William Drummond Stewart
Encyclopedia
William Drummond Stewart (Dec. 26, 1795 - Apr. 28, 1871) was a Scottish adventurer and British military officer. He traveled extensively in the American West for nearly six years in the 1830s, wintering in New Orleans, where he speculated in the cotton market, and Cuba. In 1837 he took along the American artist, Alfred Jacob Miller
, hiring him to do sketches of the trip. Many of his completed oil paintings of American Indian
life and the Rocky Mountains
hang in Murthly Castle.
After his older brother John Stewart died childless in 1838, William inherited the baronetcy and returned to Scotland. In 1842 he returned to the American West for a hunting trip, hiring as a guide Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
, the son of Sacagawea
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
. He was in the United States for nearly a year and explored what is now Yellowstone Park.
Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, Stewart was the second son and one of seven children of Sir George Stewart
, 17th Laird of Grandtully
, 5th Baronet of Murthly and of Blair. The family decided that William would go into the Army (as his older brother would inherit his father's estate and title). After his seventeenth birthday in 1812, William asked his father to buy him a cornetcy in the 6th Dragoon Guards. After his appointment was confirmed on April 15, 1813, he immediately joined his regiment and began a programme of rigorous training.
, which was soon to deploy. The appointment was confirmed on January 6, 1814, within days of the regiment's being sent out to take part in the Peninsular War
and subsequently the Waterloo campaign in 1815. On June 15, 1820, Stewart was promoted to a Captain
and soon thereafter retired on half pay.
. He had an illustrious career in the British Army and was awarded the Victoria Cross
for his actions in relieving the Siege of Lucknow
during the Indian Mutiny.
in 1832, where he contacted William Clark, Pierre Chouteau, Jr.
; William Ashley
and other prominent residents. He arranged to accompany Robert Campbell, who was taking a Sublette
pack train to the 1833 rendezvous of mountain men. The party left St. Louis on April 13 and attended the Horse Creek Rendezvous in the Green River Valley of Wyoming. Here Stewart met the mountain men Jim Bridger
, Antoine Clement, and Thomas Fitzpatrick
, and Benjamin Bonneville
, who led a governmental expedition in the area. With some of the men, Stewart visited the Big Horn Mountains, wintered at Taos
, and attended the next rendezvous at Ham's Fork of the Green River. Later that year, he journeyed to Fort Vancouver
, Washington, at the coast of the Pacific Ocean
.
Stewart attended the 1835 rendezvous at the mouth of New Fork River on the Green and reached St. Louis in November. Finding his income from Murthly had declined, he went to New Orleans, speculated in cotton to recoup, and wintered in Cuba
. In May, he joined Fitzpatrick's train to the Rockies for another rendezvous on Horse Creek. He wintered in 1836-1837 at New Orleans, where he speculated again in cotton. He learned that his childless older brother John was dying of cancer. William Stewart would become the seventh baronet of Murthly and have ample money.
For the rendezvous of 1837, Stewart took along an American artist, Alfred Jacob Miller
, whom he hired in New Orleans. Miller painted a notable series of works on the mountain men, the rendezvous, American Indians
, and Rocky Mountain scenes. In 1840 he delivered finished oils to Stewart, who hung the works in a gallery at Murthly Castle. Stewart accompanied Fitzpatrick's train to the rendezvous on the Green River, and later visited the Wind River Mountains.
Stewart attended the next rendezvous on the Popie Agie River in present-day Wyoming. While en route back to St. Louis, he learned that his brother John had died. Stewart returned to Scotland and Murthly Castle in July 1838 with Antoine Clement, some American Indians, and his many trophies. Miller arrived in 1840 with the commissioned paintings, which hang in a gallery at the castle devoted to the American West.
Homesick for the American West, Stewart returned to North America in late 1842. He hired Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
, the Métis
son of Sacagawea
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
, as his guide for a lavish hunting trip. Stewart and his entourage joined the Sublette train to the 1843 rendezvous (the last in the Rockies). Afterward he visited the area that would be preserved as Yellowstone Park, and returned to St. Louis in October. He then returned to to Scotland for good.
Stewart's later life was generally tranquil. His son William George Drummond Stewart
served with the 93rd Highlanders in the Crimean War
. He also served in the Indian Mutiny, where he was awarded the Victoria Cross
. He died before his father.
Alfred Jacob Miller
Alfred Jacob Miller was an American painter and sketcher best known for his paintings concerning the northwestern United States.-Life:...
, hiring him to do sketches of the trip. Many of his completed oil paintings of American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
life and the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
hang in Murthly Castle.
After his older brother John Stewart died childless in 1838, William inherited the baronetcy and returned to Scotland. In 1842 he returned to the American West for a hunting trip, hiring as a guide Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was an American explorer and guide, fur trapper and trader, military scout during the Mexican-American War, alcalde of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and a gold prospector and hotel operator in California. He spoke French and English, and learned German and Spanish...
, the son of Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
. He was in the United States for nearly a year and explored what is now Yellowstone Park.
Early life and education
Born at MurthlyMurthly
Murthly is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the River Tay, south-east of Dunkeld, and north of Perth. Perth District Asylum, later known as Murthly Hospital, opened in the village in 1864 and was closed in 1985. A stone circle is lcoated within the...
Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, Stewart was the second son and one of seven children of Sir George Stewart
Drummond-Stewart Baronets
The title of Baronet of Blair and Balcaskie in the county of Fife, was created on 2 June 1683 in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia for Thomas Stewart of Balcaskie, a Lord of Session. He was son of Henry Stewart and grandson of Sir William Stewart, 11th of Grantully and Murthly, both in Perthshire...
, 17th Laird of Grandtully
Grandtully
Grandtully is a small village in Perthshire, Scotland.It is situated close to the River Tay, about 3 miles from Pitlochry...
, 5th Baronet of Murthly and of Blair. The family decided that William would go into the Army (as his older brother would inherit his father's estate and title). After his seventeenth birthday in 1812, William asked his father to buy him a cornetcy in the 6th Dragoon Guards. After his appointment was confirmed on April 15, 1813, he immediately joined his regiment and began a programme of rigorous training.
Career
Stewart was anxious to participate in military action; on December 22, 1813he applied for an appointment to a Lieutenancy in the 15th King's Hussars15th The King's Hussars
The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 15th/19th Hussars in 1922.-Formation:...
, which was soon to deploy. The appointment was confirmed on January 6, 1814, within days of the regiment's being sent out to take part in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
and subsequently the Waterloo campaign in 1815. On June 15, 1820, Stewart was promoted to a Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
and soon thereafter retired on half pay.
Marriage and family
In 1830 he married Christina Mary Battersby.. They had several children, including a son William George Drummond StewartWilliam George Drummond Stewart
William George Drummond Stewart VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
. He had an illustrious career in the British Army and was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his actions in relieving the Siege of Lucknow
Siege of Lucknow
The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defense of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was abandoned.Lucknow was the capital of...
during the Indian Mutiny.
American West (1832-1838)
Seeking adventure, Stewart traveled to St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1832, where he contacted William Clark, Pierre Chouteau, Jr.
Pierre Chouteau, Jr.
Pierre Chouteau, Jr. , also referred to as Pierre Cadet Chouteau, was an American merchant and a member of the wealthy Chouteau fur-trading family of St. Louis, Missouri.-Early life and education:...
; William Ashley
William Henry Ashley
William Henry Ashley was a pioneering fur trader, entrepreneur, and politician. Though a native of Virginia, Ashley had already moved to St. Genevieve in what was then called Louisiana, when it was purchased by the United States from France in 1803...
and other prominent residents. He arranged to accompany Robert Campbell, who was taking a Sublette
Sublette
Sublette is an American variant of the French surname Soblet. Other variants include Sublett, Sublet, and Soublet. In the United States the name is traced to the French Huguenot Abraham Soblet, who arrived in 1700...
pack train to the 1833 rendezvous of mountain men. The party left St. Louis on April 13 and attended the Horse Creek Rendezvous in the Green River Valley of Wyoming. Here Stewart met the mountain men Jim Bridger
Jim Bridger
James Felix "Jim" Bridger was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1850, as well as mediating between native tribes and encroaching whites...
, Antoine Clement, and Thomas Fitzpatrick
Thomas Fitzpatrick (trapper)
Thomas Fitzpatrick, known as "Broken Hand", was a trapper and a trailblazer who became the head of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. With Jedediah Smith, he led a trapper band that discovered South Pass, Wyoming....
, and Benjamin Bonneville
Benjamin Bonneville
Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville was a French-born officer in the United States Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West...
, who led a governmental expedition in the area. With some of the men, Stewart visited the Big Horn Mountains, wintered at Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, and attended the next rendezvous at Ham's Fork of the Green River. Later that year, he journeyed to Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver
Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading outpost along the Columbia River that served as the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District...
, Washington, at the coast of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Stewart attended the 1835 rendezvous at the mouth of New Fork River on the Green and reached St. Louis in November. Finding his income from Murthly had declined, he went to New Orleans, speculated in cotton to recoup, and wintered in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In May, he joined Fitzpatrick's train to the Rockies for another rendezvous on Horse Creek. He wintered in 1836-1837 at New Orleans, where he speculated again in cotton. He learned that his childless older brother John was dying of cancer. William Stewart would become the seventh baronet of Murthly and have ample money.
For the rendezvous of 1837, Stewart took along an American artist, Alfred Jacob Miller
Alfred Jacob Miller
Alfred Jacob Miller was an American painter and sketcher best known for his paintings concerning the northwestern United States.-Life:...
, whom he hired in New Orleans. Miller painted a notable series of works on the mountain men, the rendezvous, American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, and Rocky Mountain scenes. In 1840 he delivered finished oils to Stewart, who hung the works in a gallery at Murthly Castle. Stewart accompanied Fitzpatrick's train to the rendezvous on the Green River, and later visited the Wind River Mountains.
Stewart attended the next rendezvous on the Popie Agie River in present-day Wyoming. While en route back to St. Louis, he learned that his brother John had died. Stewart returned to Scotland and Murthly Castle in July 1838 with Antoine Clement, some American Indians, and his many trophies. Miller arrived in 1840 with the commissioned paintings, which hang in a gallery at the castle devoted to the American West.
Homesick for the American West, Stewart returned to North America in late 1842. He hired Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was an American explorer and guide, fur trapper and trader, military scout during the Mexican-American War, alcalde of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, and a gold prospector and hotel operator in California. He spoke French and English, and learned German and Spanish...
, the Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
son of Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
, as his guide for a lavish hunting trip. Stewart and his entourage joined the Sublette train to the 1843 rendezvous (the last in the Rockies). Afterward he visited the area that would be preserved as Yellowstone Park, and returned to St. Louis in October. He then returned to to Scotland for good.
Stewart's later life was generally tranquil. His son William George Drummond Stewart
William George Drummond Stewart
William George Drummond Stewart VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
served with the 93rd Highlanders in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. He also served in the Indian Mutiny, where he was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. He died before his father.
Sources
- Mae Reed Porter and Odessa Davenport, Scotsman in Buckskin: Sir William Drummond Stewart and the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade, London: Hastings House (1963)
- The Complete Baronetage, London, 1983, edited by Cokayne, George Edward, Reference: IV 325