Edward Jenner Steptoe (November 7, 1815 – April 1, 1865) was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War and the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

. He is primarily remembered for his defeat at the

Battle of Pine Creek The Battle of Pine Creek, also known as the Battle of Tohotonimme and the Steptoe Disaster,Keenan, Jerry. "Steptoe, Col. Edward Jenner." Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars 1492-1890 Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, c1997 p. 223. was a conflict bet ...

during the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War. It was at Pine Creek where Steptoe and 164 men were ambushed by over 1,000 Indian warriors.Oregon volunteers battle the Walla Wallas and other tribes beginning on December 7, 1855
HistoryLink, April 20, 2008 The battle, and the subsequent (successful) retreat, is also known as "the Steptoe Disaster."Keenan, Jerry. "Steptoe, Col. Edward Jenner." Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars 1492-1890 Santa Barbara, CA : ABC-CLIO, c1997 p. 223.

History

Steptoe was born in Virginia and graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

on July 1, 1837. He first saw action in Florida fighting against the Seminoles.Biography of Edward Steptoe
( University of Utah — Utah History Encyclopedia) From 1838 to 1842, Steptoe fought extensively in the Seminole War. During the Mexican-American War, he participated in the

Siege of Vera Cruz The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz during the Mexican–American War. Lasting from March 9–29, 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States ...

, and fought in the Battles of Cerro Gordo, San Antonio Garita,

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan * Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

, and

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in Mexico, measuring in total just over 686 hectares (1,695 acres). Centered on a rock formation called Chapultep ...

. After Cerro Gordo he was promoted to

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 ...

major, and following Chapultepec he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel. In 1854 he was sent by the War Department to Utah to investigate the recent massacre of

John W. Gunnison John Williams Gunnison (November 11, 1812 – October 26, 1853) was an American military officer and explorer. Biography Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire, in 1812 and attended Hopkinton Academy in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. He gra ...

and his survey party. In particular he was to determine the truth of rumors that Mormons had colluded with the Indians in the ambush. Steptoe charged eight Paiute Indians for the attack and three were convicted of manslaughter. He did not uncover evidence of Mormon involvement. Late in 1854, President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unit ...

offered Steptoe the governorship of the Utah Territory to replace

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as chu ...

. Steptoe did not receive the actual letter from Pierce until March 1855. By that time he had already decided to turn down the offer. Instead, he was promoted to Major of the newly formed 9th Infantry Regiment. In May 1858, during the

Spokane–Coeur d'Alene–Paloos War The Coeur d'Alene War of 1858, also known as the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Pend d'oreille-Paloos War, was the second phase of the Yakima War, involving a series of encounters between the allied Native American tribes of the Skitswish ("Coeur d'Alen ...

, a combined force of about 1,000 Coeur d’Alenes,

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

s, and

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primar ...

s attacked and defeated a force of 164 US troops under Steptoe at the

Steptoe was sent on sick leave after the battle, during which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and resigned due to ill health in November 1861. He died four years later in his home state of Virginia. He is buried in Lynchburg, Virginia, where his tombstone is marked: "Edward J. Steptoe, Lieut. Col., Army of the United States."

Geographic features named after Steptoe

Steptoe, Washington Steptoe is a small unincorporated rural town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. Steptoe is 11 miles north of the county seat, Colfax and is 43 miles south of Spokane. A post office called Steptoe was established in 1875. The communi ...

Steptoe Butte Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington, in the northwest United States. The butte is preserved as Steptoe Butte State Park, a publicly owned recreation area located ...

Steptoe Valley The Steptoe Valley is a long basin located in White Pine County, in northeastern Nevada in the western United States. From the historic community of Currie, the valley runs south for approximately 100 miles (160 km). To the west are th ...

Notes

References

* ''Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States. During its first century; from original and official sources''. By Charles Lanman. Washington, DC: James Anglim, 1876. * ''Drake's Dictionary of American Biography. Including men of the time, containing nearly 10,000 notices of persons of both sexes, of native and foreign birth, who have been remarkable, or prominently connected with the arts, sciences, literature, politics, or history, of the American continent''. By Francis S. Drake. Boston: James R. Osgood & Co., 1872. * ''Encyclopedia of American Indian Wars, 1492-1890''. By Jerry Keenan. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1997. *

External links

Biography of Edward Steptoe
( University of Utah — Utah History Encyclopedia)
Johnson, Randall A., ''May 17, 1858. The Ordeal of the Steptoe Command''
( HistoryLink.org essay No. 8123)
"Saturday is 150th anniversary of Battle of Steptoe" By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, AP Posted: 2008-05-17 17:35:15
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Steptoe, Edward American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 United States Military Academy alumni American people of the Indian Wars 1815 births 1865 deaths People from Bedford County, Virginia Military personnel from Virginia United States Army officers

History

Geographic features named after Steptoe

See also

Notes

References

External links