Edmund Underwood (1826–1863) was a native of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

that served in the

Mexican American War Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

and then as an officer in the

U. S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Biography

He was an officer in the 4th Infantry Regiment various posts in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

and was a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

with the 18th Infantry Regiment during the early part of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. THE EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY. By FIRST LIEUT. CHARLES H. CABANISS, JR.; THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF STAFF AND LINE WITH PORTRAITS OF GENERALS-IN-CHIEF, EDITED BY THEOPHILUS FRANCIS RODENBOUGH BVT. BRIGADIER GENERAL U.S.A. AND WILLIAM L. HASKIN MAJOR, FIRST ARTILLERY, MAYNARD, MERRILL, & CO., NEW YORK, 1896
/ref> Underwood had served with distinction in the

and on March 3, 1848, was offered and received a commission of Second Lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Regiment of the U. S. Army.Francis Bernard Heitman Historical register and dictionary of the United States Army, from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, Volume 1, Govt. Print. Off., Washington, 1903; p. 976
/ref> In 1852, as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Regiment he was sent to the Pacific Coast via Panama. Underwood with his wife served at

Fort Humboldt A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in 1853. While there his first son Edmund Beardsley Underwood was born at the fort. Promoted 1st Lieutenant March 24, 1853, Edmund Underwood was stationed at Fort Reading, at the same time that

Ulysses Simpson Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

was at Fort Humboldt. In 1857, Captain Underwood returned to the east for a time. When he returned to the west coast in the fall of 1858 he was sent to Fort Humboldt where the

Bald Hills War Bald Hills War (1858–1864) was a war fought by the forces of the California Militia, California Volunteers and soldiers of the U.S. Army against the Chilula, Lassik, Hupa, Mattole, Nongatl, Sinkyone, Tsnungwe, Wailaki, Whilkut and Wi ...

was beginning. Captain Underwood led a detachment from Fort Humboldt to a post at Pardee's Ranch where they escorted pack trains over the Bald Hills to protect them from the attacks by the

Whilkut The Whilkut (variants: ''Whiylqit, Hwil'-kut, Hoilkut, Hoilkut-hoi'') also known as "(Upper) Redwood Creek Indians" or "Mad River Indians" were a Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the northeast and Chilula ...

. Later, Captain Underwood established

Fort Gaston Fort Gaston was founded on December 4, 1859, in the redwood forests of the Hoopa Valley, in Northern California, on the west bank of the Trinity River, from where the Trinity flows into the Klamath River. It was located in what is now the Hoopa ...

among the

Hupa people Hupa (Yurok language term: Huep'oola' / Huep'oolaa = "Hupa people") are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in northwestern California. Their endonym is Natinixwe, also spelled Natinook-wa, meaning "People ...

on the Trinity River and commanded its garrison, a detachment from the U. S. 4th Infantry. At the beginning of the American Civil War, on May 14, 1861 Underwood was promoted to Major in command of the 2nd Battalion, U. S. 18th Infantry Regiment, and returned to the east to train his troops in Camp Thomas about four miles north of Columbus. On November 30, 1861 Underwood led his battalion when the 18th Regiment was ordered to proceed to,

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and report to General Buell, who was organizing the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...

. Before the Regiment saw its first combat in April 1862, Underwood was no longer in command of 2nd Battalion, retiring February 27, 1862. However Underwood continued to serve as United States mustering and disbursing officer for the Northern District of New York. Underwood died at the age of 37, on September 5, 1863 at

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

. He was buried at

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...

."Death of Major Underwood." Humboldt Times, 7 November 1863.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Edmund 1863 deaths United States Army officers Union Army officers Bald Hills War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 1826 births