Edmond Butler
Encyclopedia
Edmund or Edmond Butler (March 19, or September 19, 1827-August 21, 1895) was a U.S. Army
officer who served with the Union Army during the American Civil War
and later became a prominent Indian fighter in the Northern Plains
, Rocky Mountains
and southwest United States in the post-Civil War era. In 1877, he was awarded the Indian Wars Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Sioux and Cheyenne at Battle of Wolf Mountain
.
and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry in October 1861. He was also assigned to special duty with the inspector of volunteer units in Kansas
and Missouri
.
In 1862, he was sent to the New Mexico Territory
and later assisted in the reconstruction of Fort Bliss after its recapture by the Union. He was eventually reassigned to Fort Wingate, New Mexico and, in 1865, commanded an expedition against the Navajo
s living in Canyon de Chelly. Intercepting a Navajo raiding party under Manuelito Grande, he recovered a number of sheep and other livestock taken from the neighboring Apache
. After a period of 22 days, in which he had covered 720 miles, 31 Navajos were killed while another 27 were captured. He was also involved in the relocation of 3,000 Navajo to the Fort Sumner Reservation on the Pecos River
.
Transferred to Kansas in 1866, he spent two years there before being assigned to the Beecher Island
-site in December 1868 to bring in the bodies of the soldiers killed during the Battle of Beecher Island
. Despite a large Sioux presence in the area, Butler successfully removed the bodies from the site despite being "under the fire of the main body of Sioux". However, he was unable to find the remains of Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher and Acting Surgeon J.H. Mooer, suggesting their bodies had been removed by the Sioux "probably in revenge for rifling Sioux graves on the Republican (earlier by camp followers)".
During 1869, while assigned to guard the Fort Wallace
–Denver stage route, Butler volunteered to join an expedition under Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Woods
against the Pawnees.
Returning to Kansas in October 1871, he was assigned to operations to control "organized land-leaguers" in the southeast. Three years later, he served with Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles
during the Red River Campaign
and in the Black Hills War in which he led six companies in pursuit of Sitting Bull
. Although Sitting Bull and Gall escaped to Canada, he was involved in the capture of eight other Sioux chieftains and around 700 lodges.
On January 8, 1877, Butler took part in the engagement against the Sioux at Wolf Mountain. In command of Company C, he was commended for his actions during the battle for "conspicuous gallantry in leading his command against greatly superior numbers of hostile Indians, strongly entrenched" and receiving a brevet of major
and officially awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Later that year, he escorted Chief Joseph
and other Nez Perce to Fort Buford
between October and November 1877. During the early 1880s, he was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota
and Fort Keogh, Montana
and guarded construction parties of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He also held numerous staff positions and eventually awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel
shortly before his retirement on March 9, 1891. He died in Trouville, France
three years later and, his body being returned to the United States, later buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
in Omaha, Nebraska
.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer who served with the Union Army 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...
and later became a prominent Indian fighter in the Northern Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, 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...
and southwest United States in the post-Civil War era. In 1877, he was awarded the Indian Wars Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry against the Sioux and Cheyenne at Battle of Wolf Mountain
Battle of Wolf Mountain
The Battle of Wolf Mountain, also known the Battle of the Wolf Mountains, Miles's Battle on the Tongue River, and the Battle of the Butte, occurred January 8, 1877 in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne during the Great Sioux War of...
.
Biography
Edmond Butler was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United States as a young man. Shortly after arriving in Brooklyn, New York, he enlisted in the U.S. ArmyUnited 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 commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry in October 1861. He was also assigned to special duty with the inspector of volunteer units 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...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
In 1862, he was sent to the New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
and later assisted in the reconstruction of Fort Bliss after its recapture by the Union. He was eventually reassigned to Fort Wingate, New Mexico and, in 1865, commanded an expedition against the Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
s living in Canyon de Chelly. Intercepting a Navajo raiding party under Manuelito Grande, he recovered a number of sheep and other livestock taken from the neighboring 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...
. After a period of 22 days, in which he had covered 720 miles, 31 Navajos were killed while another 27 were captured. He was also involved in the relocation of 3,000 Navajo to the Fort Sumner Reservation on the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
.
Transferred to Kansas in 1866, he spent two years there before being assigned to the Beecher Island
Beecher Island
Beecher Island is a sandbar located along the lower course of the Arikaree River, a tributary of the North Fork of the Republican River near Wray in Yuma County, Colorado. The site is notable for having been the scene of an 1868 armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several...
-site in December 1868 to bring in the bodies of the soldiers killed during the Battle of Beecher Island
Battle of Beecher Island
The Battle of Beecher Island, also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several of the Plains native American tribes in September 1868...
. Despite a large Sioux presence in the area, Butler successfully removed the bodies from the site despite being "under the fire of the main body of Sioux". However, he was unable to find the remains of Lieutenant Fredrick H. Beecher and Acting Surgeon J.H. Mooer, suggesting their bodies had been removed by the Sioux "probably in revenge for rifling Sioux graves on the Republican (earlier by camp followers)".
During 1869, while assigned to guard the Fort Wallace
Fort Wallace
Fort Wallace was a US Cavalry fort built in Wallace County, Kansas to help defend settlers against Cheyenne and Sioux raids. All that remains today is the cemetery, but for a period of over a decade Fort Wallace was one of the most important military outposts on the frontier.-External links:* * *...
–Denver stage route, Butler volunteered to join an expedition under Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Woods
Charles R. Woods
Charles Robert Woods was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War...
against the Pawnees.
Returning to Kansas in October 1871, he was assigned to operations to control "organized land-leaguers" in the southeast. Three years later, he served with Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles
Nelson A. Miles
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War.-Early life:Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm...
during the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
and in the Black Hills War in which he led six companies in pursuit of Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
. Although Sitting Bull and Gall escaped to Canada, he was involved in the capture of eight other Sioux chieftains and around 700 lodges.
On January 8, 1877, Butler took part in the engagement against the Sioux at Wolf Mountain. In command of Company C, he was commended for his actions during the battle for "conspicuous gallantry in leading his command against greatly superior numbers of hostile Indians, strongly entrenched" and receiving a brevet of 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...
and officially awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Later that year, he escorted Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
and other Nez Perce to Fort Buford
Fort Buford
Fort Buford was a United States Army base at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers in North Dakota, and the site of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881....
between October and November 1877. During the early 1880s, he was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Fort Snelling, originally known as Fort Saint Anthony, was a military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota River and Mississippi River in Hennepin County, Minnesota...
and Fort Keogh, Montana
Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh is located on the western edge of Miles City, Montana. Occasionally spelled Fort Keough. Originally a military post, today it is a United States Department of Agriculture livestock and range research station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
and guarded construction parties of the Northern Pacific Railroad. He also held numerous staff positions and eventually awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel
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...
shortly before his retirement on March 9, 1891. He died in Trouville, France
Trouville
Trouville is the name or part of the name of several communes of Normandy, France:* Trouville, in the Seine-Maritime department* Trouville-sur-Mer, in the Calvados department, arguably the most famous of these communes, and commonly referred to as Trouville* Trouville-la-Haule, in the Eure department...
three years later and, his body being returned to the United States, later buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery is the name of several different cemeteries in the United States. The name is inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which is believed by many Christians to be built on the site of Jesus's tomb...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
Further reading
- Miles, Nelson A. Personal Recollections. Chicago: Riverside Publishing Company, 1897.
- Beyer, Walter Frederick and Oscar Frederick Keydel. Deeds of Valor, Vol. II. Detroit: Perrien-Keydel Company, 1907.