Samuel Walker (soldier)

Samuel Walker
Born	(1822-10-19)October 19, 1822 Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Died	February 6, 1893(1893-02-06) (aged 70) Lawrence, Kansas
Buried at	Oak Hill Cemetery, Lawrence
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1855–1861 (Kansas Militia) 1861–1865 (USA) 1865–1875 (Kansas Militia)
Rank	Captain (USV) Lieutenant Colonel (USV) Colonel (USV) Brevet Brig. General (USV) Major General (Militia)
Unit	1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Commands held	4th Kansas Cavalry (Militia) 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Kansas State Militia
Battles/wars	Bleeding Kansas Battle of Fort Titus American Civil War Price's Raid American Indian Wars Sioux Wars Powder River Expedition Battle of Alkali Creek Battle of Dry Creek Battle of the Little Powder River
Spouse(s)	Marian E. Lowe
Other work	Lawman, Politician

Samuel Walker (October 19, 1822 – February 6, 1893) was an American lawman and politician from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, who served as officer during Bleeding Kansas and the American Civil War.

Early life

Samuel Walker was born on October 19, 1822, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. After marrying Marian E. Lowe in 1842, Walker moved to Ohio in 1848, and worked there as a cabinet maker. In 1855, he then settled permanently in Lawrence, Kansas. There Walker became a founding member of the Bloomington Guards, a local militia company, in late 1855, and he quickly was elected first sergeant. In the following year he was elected the colonel of the 4th Kansas Cavalry, which participated in all the campaigns of the free-state men during Bleeding Kansas. In that capacity Walker was present at the sieges of Lawrence and Fort Saunders, and commanded free-state forces on August 16, 1856, at the Battle of Fort Titus, which was a free-state victory. In 1856 Walker served as a member of the short-lived Territorial House of Representatives under the Topeka Constitution, and around the same time he also was a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Walker became the sheriff of Douglas County, Kansas in October, 1857 and served until January, 1862.^[1][2]

Civil War

When the American Civil War began in April, 1861, Walker volunteered to fight for the Union, and was elected captain of Company F, 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He became a major in the 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment on May 24, 1862, before being promoted lieutenant colonel of the 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment on October 8, 1864. Walker participated in opposing Price's Raid in Missouri and Kansas during the fall of 1864. In the wave of mass promotions by brevet at the war's end, he received brevet promotions to colonel, and brigadier general, on March 13, 1865.^[3]

The Powder River Expedition

In mid 1865, Major General Grenville M. Dodge ordered an expedition as a punitive campaign against the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho. Led by Brigadier General Patrick E. Connor, its strategy was to have three independently marching columns of soldiers, and Walker was assigned command of the middle, or center column. Walker's center column was made up of eight companies of his own 16th Kansas Cavalry joined by Company H of the 15th Kansas Cavalry with two mountain howitzer cannon. He had an aggregate of 600 mounted men. The column headed north from Fort Laramie in early August, 1865 and traversed the country west of the Black Hills in Dakota Territory. Marching into Montana Territory, the force dwindled due to bad water, weather, supply shortages, and harassing Indian attacks. Though the western column led by Connor was able to construct Fort Connor (later renamed Fort Reno), the army was neither able to defeat the Indians nor to pacify the region. All forces in the field were recalled to Fort Laramie, and the 16th Kansas Cavalry along with Colonel Walker mustered out in November 1865.

Later life

In 1865 Walker was named Major General of the Kansas Militia, and he held this rank for ten years. Walker served as the sheriff of Douglas County again, from 1868 to 1872, and as a City Marshall, his last office, to which he was elected in 1872. He was also a Republican in the State Senate. Samuel Walker died on February 6, 1893, in Lawrence, Kansas, and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery.^[1]

See also

• Powder River Expedition

Notes

References

• Eicher, John H.; Eicher, David J. (2001). Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. 

This article incorporates text from a work in the public domain: William E. Connelley (1918). A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans. Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company.