored Beach's order to leave and, after allowing them to gather their possessions, Ruff ordered his men to burn their homes. On October 11, 1842, he presided over the signing of a treaty which allowed the federal government to purchase much of Iowa from the Sac and Fox. He remained at the agency until 1847 where he resided in the area as a local farmer and merchant. Beach reenlisted during the American Civil War
, however he involved in the training and drilling of recruits as his hearing loss disqualified him from the field.
Returning to Agency City following the war, he became a writer and historian in his later years. He died on August 31, 1874, at age 62 and buried at Chief Wapello's Memorial Park. A series of articles he had written on the early history of the various tribes he lived with during his career were published posthumously in the Agency Independent in the months following his death. His writings on the history of the Fox and Sac, as well as the fur trade
on the Des Moines River
, were later included in the History of Wapello County (1878).
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...
officer during the Black Hawk
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
and 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...
as well as the last US Indian Agent to the Sac and Fox tribes. A son-in-law to General Joseph Street, Beach succeeded him as agent to the Sac and Fox upon his death and eventually hosted the week long council that resulted in the signing of the treaty for the purchase of much of Iowa from the Sac and Fox Indians in October 1842.
Biography
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to William Beach and Lucy Tucker, John Beach enlisted in the U.S. Army
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 his late teens and graduated from the West Point Military Academy on July 1, 1832. He was commissioned as a brevet 2nd lieutenant served on the frontier with the Infantry Regiment, assigned to Fort Armstrong
Fort Armstrong
Fort Armstrong , was one of a chain of western frontier defenses which the United States erected after the War of 1812. It was located at the foot of Rock Island, Illinois, in the Mississippi River between present-day Illinois and Iowa. It was five miles from the principal Sac and Fox village on...
and Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford
Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th Century. The Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1960....
during the 1830s. In 1836, he took command of the Fort Armstrong garrison after its commanding officer Lt. Col. William Davenport ordered an evacuation and led a march to Fort Snelling in Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
. Beach would remain at Fort Armstrong until being assigned elsewhere in November. During his last year with the army, he was involved in recruitment efforts before his resignation on June 30, 1838. Beach later married Lucy Frances Street, the daughter of General Joseph Street.
Two years later, he succeeded his father-in-law General Joseph Street as US Indian Agent to the Sac and Fox tribes following Street's death. He continued his predecessor's work in establishing farming and education to the Raccoon River Agency reservation, although he was ultimately unsuccessful in the former goal. He also opposed settlers sqatting on reservation land as, in 1841, a force of dragoons under Lieutenant C.F. Ruff removed James Jordan and other settlers illegally living on the reservation. They had previously ignored Beach's order to leave and, after allowing them to gather their possessions, Ruff ordered his men to burn their homes. On October 11, 1842, he presided over the signing of a treaty which allowed the federal government to purchase much of Iowa from the Sac and Fox. He remained at the agency until 1847 where he resided in the area as a local farmer and merchant. Beach reenlisted 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...
, however he involved in the training and drilling of recruits as his hearing loss disqualified him from the field.
Returning to Agency City following the war, he became a writer and historian in his later years. He died on August 31, 1874, at age 62 and buried at Chief Wapello's Memorial Park. A series of articles he had written on the early history of the various tribes he lived with during his career were published posthumously in the Agency Independent in the months following his death. His writings on the history of the Fox and Sac, as well as the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
on the Des Moines River
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River is a tributary river of the Mississippi River, approximately long to its farther headwaters, in the upper Midwestern United States...
, were later included in the History of Wapello County (1878).
Further reading
- Berthrong, Donald J. "John Beach and the Removal of the Sauk and Fox from Iowa". Iowa Journal of History and Politics. 54 (October 1956): 318-20.
- Gallagher, Ruth A. "Indian Agents in Iowa: Agents among the Sauk and Fox". Iowa Journal of History and Politics. 14 (July 1916): 364-365.
- Green, Michael D. "The Sac-Fox Annuity Crisis of 1840 in Iowa Territory". Arizona and the West. 16 (Summer 1974): 141-150.