John C. Cremony
Encyclopedia
Major John C. Cremony was an American newspaperman who enrolled in the Massachusetts Volunteers in 1846, serving as a lieutenant.
He served as a Spanish language
interpreter for the U.S. Boundary Commission which laid out the Mexican
and United States Border between 1849-1852. He went on to serve as Captain in Company B, 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
a unit of California Volunteers, with the California Column
in New Mexico Territory
. He eventually achieved the rank of Major
in 1864 and commanded the 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
until 1866. He was the first editor of San Francisco's Weekly Sunday Times newspaper.
Cremony served most of his military career in the Southwest and personally knew Apache Chiefs Mangas Coloradas
and Cochise
. He was the first white man to become fluent in the Apache language, learning it in his role as an interpreter, and publishing the first written compilation of their language as a glossary for the army. As a result, Cremony was often able to resolve numerous issues between the military, reservation authorities and the Apaches. Not all of Cremony's discourses with the Apache were peaceful, however. He killed one warrior in a grueling knife fight and chronicled a non-stop 21-hour chase when he was pursued by a band of Sierra Blanca Apache (White Mountain Apache) of some 125 miles (201.2 km) through the desert of New Mexico
while on horseback; 70 miles (112.7 km) of which were at a full gallop. Cremony authored Life Among the Apaches, published in 1869, which described his experiences with the tribe.
After retiring from the army, Cremony settled in San Francisco, becoming a founding member of the Bohemian Club
and establishing the club's membership guidelines in 1872. He died of tuberculosis
on August 24, 1879 and is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
on the Laurel Hill Mound in San Francisco, California
.
He served as a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
interpreter for the U.S. Boundary Commission which laid out the Mexican
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...
and United States Border between 1849-1852. He went on to serve as Captain in Company B, 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
The 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, with most of its companies dispersed to various posts.-History:...
a unit of California Volunteers, with the California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
in 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...
. He eventually achieved the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1864 and commanded the 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers
The 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry, California Volunteers was a cavalry battalion in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Recruits were largely drawn from the Californio population , though its ranks included Yaqui and Mission Indians as well as immigrants from Mexico, Latin America and...
until 1866. He was the first editor of San Francisco's Weekly Sunday Times newspaper.
Cremony served most of his military career in the Southwest and personally knew Apache Chiefs Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas
Mangas Coloradas, or Dasoda-hae , was an Apache tribal chief and a member of the Eastern Chiricahua nation, whose homeland stretched west from the Rio Grande to include most of what is present-day southwestern New Mexico...
and Cochise
Cochise
Cochise was a chief of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache and the leader of an uprising that began in 1861. Cochise County, Arizona is named after him.-Biography:...
. He was the first white man to become fluent in the Apache language, learning it in his role as an interpreter, and publishing the first written compilation of their language as a glossary for the army. As a result, Cremony was often able to resolve numerous issues between the military, reservation authorities and the Apaches. Not all of Cremony's discourses with the Apache were peaceful, however. He killed one warrior in a grueling knife fight and chronicled a non-stop 21-hour chase when he was pursued by a band of Sierra Blanca Apache (White Mountain Apache) of some 125 miles (201.2 km) through the desert of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
while on horseback; 70 miles (112.7 km) of which were at a full gallop. Cremony authored Life Among the Apaches, published in 1869, which described his experiences with the tribe.
After retiring from the army, Cremony settled in San Francisco, becoming a founding member of the Bohemian Club
Bohemian Club
The Bohemian Club is a private men's club in San Francisco, California, United States.Its clubhouse is located at 624 Taylor Street in San Francisco...
and establishing the club's membership guidelines in 1872. He died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
on August 24, 1879 and is buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, established by Hamden Holmes Noble in 1892, is a cemetery located in Colma, California, a place known as the "City of the Silent". It is the final resting site for several members of the celebrated Hearst family plus other prominent citizens from the greater San...
on the Laurel Hill Mound in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.