Edwin Vose Sumner Jr. (August 16, 1835 – August 23, 1912) was a general in the

United States 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 ...

. Born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania; he was the son of General

Edwin Vose Sumner Edwin Vose Sumner (January 30, 1797March 21, 1863) was a career United States Army officer who became a Union Army general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American Civil War. His nicknames "Bull" or "Bul ...

, one of the oldest generals to serve during 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 ...

.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 519.

Civil War service

Edwin V. Sumner Jr. began his military career shortly after the outbreak of the

, when he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment on August 5, 1861. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

on November 12, 1861. He served as aide de camp to Major General

George Stoneman George Stoneman Jr. (August 8, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a United States Army cavalry officer and politician who served as the fifteenth Governor of California from 1883 to 1887. He was trained at West Point, where his roommate was Stonewall ...

between January 1863 and August 1863. He was promoted to

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 ...

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

on May 19, 1863. He was mustered out of the volunteers on August 15, 1863. On September 23, 1863, Sumner was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

. He served as an Assistant Inspector General of the cavalry in the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River (Virginia), James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. Histor ...

in 1864 until July 21, 1864. He was appointed brevet major in the regular army for his service at the

Battle of Todd's Tavern The Battle of Todd's Tavern was fought in Virginia during the American Civil War. The Battle of the Wilderness On May 4, 1864, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 122,000-man Army of the Potomac and Gen. Robert E. Lee's 66,000-man Army of Northern Virgini ...

. He served as an Assistant Inspector General of the cavalry in the

Department of West Virginia Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

starting July 21, 1864. On September 8, 1864, he was appointed

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 1st Regiment New York Mounted Rifles. He commanded the 3rd Brigade of the Cavalry Division,

XVIII Corps (Union Army) XVIII Corps was a North Carolina corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Origins and makeup The XVIII Corps was created on December 24, 1862. It was initially composed of five divisions stationed in North Carolina, making it one ...

between February 5, 1865 and March 28, 1865. Sumner was mustered out of the volunteers and reverted to his Regular Army rank of captain on September 29, 1865. On January 13, 1866,

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Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Sumner for appointment to the grade of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.

Post Civil War

After the Civil War, Sumner served in the Indian Wars. He was appointed

in the 5th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, March 4, 1879,

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, April 15, 1890, and

of the

7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is "Garryowen", after the Ireland, Irish air "Garryowen (air), Garryowen" that was adopted as its march tune. The regiment participated i ...

, November 10, 1894. In April of 1890, he participated in the Pine Ridge Campaign in which the 8th Cavalry was ordered to establish a camp on the Cheyanne River in order to observe a band of

Miniconjou Lakota The Miniconjou (Lakota: Mnikowoju, Hokwoju – ‘Plants by the Water’) are a Native American people constituting a subdivision of the Lakota people, who formerly inhabited an area in western present-day South Dakota from the Black Hills i ...

under the leadership of Big Foot. The relationship between the Lakota and the U.S. Cavalry was initially amicable, but this soon deteriorated after incidents of Lakota harassing soldiers, attempting to steal horses, and reports that the Lakota were buying up rifles and ammunition in preparation for battle. Sumner was ordered to arrest and disarm Big Foot and his band, but failed to do so when the band rode away to the Pine Ridge Reservation. In 1890, he was elected a member of the Massachusetts

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

by right of his collateral descent from Major Job Sumner, a veteran of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. At the beginning of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, he was appointed brigadier general of Volunteers on May 27, 1898 and was discharged from the Volunteers on February 24, 1899.

Later life

Sumner was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army on March 27, 1899 and retired from the United States Army three days later after 37 years of service. Sumner died at

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on August 28, 1912. He was buried at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

Family

He was married to Margaret Forster, the daughter of General John Forster (1777–1863). His brother was Major General

Samuel S. Sumner Samuel Storrow Sumner (1842–1937) was a United States Army general during the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, and Philippine–American War. Early life Sumner was born in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1842. Samuel's ...

Awards

Civil War Campaign Medal The Civil War Campaign Medal is considered the first campaign service medal of the United States Armed Forces. The decoration was awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who had served in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. ...

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

Spanish War Service Medal The Spanish War Service Medal was a United States military medal of the U.S. Army which was established by an act of the U.S. Congress on 9 July 1918 (40 Stat. 873). The medal recognizes those members of the Army and of the U.S. Volunteers who per ...

(posthumously eligible)

References

External links

*Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Francis B. Heitman. 1903. p. 936. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner Jr., Edwin Vose 1835 births 1912 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Military personnel from Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Army colonels United States Army generals Sumner family