Delos Bennett Sackett
Encyclopedia
Delos Bennett Sackett
(April 14, 1822 – March 8, 1885) was a career officer in the United States Army
, and served in the American Civil War
as a general in the Union Army
. He was a postbellum Senior Inspector General of the Army.
. He graduated the United States Military Academy
in 1845. As a lieutenant
in the 2nd Dragoons, he was assigned to duty in Texas
and then in the Mexican-American War. He was cited for gallantry for his actions at the battles of Palo Alto
and Resaca de la Palma
.
He plotted out 84 city blocks with stakes and rawhide rope [fake lore], as the foundation of what is now Las Cruces, New Mexico
. In 1848, during the summer, he was with 87 soldiers of the First Dragoons of Company H, charged with defending homesteads from Apache
raids. El Paso, Texas
, was one of these communities protected by Sackett's force. While scouting against the Apache Indians in 1850, he won special distinction from his superiors as "an active and gallant officer." Sackett married a Cherokee
girl, Amanda Fields. The couple had a daughter, but Mrs. Sackett died in August 1849 in Arkansas
while her husband was serving on the frontier.
In December 1850, Sackett returned to West Point as Assistant Instructor of Cavalry Tactics, serving until April 1855. With the rank of captain in the 1st U.S. Cavalry, he went to Kansas Territory
to Fort Leavenworth
and served on various expeditions against hostile Indians. He then served on a variety of posts around the country and took a leave of absence for an extended trip to Europe
. He was serving in the Indian Territory
when the Civil War erupted.
At the outset of the war, Sackett, then the lieutenant colonel
of the 5th U.S. Cavalry, was assigned to Washington, D.C.
as the Acting Inspector-General of the Department of Washington. He held that position until August 1861, when he was reassigned as the Mustering and Disbursing Officer for New York City until December, spending much of his time helping to organize newly recruited troops. In late December, he joined the Army of the Potomac
as its Inspector General
, serving in that role until January 1863. He was in the Peninsula Campaign
as a staff officer and advisor to Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan
and again during the Maryland Campaign
. After serving under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside
at Fredericksburg
, Sackett took command of the Inspector General's Office in Washington.
He then served on a variety of military boards (helping to organize the Invalid Corps) until April 1864, when he was sent to the Western Theater
on inspection duty for the Departments of the Tennessee, Cumberland, Arkansas, and New Mexico. In the omnibus promotions at the end of the war, he reached the brevet rank
of major general
for "faithful and meritorious services during the Rebellion."
on an inspection tour, and then went on to the Pacific Coast
. He was then assigned as Inspector General of the Department of the Tennessee from November 1866 through to March 1867. He served in the same role in a variety of posts until 1881, when he returned to Washington as a brigadier general
and Senior Inspector General of the Army, a post he held until his death in Washington at the age of 63 of gangrene
.
He was buried in his native Cape Vincent, where he had built an impressive house in 1872.
Post # 268 of the Grand Army of the Republic
in Cape Vincent was named for Delos B. Sackett.
Sackett's Well, a bleak watering hole in a remote desert west of Yuma, Arizona
, provided the inspiration for name of the fictional Sackett
family in author Louis L’Amour’s series of Western novels, The Sacketts.
Camp Sackett was a United States military camp located about 3.5 miles southwest of Lecompton, Kansas
. It served as a temporary prison for free state advocates, including Governor Charles L. Robinson
, during the Bleeding Kansas
issue in 1856.
Sackett (surname)
Sackett is an English surname originating in the Isle of Thanet, Kent, probably at Sackett's Hill in the parish of St Peter in Thanet...
(April 14, 1822 – March 8, 1885) was a career officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and served in 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...
as a general in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. He was a postbellum Senior Inspector General of the Army.
Early life and career
Sackett (spelled Sacket in some army records) was born in Cape Vincent, New YorkCape Vincent (village), New York
Cape Vincent is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 760 at the 2000 census.The Village of Cape Vincent is in the northern part of the Town of Cape Vincent and is northwest of Watertown.- History :...
. He graduated the 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...
in 1845. As a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 2nd Dragoons, he was assigned to duty in 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 then in the Mexican-American War. He was cited for gallantry for his actions at the battles of Palo Alto
Battle of Palo Alto
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas...
and Resaca de la Palma
Battle of Resaca de la Palma
At the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, one of the early engagements of the Mexican-American War,United States General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican Ejército del Norte under General Mariano Arista on May 9, 1846.-Background:During the night of May 8, following...
.
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. In 1848, during the summer, he was with 87 soldiers of the First Dragoons of Company H, charged with defending homesteads from Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
raids. El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, was one of these communities protected by Sackett's force. While scouting against the Apache Indians in 1850, he won special distinction from his superiors as "an active and gallant officer." Sackett married a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
girl, Amanda Fields. The couple had a daughter, but Mrs. Sackett died in August 1849 in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
while her husband was serving on the frontier.
In December 1850, Sackett returned to West Point as Assistant Instructor of Cavalry Tactics, serving until April 1855. With the rank of captain in the 1st U.S. Cavalry, he went to Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
to 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...
and served on various expeditions against hostile Indians. He then served on a variety of posts around the country and took a leave of absence for an extended trip to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He was serving in the 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...
when the Civil War erupted.
Civil War
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 5th U.S. Cavalry, was assigned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as the Acting Inspector-General of the Department of Washington. He held that position until August 1861, when he was reassigned as the Mustering and Disbursing Officer for New York City until December, spending much of his time helping to organize newly recruited troops. In late December, he joined 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...
as its Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
, serving in that role until January 1863. He was 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...
as a staff officer and advisor to Maj. Gen.
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...
George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
and again during the 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...
. After serving under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
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...
, Sackett took command of the Inspector General's Office in Washington.
He then served on a variety of military boards (helping to organize the Invalid Corps) until April 1864, when he was sent to the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
on inspection duty for the Departments of the Tennessee, Cumberland, Arkansas, and New Mexico. In the omnibus promotions at the end of the war, he reached the brevet rank
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...
of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
for "faithful and meritorious services during the Rebellion."
Postbellum career
After spending a year in New York City awaiting orders, Sackett was sent to the Montana TerritoryMontana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
on an inspection tour, and then went on to the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
. He was then assigned as Inspector General of the Department of the Tennessee from November 1866 through to March 1867. He served in the same role in a variety of posts until 1881, when he returned to Washington as a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
and Senior Inspector General of the Army, a post he held until his death in Washington at the age of 63 of gangrene
Gangrene
Gangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
.
He was buried in his native Cape Vincent, where he had built an impressive house in 1872.
Post # 268 of the Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
in Cape Vincent was named for Delos B. Sackett.
Sackett's Well, a bleak watering hole in a remote desert west of Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
, provided the inspiration for name of the fictional Sackett
Sackett
The Sackett family is a fictional American family featured in a number of western novels, short stories and historical novels by American writer Louis L'Amour.- Background :...
family in author Louis L’Amour’s series of Western novels, The Sacketts.
Camp Sackett was a United States military camp located about 3.5 miles southwest of Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton, Kansas
Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lawrence, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 608 at the 2000 census. Lecompton played a major historical role in pre-Civil War America as the Territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861...
. It served as a temporary prison for free state advocates, including Governor Charles L. Robinson
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
, during the Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
issue in 1856.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals