Nicholas M. Nolan
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Merritt Nolan was a United States Army
major
. He began his military career on December 9, 1852 as an artilleryman then served in the 2nd Dragoons. He started as a private and rose through the ranks becoming a First Sergeant
. He was commissioned an officer in late 1862 in the Regular Army while serving with the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment during the American Civil War
. He participated in sixteen campaigns with the 6th and most of its battles. He was slightly wounded at the Battle of Fairfield
and seriously wounded at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
. He was brevetted
twice and noted at least twice for gallantry during combat. He was slightly wounded when captured at the end of March 1865 and was later paroled. After the Civil War he served with the 10th U.S. Cavalry
known as the Buffalo Soldiers for fourteen years. Nolan is also noted for his plusses and minues during the Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877
that made headlines in the Eastern United States of America. He was the commanding officer of Henry O. Flipper in 1878, the first Negro officer who graduated from United States Military Academy
at West Point. He commanded several frontier forts before his untimely death in 1883.
Nolan took a demotion on September 5, 1861 to become a Sergeant in Troop B, 6th U. S. Cavalry. By March 1862 he was its First Sergeant. This unit was part of the Union Army
which later became known as the Army of the Potomac
. Nolan was trained as light cavalry with the primary function of scouting then acting as dismounted light infantry. The reality of pre-war cavalry and Civil War cavalry use was dramatic. Nolan and others like him had a steep learning curve that proved difficult and frustrating during the first year of the conflict. He participated in the Peninsula Campaign
and chased the audacious Jeb Stuart's Cavalry that went completely around the Union Army (June 13–15 1862). This caused great psychological concerns to the Union cavalry commanders and men. The "horse soldiers" were a far second best compared to the dashing Confederate cavalry.
Rapid expansion of the Union Cavalry
in the East
was chaotic. At the beginning of the War, officers were elected by the men or appointed politically. This resulted in many misguided and inept commanders. The tools and techniques of pre-war cavalry often seemed inadequate, resulting in a steep learning curve that was costly in men and supplies
. Slowly out the chaos came the tactics and leaders like Nolan who proved worthy of the challenge. Union "horse soldiers" became cavalry troopers under this tough regimen and proved adept, dismounted and mounted on horseback, with their carbines, pistols, sabers and confident under their battle-proven leaders.
Nolan was given a battlefield commission or appointed as a lieutenant on July 17, 1862. His later formal commission may have come as reluctance and when Nolan was later asked about it, he stated he had been a "very good First Sergeant." This may indicate he was encouraged in some manner to become an officer in the regular Army. On September 22,
1862 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular U. S. Army.
. To better understand Nolan's role within the military organization, the following brief is provided. For more details, see Gettysburg Union order of battle
.
The following list is the 6th US Cavalry Regiment's documented battles and engagements of June and July 1863.
. The 9,500 Confederate
cavalrymen under Major General J.E.B. Stuart
were surprised at dawn by Major General Alfred Pleasonton's combined arms force of two cavalry divisions of some 8,000 cavalry troops (including the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment with Nolan) and 3,000 infantry. The 6th U.S. Cavalry was on the northern edge of the battle and crossed Beverly Ford before engaging the enemy. Stuart barely repulsed the Union attack and required more time to reorganize and rearm after this battle. This inconclusive battle was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war to that time. This battle proved for the first time that the Union horse soldiers, like Nolan, were equal to their Southern counterparts. Nolan was brevetted first lieutenant on August 1, 1863 for his gallant and meritorious service during that battle.
, attracted the attention of newly commissioned Union Brigadier General Wesley Merritt
of the Reserve Brigade, First Division, Cavalry Corps. He ordered the 6th U.S. Cavalry under Major Samuel H. Starr
to scout Fairfield and locate the wagons, resulting in the Battle of Fairfield
.
Nolan's next action was with Major Samuel H. Starr
on July 3, 1863. Starr had his 400 troopers dismount in a field and an orchard on both sides of the road near Fairfield. Union troopers directed by their officers took up hasty defensive positions on this slight ridge. Nolan's troops and others threw back a mounted charge of the 7th Virginia Cavalry
, just as the Confederate Chew's Battery
unlimbered and opened fire on the Federal cavalrymen. Supported by the 6th Virginia, the 7th Virginia charged again, clearing Starr's force off the ridge and inflicting heavy losses. General "Grumble" Jones
, outnumbering the Union forces by more than 2 to 1, pursued the retreating Federals for three miles to the Fairfield Gap, but was unable to eliminate his quarry. Major Starr who was wounded in the first attack was unable to escape and was captured. Small groups of the 6th Cavalry," ... reformed several miles from the field of action by Lt. Louis H. Carpenter," harassed the Virginia troopers giving the impression of the vanguard of a much larger force.
Nolan, in this fight with others of his small regiment at Fairfield, stood against two of the crack brigades of Stuart's cavalry. The 6th Cavalry's stand was considered one of the most gallant in its history and helped influence the outcome the battles being fought around Gettysburg. While the 6th Cavalry regiment was cut to pieces, it fought so well that its squadrons were regarded as the advance of a large body of troops. The senior officer of those brigades was later criticized severely for being delayed by such an inferior force. Had the 6th Cavalry regiment not made their stand, the two brigades of Virginians could have caused serious problems to the Union rear areas.
Lieutenant Nolan was slightly wounded during this battle but avoided capture. He was one of only three officers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry to escape from the deadly melee at Fairfield on July 3, 1863. Nolan assisted Carpenter with the wounded and helped reorganize the men. Private
George Crawford Platt
, later Sergeant
, an Irish immigrant serving in Carpenter's Troop H, was awarded the Medal of Honor
on July 12, 1895, for his actions that day at Fairfield. His citation reads, "Seized the regimental flag upon the death of the standard bearer in a hand-to-hand fight and prevented it from falling into the hands of the enemy." His "commander", Carpenter was an eyewitness and documented Private Platt's "beyond the call of duty" behavior that day.
in the shoulder (side not given) while carrying dispatches back to his company. He was carried on the roster as "sick on account of wounds" until January 1864. On January 17, 1867 he was certified medically and psychologically fit for duty with no limitations. However, Nolan would suffer from a loss of grip strength thereafter per a medical report dated October 4, 1878 in his file.
and just before the Battle of Five Forks
was the Battle of Dinwiddie
. Major General
Philip Sheridan
was attempting a flank march on Confederate forces but inclement weather caused major delays. This was a minor engagement north and northwest of Dinwiddie, Virginia
on March 31, 1865. Nolan and the Union Cavalry were met by Major General W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's
cavalry then by Major General George Pickett
's infantry division. They forced the Union cavalry back toward the village where they held their lines. The next day the Confederates fell back to Five Forks. Nolan was again recognized for his gallant and meritorious service and brevetted to Captain.
. His dash to safety was hindered by deep mud caused by an almost constant downpour and he was taken as a prisoner of war
. Most of his men were able to escape. Nolan was slightly wounded and given parole. He served his parole and leave until May 1865.
By the end of the 1865 Appomattox Campaign, it was Sheridan's cavalry, including the 6th U.S. Cavalry, that closed the final escape route that culminated in the surrender Confederate General Robert E. Lee
and the symbolic end of the Civil War. Although Nolan was not present due to his parole, his regiment and the men he led and trained stood tall on that day. Throughout the course of the war, Nolan served in most of the 16 campaigns and many of the 166 battles related to them from the 1861 Peninsula Campaign
, the 1862 Maryland Campaign
, Campaign at Fredericksburg
, the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
, Chancellorsville
(in Stoneman’s raid to the rear of Lee’s army), the 1864 The Wilderness
and to the final 1865 Appomattox Campaign
. Nolan received a brevet
promotion to the ranks of first lieutenant
and captain during the Civil War.During the American Civil War, the Union Army used brevet promotions. Soldiers and officers could be brevetted to fill officer positions as a reward for gallantry or meritorious service. Typically, the brevetted officer would be given the insignia of the brevetted rank, but not the pay or formal authority. It was not unheard of for an officer to have several different ranks simultaneously, such as being a brevet major general of volunteers, an actual brigadier general of volunteers, a brevet lieutenant colonel in the Regular Army, and an actual Regular Army rank of captain (e.g. Ranald S. Mackenzie). The practice of brevetting disappeared from the (regular) U.S. military at the end of the 19th century; instead, honors were bestowed with a series of medals. However, a similar practice of frocking continues in all five branches of the U.S. armed forces.
to Arizona
.
After the fighting stopped and Reconstruction began, Nolan went with the 6th Cavalry to Texas in October 1865. On November 29, 1865, the 6th Cavalry headquarters was established in Austin, Texas
where it was part of the Fifth Military District
that covered Texas
and Louisiana
under Generals Philip Sheridan
and later under Winfield Scott Hancock
.
In mid March 1866, Nolan was "mustered out" and reverted to his Regular Army rank of first lieutenant and was granted leave. Nolan went to Philadelphia to visit for a short period with his comrade in arms, L. H. Carpenter. They may have talked what they would do next. Later they would apply and be accepted in the same regiment.
The 10th U.S. Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
in 1866 as an all-African-American regiment. The 10th U.S. Cavalry regiment was composed of black enlisted men and white officers, which was typical for that era. By the end of July 1867, eight companies of enlisted men had been recruited from the Departments of Missouri, Arkansas, and the Platte
. Life at Leavenworth was not pleasant for the 10th Cavalry. The fort's commander, who was openly opposed to African-Americans serving in the Regular Army, made life for the new troops difficult. Colonel Benjamin Grierson
sought to have his regiment transferred, and subsequently received orders moving the regiment to Fort Riley
, Kansas
. This began on the morning of August 6, 1867 and was completed the next day in the afternoon of August 7.
Nolan accepted the rank of captain in the Regular Army on July 28, 1866 and began training associated with a new unit as recruits slowly came in. He was selected as the first company commander of the Regiment on February 18, 1867. Nolan with his quick wit became one of Grierson's favorite officers and described him as a "very fine and soldier-like" with a large black "overhanging moustache." He would serve with the African-American troops of "A" company (later Troop) for almost a decade and a half. Nolan conducted training, started patrols and the required paperwork associated with such an endeavor. Nolan not only conducted the first Buffalo Soldier patrol with Company A (later called Troop A), but his men were the first to engage in combat during a patrol. His friend and Civil War companion, Louis H. Carpenter
also joined the 10th Cavalry. Carpenter was dispatched to Philadelphia to recruit non-commissioned officers in late summer and fall of 1866 and would officially receive Company H on July 21, 1867.
in Kansas
in 1868 with other units. While on patrol with Company A, Nolan's Company barracks caught fire on January 2, 1869. The Sergeant of the guard did not sound the alarm until flames were seen coming out of the windows. Eventually the fire was put out, but very little was salvageable. The net loss was determined to be $5,217.33.
A board of inquiry was held on January 6, 1869 was unable to determine the reason for the fire. A few later written statements implied that the fire could have been deliberately set for one of two reasons. One was that Captain Nolan court-martialed a white non-commissioned officer because of his repeated disrespect to Nolan and his command that included calling Nolan "that Nigger loving Captain." The second possible reason was an effort by one or more white soldiers and or officers to remove Company A (African-American soldiers) from Fort Larned by "burning them out." Despite the doubt of culpability and the specter of racism, the military command, based primarily on the opinion of the Major in command of the fort, but not the board, decided that Nolan was responsible for the fire loss.
Captain Nolan's estimated monthly basic pay of $175.00 (or $210.00 depending on calculation of service time) was stopped in September 1869 and every penny was attached to pay the $5,217.33 due. At that monthly rate it would take almost 30 (or 24) months of his pay to settle the debt. His allowances as befitting his rank did not seem to be attached.
From a series of letters dated September 8, 1869 to May 7, 1874 these charges were disputed and argued over. In addition, the commander of Fort Larned called into question his fitness of command. Nolan wrote to the Adjutant General's Office in Washington, D.C. and correspondence included references to the Secretary of War and the President of the United States. On November 13, 1870 he was sent to Washington D.C. to face two "special boards of review" regarding the fire damage and allegations of unfitness as an officer. On October 29, 1870 the stoppage was removed, but the other hearing went on officially for almost two months. Based on letters from Colonel Grierson and others, his fitness to serve was upheld. Nolan's back pay was not fully restored, less some salvage clothing costs, until May 7, 1874. This was over three years after he returned to his company in January 1871.
The 10th Regimental headquarters remained at Fort Gibson
until March 31, 1869, when they moved to Camp Wichita, Indian Territory
(now the state of Oklahoma). They arrived on April 12, 1869. Camp Wichita was an old Indian village inhabited by the Wichita tribe
on the Anadarko Reservation. General Sheridan had selected a site nearby for a military post and Carpenter with the rest of the 10th Cavalry was ordered there to establish and build it. Some time in the following month of August, the post was given the name of Fort Sill
. Civil War Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill
was a classmate and friend of Sheridan who was killed in action in 1862.
On June 12, 1869, Camp Supply
was attacked by a raiding party of Comanche intent on stealing cavalry mounts. The 3rd Infantry with Nolan commanding Troops A & F of the 10th Cavalry pursued them, but they were ambushed by the warriors. Carpenter with Troops H, I, & K flanked the Indians, forcing them to withdraw.
On August 22 & 23, 1869, Nolan with Troops A & F became involved in a fierce attack by Kiowa
and Naconee Indians. These Indians were focused on destroying the buildings and settlement on the Anadarko Reservation. While Carpenter, with Troops H and L, patrolled the area aggressively, Nolan provided a mobile interior defense against the prairie fires being set upwind of the settlement and at different points. Further and increasingly violent assaults were made by the Native Americans, in numbers ranging from 50 to 500 at different points of the defensive lines. The decisive feature of the engagement was a charge made by Captain Carpenter's troopers. His men routed a body of over 150 warriors, who were about to take up a commanding position in rear of Nolan's defenders. On June 5, 1872, the 10th left Fort Sill to elements of the 3rd Infantry and proceeded back to Fort Gibson.
Nolan is at Fort Concho
in West Texas in 1873 through at least 1879. He is reported sick there from November 23, 1873 to January 29, 1874 and September 13, 1875 to November 17, 1875. The reason for his sickness is unknown.
Nolan is also noted for his command and problems during the Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877. This was also known as the Staked Plains Horror and was a tragic series of events in the hot dry Llano Estacado
region of north-west Texas
and eastern New Mexico
. This was during the 100 degree heat in July of a barren desert. Four soldiers and one buffalo hunter would die from the hot horror of the desert. The character
and loyalty
of the men involved would be severely tested as would their honor
and duty
. Some would be called heroes and others deserters, but most would state they were happy just to have survived.
This event would involve 22 buffalo
hunters led by James Harvey who went looking for a buffalo herd and who were raided by about 40 Comanche
warriors led by Red Young Man. While the buffalo hunters were seeking revenge, Troop A, of the 10th Cavalry from Fort Concho, led by Nolan and First Lieutenant Charles S. Cooper, with 61 African-American enlisted men would begin an unsuccessful pursuit of Comanche Indian raiders with the hunters.
Another important factor would include Quanah Parker
, a Kwahada leader, who rode into the situation with an Army pass, to seek out the raiding Indians and to convince them to return to the reservation. Parker and the primary buffalo hunter scout Jose Piedad Tafoya, a half breed Comanchero, would come to an understanding despite previous difficulties between the two. Tafoya would help confound the search by the buffalo hunters and the soldiers led by Nolan in return for what he wanted.
The result was desperate men pushed to the edge of endurance and sanity in the barren wilderness from the lack of water. One man would endure 96 hours without that precious fluid of life. The main group of soldiers with Nolan would go 86 hours until they found salvation. The rest would go without for over 48 hours and some toward 86 hours without a drop to drink as they scattered in a bid to survive. Thanks to the telegraph
the event and speculation would travel to the eastern newspapers where it was erroneously reported that the expedition had been massacred. Later the same papers would bring them "back from the dead" and declare Nolan a hero. The Military command would agree with the press, but never issue an official commendation, nor a censure.
The “Army and Navy Journal” dated September 15, 1877 has an article called, “A Fearful march on the Staked Plains” taken from a report of Nicholas M. Nolan. This is cited in Peter Cozzens' volume 3 of his "Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890" series with another related report on the subject following. Both reports are stark and clear of the suffering endured.
Second Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper
, the first African-American graduate of the United States Military Academy at Westpoint, New York. In July 1877 he reported to Fort Sill for assignment with the 10th Cavalry. But the 10th was not at Fort Sill, they were at Fort Concho. He was not assigned to a cavalry troop but given work assignments including engineering a ditch to drain a swamp. Finally he received orders to report to Fort Concho in west Texas in October 1877. He was assigned to A Troop. He was the first non-white officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.
Captain Nicholas Nolan, the commander of A troop, was the officer assigned to teach him what was needed to know about being a cavalry officer. Nolan was censured by several white officers for allowing Flipper into his quarters for dinner, where his daughter Kate was present. Nolan defended his action by stating that Flipper was an "officer and a gentleman" just like any other officer present.
In August 1878 Nolan married his second wife, Anne Eleanor Dwyer in San Antonio, Texas. They had one child, a girl. Miss Mollie Dwyer, Anne's sister arrived shortly after Troop A moved to Fort Elliott in Texas in early 1879. Miss Mollie and Flipper became friends and often went riding together. Nolan was the de facto commander of Fort Elliott and he made Flipper his adjutant. Flipper had high marks from his commander. However, there were murmurs and letters hinting at improprieties against Lt. Flipper, an African-American and Mollie Dwyer, a caucasian. It would be the beginning of a smear campaign. During the next many months he sent and received letters from his friend Mollie.
Then in the Fall of 1879 a Federal Marshal named Norton armed with blank warrants began a quarrel with a County Judge. Other county officials stepped in to defend the judge and Norton arrested all of them with his armed men. Norton took the county men to Fort Elliott to be placed in the guard house. Nolan was required by law to accept the prisoners and it appears that Nolan talked with the Wheeler County Judge. The telegraph lines then were suddenly cut and Nolan decided to act. Flipper gathered the prisoners in the middle of the night and with two soldiers set off for another Fort in Indian Territory.
Marshal Norton captured the entire party and arrested Flipper and one of his soldiers. One soldier ran back to the Fort. Norton then set off for Dallas, Texas. Nolan mounted a detail of men and took off in pursuit. Nolan caught up to the party and made it clearly known that no prisoners would be shot while trying to escape because the Federal Marshal and his prisoners were now under military escort. A Federal Judge dismissed the warrants and Norton filed federal charges of "interfering with the process of the law" against the two officers. The two officers were quickly tried and found guilty. Both were fined a thousand dollars which was an enormous fine for its time. Norton was satisfied then the Federal Judge suspended payment and dismissed them. The soldiers relations with the county of Wheeler improved tremendously. Nolan had Flipper under his wing for the first part of the Apache Wars
in early 1879 until he was reassigned to G Troop. Until November 1879, during his Captain's four month leave, Flipper commanded this unit by himself.
By May 1880, Flipper and Nolan reunited during the Victorio Campaign. It would be the last time the two would meet in the military. In the later part of 1880 Flipper was transferred to Fort Davis and assigned as the post quartermaster and commissary officer. Flipper was singled out due to racism and many believed he was setup for a theft of military funds. Flipper was found innocent for this charge during his court-martial. Nolan's sister-in-law, Molly Dwyer's letters were used against him as "conduct unbecoming an officer" and Flipper was drummed out of the army.
was a warrior and chief of the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua
Apaches. This was when Nolan and the 10th Cavalry Regiment was engaged a series of operations against the Apache who had escaped from the military authorities in New Mexico.
On July 30, 1880 Colonel Grierson, with a party of only six men, was attacked by Apaches between Quitman and Eagle Springs. Lieutenant Finley with fifteen men of Troop G came up, engaged the Indians, and held them in check until the arrival of Captains Viele and Nolan with Troops C and A. In an engagement, which lasted four hours, seven Indians were killed and a number wounded. On the side of the troops one soldier was killed and Lieutenant Colladay wounded. The hostiles were driven off and Troops A and C pursued to the Rio Grande.
Colonel Grierson, commander of the 10th Cavalry, traversed the hot Chihuahuan Desert
and then the narrow valleys of the Chinati Mountains, reaching Rattlesnake Springs on the morning of August 6, 1880. Nolan with cavalrymen from Troops A & C with their mounts were worn down from the forced march of over 65 miles in 21 hours. After resting and getting water, Grierson & Nolan carefully placed their men in ambush positions. Carpenter, with his two cavalry troops H & B, arrived as reinforcements and were posted in reserve a short distance south of the spring. The cavalrymen settled down to wait as Indian scouts brushed away any sign of their presence.
A little after two o'clock in the afternoon, Victorio and his Apaches slowly approached the springs. Victorio somehow sensed danger and halted his men. With the hostile Apaches in their sights appearing ready to bolt, the soldiers did not wait and opened fire on their own initiative; Victorio's men scattered and withdrew out of carbine range. Victorio's people needed water and believing that there were only a few soldiers present, regrouped and attacked immediately. As the battle progressed, Victorio sent his warriors to flank the soldiers. Carpenter charged forward with companies B and H and a few massed volleys from their carbines sent the hostiles scattering back up the canyon. Stunned by the presence of such a strong force but in desperate need of water, Victorio repeatedly charged the cavalrymen in attempts to reach the spring. Grierson's & Nolan's cavalry defenders, now bolstered by Carpenter's two companies, stood firm. The last such attempt to break the soldiers was conducted near nightfall and when it failed, Victorio and his followers withdrew into the westward into the mountains. Carpenter with his two companies remounted in pursuit until darkness halted the effort.
On August 7, Carpenter, with Captain Nolan as second in command, and three companies of troopers headed out to Sulfur Springs to deny that source of water to the Apaches. In the early light of day, Victorio saw a string of wagons rounding a mountain spur to the southeast and about eight miles distant, crawling onto the plain. Victorio sent a band of warriors riding out of the mountains and attacked savagely. The wagons held a load of provisions for Fort Davis with a company of infantry riding in some of the wagons. The warriors were met with rifle fire, as the teamsters circled the wagons in defensive positions. Alerted by his Indian scouts, Carpenter and two companies charged to the rescue. The Apache attack disintegrated as the warriors fled in confusion to the southwest to rejoin Victorio's main force as it moved deeper into the Carrizo Mountains. Nolan's ambush was not ready and the scattered warriors were able to avoid them.
On October 14, 1880, a sharpshooter of the Mexican Army
ended Victorio's life at Cerro Tres Castillos, in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico
.
located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona from July 8, 1883 until August 14, 1883.
He arrived at Fort Apache
in Gila County, Arizona
and was listed as sick from August 25 to September 1, 1883 when he assumed command of that fort. He left Fort Apache on October 16, 1883 for Holbrook, Arizona
, some 120 miles by trail in command of a detachment of cavalry.
On October 24, 1883, while in enroute to Holbrook in Navajo County
he suffered an "apoplexy
" event that was later called "brain consumption" in the official report. It is likely he suffered a stroke
and died about 2:00 PM that day after reaching Holbrook. He had been planning on meeting his wife and daughter in Holbrook for two weeks of leave.
He was embalmed
at Halbrook and his body was shipped by train arriving on October 27 in San Antonio, Texas
.
On the same day, Major Nicholas M. Nolan was buried in the San Antonio National Cemetery
He lays at rest in section A site 53 near the flag pole that flies the flag of his adopted country. His second wife, Annie E. Dwyer died on July 11, 1907 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery as the "Widow of Major Nicholas M. Nolan 3rd U S Cavalry."
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...
major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
. He began his military career on December 9, 1852 as an artilleryman then served in the 2nd Dragoons. He started as a private and rose through the ranks becoming a First Sergeant
First Sergeant
First sergeant is the name of a military rank used in many countries, typically a senior non-commissioned officer.-Singapore:First Sergeant is a Specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First Sergeants are the most senior of the junior Specialists, ranking above Second Sergeants, and below Staff...
. He was commissioned an officer in late 1862 in the Regular Army while serving with the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment 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...
. He participated in sixteen campaigns with the 6th and most of its battles. He was slightly wounded at the Battle of Fairfield
Battle of Fairfield
The Battle of Fairfield was a cavalry engagement during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. It was fought July 3, 1863, near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, concurrently with the Battle of Gettysburg, although it was not a formal part of that battle...
and seriously wounded at the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the decisive Battle of Five Forks. On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan...
. He was brevetted
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
twice and noted at least twice for gallantry during combat. He was slightly wounded when captured at the end of March 1865 and was later paroled. After the Civil War he served with the 10th U.S. Cavalry
U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment
The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments. It served in combat during the Indian Wars in the western United States, the Spanish-American War in Cuba and in the...
known as the Buffalo Soldiers for fourteen years. Nolan is also noted for his plusses and minues during the Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877
Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877
Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 also known as the "Staked Plains Horror" occurred when a combined force of Buffalo Soldier troops of the 10th Cavalry and local buffalo hunters wandered for days in the dry Llano Estacado region of north-west Texas and eastern New Mexico during July of a drought year...
that made headlines in the Eastern United States of America. He was the commanding officer of Henry O. Flipper in 1878, the first Negro officer who graduated from United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point. He commanded several frontier forts before his untimely death in 1883.
Early life
Nolan emigrated from Ireland in 1852 and not much is known about his family. He described himself a "bull headed" Irish lad of seventeen and a half when he enlisted at Fort Hamilton in New York. He was assigned to Battery M, 4th Artillery on December 9, 1852 as a private. By August 1858 he was a corporal and on September 1, 1858 he was transferred to the 2nd Dragoons, Company K. There he found his place becoming a Sergeant and later the First Sergeant of Company (later Troop) K.American Civil War
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...
which later became known as the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. Nolan was trained as light cavalry with the primary function of scouting then acting as dismounted light infantry. The reality of pre-war cavalry and Civil War cavalry use was dramatic. Nolan and others like him had a steep learning curve that proved difficult and frustrating during the first year of the conflict. He participated in the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
and chased the audacious Jeb Stuart's Cavalry that went completely around the Union Army (June 13–15 1862). This caused great psychological concerns to the Union cavalry commanders and men. The "horse soldiers" were a far second best compared to the dashing Confederate cavalry.
Rapid expansion of the Union Cavalry
Cavalry in the American Civil War
Cavalry in the American Civil War was a branch of army service in a process of transition. It suffered from emerging technology threats, difficult logistics, and sometimes misguided or inept commanders...
in the East
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina...
was chaotic. At the beginning of the War, officers were elected by the men or appointed politically. This resulted in many misguided and inept commanders. The tools and techniques of pre-war cavalry often seemed inadequate, resulting in a steep learning curve that was costly in men and supplies
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
. Slowly out the chaos came the tactics and leaders like Nolan who proved worthy of the challenge. Union "horse soldiers" became cavalry troopers under this tough regimen and proved adept, dismounted and mounted on horseback, with their carbines, pistols, sabers and confident under their battle-proven leaders.
Nolan was given a battlefield commission or appointed as a lieutenant on July 17, 1862. His later formal commission may have come as reluctance and when Nolan was later asked about it, he stated he had been a "very good First Sergeant." This may indicate he was encouraged in some manner to become an officer in the regular Army. On September 22,
1862 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Regular U. S. Army.
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of engagements before and after the Battle of GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. To better understand Nolan's role within the military organization, the following brief is provided. For more details, see Gettysburg Union order of battle
Gettysburg Union order of battle
The following units and commanders fought in the Battle of Gettysburg of the American Civil War on the Union side. The Gettysburg Confederate order of battle is shown separately...
.
- The Army of the Potomac was initially under Major General Joseph HookerJoseph HookerJoseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
then under Major General George G. Meade on June 28, 1863. - The Cavalry Corps was commanded by Major General Alfred PleasontonAlfred PleasontonAlfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
, with divisions commanded by Brigadier Generals John BufordJohn BufordJohn Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:...
, David McM. Gregg, and H. Judson KilpatrickHugh Judson KilpatrickHugh Judson Kilpatrick was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile, and a failed political candidate for the U.S...
.
| Division | Brigade | Regiments and Others |
|---|---|
First Division: BG John Buford John Buford John Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:... (2,748) |
|
| Reserve Brigade: BG Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt was a general in the United States Army during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He is noted for distinguished service in the cavalry.-Early life:... |
6th Pennsylvania: Maj James H. Haseltine 1st US U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a unit in the United States Army which has its antecedents in the early 19th Century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's Special Designation is "First Regiment of Dragoons".-Origins:The "United States Regiment of Dragoons"... : Capt Richard S. C. Lord 2nd US: Capt Theophilus F. Rodenbough Theophilus Francis Rodenbough Theophilus Francis Rodenbough was born in Easton, Pennsylvania and was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Gettysburg Campaign at the Battle of Trevilian Station. After his retirement... 5th US U.S. 5th Cavalry Regiment The 5th Cavalry Regiment is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service in the decade prior to the American Civil War and continues in modified organizational format in the U.S. Army.-Nineteenth century:... : Capt Julius W. Mason 6th US U.S. 6th Cavalry Regiment The 6th Cavalry is a historic regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation brigades.-Civil War:The 6th U.S... : Maj Samuel H. Starr Samuel H. Starr Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army Officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service... , Lt Louis H. Carpenter Louis H. Carpenter Louis Henry Carpenter was a United States Army brigadier general and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the American Indian Wars.... , Lt Nicholas Nolan, Capt Ira W. Claflin |
The following list is the 6th US Cavalry Regiment's documented battles and engagements of June and July 1863.
- Beverly Ford, Virginia, June 9, at the Battle of Brandy StationBattle of Brandy StationThe Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest to take place ever on American soil. It was fought at the beginning of the Gettysburg Campaign by the Union cavalry under Maj....
. The 6th was under Buford's right wing.
- Benton's Mill, Virginia, June 17, an engagement near Middleburg.
- Middleburg, Virginia, June 21, at the Battle of MiddleburgBattle of MiddleburgThe Battle of Middleburg took place from June 17 to June 19, 1863, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War....
. - Upperville, Virginia, June 21, at the Battle of UppervilleBattle of UppervilleThe Battle of Upperville took place in Loudoun County, Virginia on June 21, 1863 during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:The Union cavalry made a determined effort to pierce Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry screen...
- Fairfield, Pennsylvania, July 3, at the Battle of FairfieldBattle of FairfieldThe Battle of Fairfield was a cavalry engagement during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. It was fought July 3, 1863, near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, concurrently with the Battle of Gettysburg, although it was not a formal part of that battle...
- Williamsport, Maryland, July 6, an engagement.
- Funkstown, Maryland, July 7, a small engagement.
- Boonesboro, Maryland, July 8 and 9, at the Battle of Boonesboro.
- Funkstown, Maryland, July 10, at the Battle of FunkstownBattle of FunkstownThe Second Battle of Funkstown took place near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...
.
Battle of Brandy Station
On June 9, 1863, opposing cavalry forces met at Brandy Station, near Culpeper, VirginiaCulpeper, Virginia
Culpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County. Both the Town of Culpeper and...
. The 9,500 Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
cavalrymen under Major General J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
were surprised at dawn by Major General Alfred Pleasonton's combined arms force of two cavalry divisions of some 8,000 cavalry troops (including the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment with Nolan) and 3,000 infantry. The 6th U.S. Cavalry was on the northern edge of the battle and crossed Beverly Ford before engaging the enemy. Stuart barely repulsed the Union attack and required more time to reorganize and rearm after this battle. This inconclusive battle was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the war to that time. This battle proved for the first time that the Union horse soldiers, like Nolan, were equal to their Southern counterparts. Nolan was brevetted first lieutenant on August 1, 1863 for his gallant and meritorious service during that battle.
Battle of Fairfield
On July 3, 1863, reports of a slow moving Confederate wagon train in the vicinity of Fairfield, PennsylvaniaFairfield, Pennsylvania
Fairfield is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 486 at the 2000 census.-History:During the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War, the Battle of Fairfield played an important role in securing the Fairfield pass and the Hagerstown Road, enabling Robert E...
, attracted the attention of newly commissioned Union Brigadier General Wesley Merritt
Wesley Merritt
Wesley Merritt was a general in the United States Army during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He is noted for distinguished service in the cavalry.-Early life:...
of the Reserve Brigade, First Division, Cavalry Corps. He ordered the 6th U.S. Cavalry under Major Samuel H. Starr
Samuel H. Starr
Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army Officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service...
to scout Fairfield and locate the wagons, resulting in the Battle of Fairfield
Battle of Fairfield
The Battle of Fairfield was a cavalry engagement during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. It was fought July 3, 1863, near Fairfield, Pennsylvania, concurrently with the Battle of Gettysburg, although it was not a formal part of that battle...
.
Nolan's next action was with Major Samuel H. Starr
Samuel H. Starr
Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army Officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service...
on July 3, 1863. Starr had his 400 troopers dismount in a field and an orchard on both sides of the road near Fairfield. Union troopers directed by their officers took up hasty defensive positions on this slight ridge. Nolan's troops and others threw back a mounted charge of the 7th Virginia Cavalry
7th Virginia Cavalry
The 7th Virginia Cavalry also known as Ashby's Cavalry was a Confederate cavalry regiment raised in the spring of 1861 by Colonel Angus W. McDonald, Sr. The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of the upper Shenandoah Valley as well as from the counties of Fauquier and Loudoun...
, just as the Confederate Chew's Battery
R. Preston Chew
Roger Preston Chew was a noted horse artillery commander in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a prominent West Virginia businessman and railroad executive....
unlimbered and opened fire on the Federal cavalrymen. Supported by the 6th Virginia, the 7th Virginia charged again, clearing Starr's force off the ridge and inflicting heavy losses. General "Grumble" Jones
William E. Jones
William Edmondson Jones, known as Grumble Jones, was a planter, a career United States Army officer, and a Confederate cavalry general, killed in the Battle of Piedmont in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, outnumbering the Union forces by more than 2 to 1, pursued the retreating Federals for three miles to the Fairfield Gap, but was unable to eliminate his quarry. Major Starr who was wounded in the first attack was unable to escape and was captured. Small groups of the 6th Cavalry," ... reformed several miles from the field of action by Lt. Louis H. Carpenter," harassed the Virginia troopers giving the impression of the vanguard of a much larger force.
Lieutenant Nolan was slightly wounded during this battle but avoided capture. He was one of only three officers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry to escape from the deadly melee at Fairfield on July 3, 1863. Nolan assisted Carpenter with the wounded and helped reorganize the men. Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
George Crawford Platt
George Crawford Platt
George Crawford Platt was a Medal of Honor recipient in the American Civil War.He was awarded the Medal of Honor as a Private in Troop H, 6th US Cavalry for action on July 3, 1863 at Fairfield, Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg...
, later Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, an Irish immigrant serving in Carpenter's Troop H, was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
on July 12, 1895, for his actions that day at Fairfield. His citation reads, "Seized the regimental flag upon the death of the standard bearer in a hand-to-hand fight and prevented it from falling into the hands of the enemy." His "commander", Carpenter was an eyewitness and documented Private Platt's "beyond the call of duty" behavior that day.
W.I.A.
On October 11, 1863 the 6th U.S. Cavalry engaged enemy forces near Culpeper, Virginia in the morning and later that day near Brandy Station. After a mounted scout on the morning of October 14, 1863, he was seriously wounded in actionWounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....
in the shoulder (side not given) while carrying dispatches back to his company. He was carried on the roster as "sick on account of wounds" until January 1864. On January 17, 1867 he was certified medically and psychologically fit for duty with no limitations. However, Nolan would suffer from a loss of grip strength thereafter per a medical report dated October 4, 1878 in his file.
Later Civil War
The 6th U.S. Cavalry was on detached duty in later part of June 1864 on what was referred to as a "scout." It is recorded that they had a small engagement which is referred to as the first battle Dabney's Mill on June 29, 1864. As the result of that "scout" Nolan was promoted to first lieutenant, Regular Army on July 5, 1864.Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
During the Appomattox CampaignAppomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
and just before the Battle of Five Forks
Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the "Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan against...
was the Battle of Dinwiddie
Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the decisive Battle of Five Forks. On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan...
. Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip 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...
was attempting a flank march on Confederate forces but inclement weather caused major delays. This was a minor engagement north and northwest of Dinwiddie, Virginia
Dinwiddie, Virginia
Dinwiddie is a small unincorporated community in and the county seat of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, United States. The town was the site of the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House, the Battle of Five Forks as well as the Battle of Sutherland's Station during the Appomattox Campaign.The town is near the...
on March 31, 1865. Nolan and the Union Cavalry were met by Major General W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. He was a planter, a Confederate cavalry General in the American Civil War, and later a member of the U.S. Congress.-Early life:Lee was born at Arlington House in...
cavalry then by Major General George Pickett
George Pickett
George Edward Pickett was a career United States Army officer who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
's infantry division. They forced the Union cavalry back toward the village where they held their lines. The next day the Confederates fell back to Five Forks. Nolan was again recognized for his gallant and meritorious service and brevetted to Captain.
P.O.W. & End of Civil War
On March 30, 1865 when on scout, Nolan's Company (Troop) was cut off during the Regimental flank march during the Battle of Dinwiddie Court HouseBattle of Dinwiddie Court House
The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the decisive Battle of Five Forks. On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan...
. His dash to safety was hindered by deep mud caused by an almost constant downpour and he was taken as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Most of his men were able to escape. Nolan was slightly wounded and given parole. He served his parole and leave until May 1865.
By the end of the 1865 Appomattox Campaign, it was Sheridan's cavalry, including the 6th U.S. Cavalry, that closed the final escape route that culminated in the surrender Confederate General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and the symbolic end of the Civil War. Although Nolan was not present due to his parole, his regiment and the men he led and trained stood tall on that day. Throughout the course of the war, Nolan served in most of the 16 campaigns and many of the 166 battles related to them from the 1861 Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, the 1862 Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
, Campaign at Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
(in Stoneman’s raid to the rear of Lee’s army), the 1864 The Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and to the final 1865 Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. Nolan received a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
promotion to the ranks of first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
and captain during the Civil War.During the American Civil War, the Union Army used brevet promotions. Soldiers and officers could be brevetted to fill officer positions as a reward for gallantry or meritorious service. Typically, the brevetted officer would be given the insignia of the brevetted rank, but not the pay or formal authority. It was not unheard of for an officer to have several different ranks simultaneously, such as being a brevet major general of volunteers, an actual brigadier general of volunteers, a brevet lieutenant colonel in the Regular Army, and an actual Regular Army rank of captain (e.g. Ranald S. Mackenzie). The practice of brevetting disappeared from the (regular) U.S. military at the end of the 19th century; instead, honors were bestowed with a series of medals. However, a similar practice of frocking continues in all five branches of the U.S. armed forces.
Post Civil War
After the Civil War and until his death in 1883, Nolan served on the western frontier. He engaged many Native American tribes, dealt with many types of renegades and helped explore vast areas of uncharted territory from TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
After the fighting stopped and Reconstruction began, Nolan went with the 6th Cavalry to Texas in October 1865. On November 29, 1865, the 6th Cavalry headquarters was established in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
where it was part of the Fifth Military District
Fifth Military District
The 5th Military District was a temporary administrative unit of the United States set up during the Reconstruction period following the American Civil War. It included Texas, from Brazos Santiago Harbor, , at the Mexican border, north to Louisiana. General Philip Sheridan served as its first...
that covered Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
under Generals Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip 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...
and later under Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
.
In mid March 1866, Nolan was "mustered out" and reverted to his Regular Army rank of first lieutenant and was granted leave. Nolan went to Philadelphia to visit for a short period with his comrade in arms, L. H. Carpenter. They may have talked what they would do next. Later they would apply and be accepted in the same regiment.
Indian Wars and frontier service
10th Cavalry Regiment–The Buffalo Soldiers
After his extended leave, Nolan, as a first lieutenant in the Regular U.S. Army, volunteered for cavalry duty with "Negro Troops" that were being raised on the frontier. He was promoted to Captain in the Regular Army on July 28, 1866.The 10th U.S. Cavalry was formed at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1866 as an all-African-American regiment. The 10th U.S. Cavalry regiment was composed of black enlisted men and white officers, which was typical for that era. By the end of July 1867, eight companies of enlisted men had been recruited from the Departments of Missouri, Arkansas, and the Platte
Department of the Platte
The 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...
. Life at Leavenworth was not pleasant for the 10th Cavalry. The fort's commander, who was openly opposed to African-Americans serving in the Regular Army, made life for the new troops difficult. Colonel Benjamin Grierson
Benjamin Grierson
Benjamin Henry Grierson was a music teacher and then a career officer in the United States Army. He was a cavalry general in the volunteer Union Army during the American Civil War and later led troops in the American Old West...
sought to have his regiment transferred, and subsequently received orders moving the regiment to Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. This began on the morning of August 6, 1867 and was completed the next day in the afternoon of August 7.
Nolan accepted the rank of captain in the Regular Army on July 28, 1866 and began training associated with a new unit as recruits slowly came in. He was selected as the first company commander of the Regiment on February 18, 1867. Nolan with his quick wit became one of Grierson's favorite officers and described him as a "very fine and soldier-like" with a large black "overhanging moustache." He would serve with the African-American troops of "A" company (later Troop) for almost a decade and a half. Nolan conducted training, started patrols and the required paperwork associated with such an endeavor. Nolan not only conducted the first Buffalo Soldier patrol with Company A (later called Troop A), but his men were the first to engage in combat during a patrol. His friend and Civil War companion, Louis H. Carpenter
Louis H. Carpenter
Louis Henry Carpenter was a United States Army brigadier general and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the American Indian Wars....
also joined the 10th Cavalry. Carpenter was dispatched to Philadelphia to recruit non-commissioned officers in late summer and fall of 1866 and would officially receive Company H on July 21, 1867.
Fort Larned
Nolan and Company A were assigned to Fort LarnedFort Larned National Historic Site
Fort Larned National Historic Site, located six miles west of Larned, Kansas, United States, preserves Fort Larned, which operated from 1859 to 1878...
in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1868 with other units. While on patrol with Company A, Nolan's Company barracks caught fire on January 2, 1869. The Sergeant of the guard did not sound the alarm until flames were seen coming out of the windows. Eventually the fire was put out, but very little was salvageable. The net loss was determined to be $5,217.33.
Captain Nolan's estimated monthly basic pay of $175.00 (or $210.00 depending on calculation of service time) was stopped in September 1869 and every penny was attached to pay the $5,217.33 due. At that monthly rate it would take almost 30 (or 24) months of his pay to settle the debt. His allowances as befitting his rank did not seem to be attached.
From a series of letters dated September 8, 1869 to May 7, 1874 these charges were disputed and argued over. In addition, the commander of Fort Larned called into question his fitness of command. Nolan wrote to the Adjutant General's Office in Washington, D.C. and correspondence included references to the Secretary of War and the President of the United States. On November 13, 1870 he was sent to Washington D.C. to face two "special boards of review" regarding the fire damage and allegations of unfitness as an officer. On October 29, 1870 the stoppage was removed, but the other hearing went on officially for almost two months. Based on letters from Colonel Grierson and others, his fitness to serve was upheld. Nolan's back pay was not fully restored, less some salvage clothing costs, until May 7, 1874. This was over three years after he returned to his company in January 1871.
Defense of the Wichita
Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson, now located in Oklahoma and designated Fort Gibson Historical Site, guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 until 1890...
until March 31, 1869, when they moved to Camp Wichita, Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
(now the state of Oklahoma). They arrived on April 12, 1869. Camp Wichita was an old Indian village inhabited by the Wichita tribe
Wichita (tribe)
The Wichita people are indigenous inhabitants of North America, who traditionally spoke the Wichita language, a Caddoan language. They have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas...
on the Anadarko Reservation. General Sheridan had selected a site nearby for a military post and Carpenter with the rest of the 10th Cavalry was ordered there to establish and build it. Some time in the following month of August, the post was given the name of Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
. Civil War Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill
Joshua W. Sill
Joshua Woodrow Sill , was a career officer in the United States Army and brigadier general during the American Civil War. He was killed at the Battle of Stones River in Tennessee. Fort Sill, Oklahoma, was later named in his honor.-Early life and background:Sill was born in Chillicothe, Ohio...
was a classmate and friend of Sheridan who was killed in action in 1862.
On June 12, 1869, Camp Supply
Fort Supply
Fort Supply was a United States Army post established on November 18, 1868, in Indian Territory to protect the Southern Plains...
was attacked by a raiding party of Comanche intent on stealing cavalry mounts. The 3rd Infantry with Nolan commanding Troops A & F of the 10th Cavalry pursued them, but they were ambushed by the warriors. Carpenter with Troops H, I, & K flanked the Indians, forcing them to withdraw.
On August 22 & 23, 1869, Nolan with Troops A & F became involved in a fierce attack by 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 Naconee Indians. These Indians were focused on destroying the buildings and settlement on the Anadarko Reservation. While Carpenter, with Troops H and L, patrolled the area aggressively, Nolan provided a mobile interior defense against the prairie fires being set upwind of the settlement and at different points. Further and increasingly violent assaults were made by the Native Americans, in numbers ranging from 50 to 500 at different points of the defensive lines. The decisive feature of the engagement was a charge made by Captain Carpenter's troopers. His men routed a body of over 150 warriors, who were about to take up a commanding position in rear of Nolan's defenders. On June 5, 1872, the 10th left Fort Sill to elements of the 3rd Infantry and proceeded back to Fort Gibson.
Nolan is at Fort Concho
Fort Concho
Fort Concho is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated since 1935 by the city of San Angelo, the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas...
in West Texas in 1873 through at least 1879. He is reported sick there from November 23, 1873 to January 29, 1874 and September 13, 1875 to November 17, 1875. The reason for his sickness is unknown.
Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 or the "Staked Plains Horror"
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
region of north-west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and eastern New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico is a region of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The region is sometimes termed the "High Plains" or even "Little Texas". The region is largely coterminous with the Llano Estacado. Eastern New Mexico is generally located at an altitude of over 4,000 feet and is mostly characterized...
. This was during the 100 degree heat in July of a barren desert. Four soldiers and one buffalo hunter would die from the hot horror of the desert. The character
Moral character
Moral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual's durable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits...
and loyalty
Loyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
of the men involved would be severely tested as would their honor
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
and duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
. Some would be called heroes and others deserters, but most would state they were happy just to have survived.
This event would involve 22 buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
hunters led by James Harvey who went looking for a buffalo herd and who were raided by about 40 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...
warriors led by Red Young Man. While the buffalo hunters were seeking revenge, Troop A, of the 10th Cavalry from Fort Concho, led by Nolan and First Lieutenant Charles S. Cooper, with 61 African-American enlisted men would begin an unsuccessful pursuit of Comanche Indian raiders with the hunters.
Another important factor would include Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker was a Comanche chief, a leader in the Native American Church, and the last leader of the powerful Quahadi band before they surrendered their battle of the Great Plains and went to a reservation in Indian Territory...
, a Kwahada leader, who rode into the situation with an Army pass, to seek out the raiding Indians and to convince them to return to the reservation. Parker and the primary buffalo hunter scout Jose Piedad Tafoya, a half breed Comanchero, would come to an understanding despite previous difficulties between the two. Tafoya would help confound the search by the buffalo hunters and the soldiers led by Nolan in return for what he wanted.
The result was desperate men pushed to the edge of endurance and sanity in the barren wilderness from the lack of water. One man would endure 96 hours without that precious fluid of life. The main group of soldiers with Nolan would go 86 hours until they found salvation. The rest would go without for over 48 hours and some toward 86 hours without a drop to drink as they scattered in a bid to survive. Thanks to the telegraph
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
the event and speculation would travel to the eastern newspapers where it was erroneously reported that the expedition had been massacred. Later the same papers would bring them "back from the dead" and declare Nolan a hero. The Military command would agree with the press, but never issue an official commendation, nor a censure.
The “Army and Navy Journal” dated September 15, 1877 has an article called, “A Fearful march on the Staked Plains” taken from a report of Nicholas M. Nolan. This is cited in Peter Cozzens' volume 3 of his "Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890" series with another related report on the subject following. Both reports are stark and clear of the suffering endured.
Henry O. Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper was an American soldier and though born into slavery in the American South, was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877 at the age of 21 and earn a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army.Following Flipper's...
, the first African-American graduate of the United States Military Academy at Westpoint, New York. In July 1877 he reported to Fort Sill for assignment with the 10th Cavalry. But the 10th was not at Fort Sill, they were at Fort Concho. He was not assigned to a cavalry troop but given work assignments including engineering a ditch to drain a swamp. Finally he received orders to report to Fort Concho in west Texas in October 1877. He was assigned to A Troop. He was the first non-white officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.
Captain Nicholas Nolan, the commander of A troop, was the officer assigned to teach him what was needed to know about being a cavalry officer. Nolan was censured by several white officers for allowing Flipper into his quarters for dinner, where his daughter Kate was present. Nolan defended his action by stating that Flipper was an "officer and a gentleman" just like any other officer present.
In August 1878 Nolan married his second wife, Anne Eleanor Dwyer in San Antonio, Texas. They had one child, a girl. Miss Mollie Dwyer, Anne's sister arrived shortly after Troop A moved to Fort Elliott in Texas in early 1879. Miss Mollie and Flipper became friends and often went riding together. Nolan was the de facto commander of Fort Elliott and he made Flipper his adjutant. Flipper had high marks from his commander. However, there were murmurs and letters hinting at improprieties against Lt. Flipper, an African-American and Mollie Dwyer, a caucasian. It would be the beginning of a smear campaign. During the next many months he sent and received letters from his friend Mollie.
Then in the Fall of 1879 a Federal Marshal named Norton armed with blank warrants began a quarrel with a County Judge. Other county officials stepped in to defend the judge and Norton arrested all of them with his armed men. Norton took the county men to Fort Elliott to be placed in the guard house. Nolan was required by law to accept the prisoners and it appears that Nolan talked with the Wheeler County Judge. The telegraph lines then were suddenly cut and Nolan decided to act. Flipper gathered the prisoners in the middle of the night and with two soldiers set off for another Fort in Indian Territory.
Marshal Norton captured the entire party and arrested Flipper and one of his soldiers. One soldier ran back to the Fort. Norton then set off for Dallas, Texas. Nolan mounted a detail of men and took off in pursuit. Nolan caught up to the party and made it clearly known that no prisoners would be shot while trying to escape because the Federal Marshal and his prisoners were now under military escort. A Federal Judge dismissed the warrants and Norton filed federal charges of "interfering with the process of the law" against the two officers. The two officers were quickly tried and found guilty. Both were fined a thousand dollars which was an enormous fine for its time. Norton was satisfied then the Federal Judge suspended payment and dismissed them. The soldiers relations with the county of Wheeler improved tremendously. Nolan had Flipper under his wing for the first part of the Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
in early 1879 until he was reassigned to G Troop. Until November 1879, during his Captain's four month leave, Flipper commanded this unit by himself.
Victorio Campaign
Nolan became involved in the Victorio Campaign of 1879–80. VictorioVictorio
Victorio was a warrior and chief of the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua Apaches in what is now the American states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua....
was a warrior and chief of the Chihenne band of the Chiricahua
Chiricahua
Chiricahua are a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At the time of European encounter, they were living in 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico...
Apaches. This was when Nolan and the 10th Cavalry Regiment was engaged a series of operations against the Apache who had escaped from the military authorities in New Mexico.
On July 30, 1880 Colonel Grierson, with a party of only six men, was attacked by Apaches between Quitman and Eagle Springs. Lieutenant Finley with fifteen men of Troop G came up, engaged the Indians, and held them in check until the arrival of Captains Viele and Nolan with Troops C and A. In an engagement, which lasted four hours, seven Indians were killed and a number wounded. On the side of the troops one soldier was killed and Lieutenant Colladay wounded. The hostiles were driven off and Troops A and C pursued to the Rio Grande.
Rattlesnake Springs
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
and then the narrow valleys of the Chinati Mountains, reaching Rattlesnake Springs on the morning of August 6, 1880. Nolan with cavalrymen from Troops A & C with their mounts were worn down from the forced march of over 65 miles in 21 hours. After resting and getting water, Grierson & Nolan carefully placed their men in ambush positions. Carpenter, with his two cavalry troops H & B, arrived as reinforcements and were posted in reserve a short distance south of the spring. The cavalrymen settled down to wait as Indian scouts brushed away any sign of their presence.
A little after two o'clock in the afternoon, Victorio and his Apaches slowly approached the springs. Victorio somehow sensed danger and halted his men. With the hostile Apaches in their sights appearing ready to bolt, the soldiers did not wait and opened fire on their own initiative; Victorio's men scattered and withdrew out of carbine range. Victorio's people needed water and believing that there were only a few soldiers present, regrouped and attacked immediately. As the battle progressed, Victorio sent his warriors to flank the soldiers. Carpenter charged forward with companies B and H and a few massed volleys from their carbines sent the hostiles scattering back up the canyon. Stunned by the presence of such a strong force but in desperate need of water, Victorio repeatedly charged the cavalrymen in attempts to reach the spring. Grierson's & Nolan's cavalry defenders, now bolstered by Carpenter's two companies, stood firm. The last such attempt to break the soldiers was conducted near nightfall and when it failed, Victorio and his followers withdrew into the westward into the mountains. Carpenter with his two companies remounted in pursuit until darkness halted the effort.
On August 7, Carpenter, with Captain Nolan as second in command, and three companies of troopers headed out to Sulfur Springs to deny that source of water to the Apaches. In the early light of day, Victorio saw a string of wagons rounding a mountain spur to the southeast and about eight miles distant, crawling onto the plain. Victorio sent a band of warriors riding out of the mountains and attacked savagely. The wagons held a load of provisions for Fort Davis with a company of infantry riding in some of the wagons. The warriors were met with rifle fire, as the teamsters circled the wagons in defensive positions. Alerted by his Indian scouts, Carpenter and two companies charged to the rescue. The Apache attack disintegrated as the warriors fled in confusion to the southwest to rejoin Victorio's main force as it moved deeper into the Carrizo Mountains. Nolan's ambush was not ready and the scattered warriors were able to avoid them.
Pursuit of Victorio
On August 9, fifteen Texas Rangers with their Indian scouts, located Victorio's main supply camp on Sierra Diablo. The Rangers joined Carpenter in the attack while Nolan guarded Sulfur Springs. Nolan sent out patrols while Carpenter's attack scattered the Indian guards while the troopers secured 25 head of cattle, provisions and several pack animals. Victorio under increasing pressure, short of food and more importantly water, began to head south in two main groups. By August 11, Carpenter and Nolan were on the trail in pursuit but, with horses tired and thirsty from the campaign, the chase was slow. Carpenter divided his command, with Nolan with his company and Texas Rangers on one route, while he took the rest of the command on another route. On August 13, Nolan reached the Rio Grande where Indian scouts reported that Victorio had crossed the border into Mexico the evening before. Carpenter arrived later and ordered the cavalrymen to rest near the river.On October 14, 1880, a sharpshooter of the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
ended Victorio's life at Cerro Tres Castillos, in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Promotion and death
On December 19, 1882 Nolan was promoted to a major in the Regular Army and transferred to the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Regiment. He was placed in the command of Fort HuachucaFort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona from July 8, 1883 until August 14, 1883.
He arrived at Fort Apache
Fort Apache Indian Reservation
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 2,627.608...
in Gila County, Arizona
Gila County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.8% White*0.4% Black*14.8% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*5.4% Other races*17.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and was listed as sick from August 25 to September 1, 1883 when he assumed command of that fort. He left Fort Apache on October 16, 1883 for Holbrook, Arizona
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
, some 120 miles by trail in command of a detachment of cavalry.
On October 24, 1883, while in enroute to Holbrook in Navajo County
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
he suffered an "apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
" event that was later called "brain consumption" in the official report. It is likely he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and died about 2:00 PM that day after reaching Holbrook. He had been planning on meeting his wife and daughter in Holbrook for two weeks of leave.
He was embalmed
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
at Halbrook and his body was shipped by train arriving on October 27 in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
On the same day, Major Nicholas M. Nolan was buried in the San Antonio National Cemetery
San Antonio National Cemetery
San Antonio National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 3,163 interments.- History :...
He lays at rest in section A site 53 near the flag pole that flies the flag of his adopted country. His second wife, Annie E. Dwyer died on July 11, 1907 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery as the "Widow of Major Nicholas M. Nolan 3rd U S Cavalry."
External links
- Introduction to Civil War Cavalry
- Platt MOH webpage
- Alice Kirk Grierson and the Tenth Cavalry Officers' Wives at Fort Davis
- Carpenter, Louis H., Cavalry Fighting Dismounted, November 1888 issue of Journal of the U.S. Cavalry Association cited by J. David Petruzzi in Hoofbeats and Cold Steel. Retrieved August 9, 2009. More articles by Carpenter at: Kansas State Historical Society, Mircrofilm reel numbers M 968, M 969 & M970. See item: The Journal of the U.S. Cavalry Association published in Moundridge, McPherson, KS.