Stephen w kearny biography of martin johnson

General Stephen Kearny, one of the foremost frontier officers of the U. Following two years of college, Kearny joined the New York Militia and began a year military career. He spent most of that time traveling throughout the western frontier, exploring, mapping, visiting Indian tribes , and keeping the peace. He fought in the War of , serving as a First Lieutenant.

Afterward, he was assigned to the western frontier and, in , was a member of the expedition to explore the Yellowstone River in present-day Montana and Wyoming. He kept extensive journals during his travels, including his interactions with Native Americans. In , Kearny was appointed the first commander of the new Jefferson Barracks in St.

Louis , Missouri.

After spending a little more than a month in Santa Fe as military governor with headquarters in Santa Fe, Kearny decided to continue on to California after.

The couple had eleven children, of whom six died in childhood. In , Kearny became the Lieutenant Colonel of the newly organized 1st Dragoon Regiment, eventually growing into the U. By the early s, when emigrants began traveling along the Oregon Trail , Kearny often ordered his men to escort the travelers across the plains to avoid Native American attacks.

The military would continue this practice for years during the Westward Migration. He used diplomacy rather than battle and marched unopposed into Santa Fe in August of , where he established a civil government and promised a democratic administration of New Mexico Territory.

Soon after Kearny assumed command, a new medical officer was assigned to the post, Dr. William Beaumont, noted in early nine¬ teenth-century medical history.

He also became the Commander of the Army of the West, which consisted of some men. Kearny left New Mexico and headed for California in the latter part of He battled Mexican Californians to retake the province there , earning victories in San Gabriel and Mesa in early January , ending resistance there. Washington, D.