Henry Stanton Burton (1818–1869) was a graduate of

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 ...

, a career American Army officer who served in the Second Seminole War,

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and 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 ...

Early life

Henry Stanton Burton was born in September 1818 at

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 ...

, where his father was employed as a sutler. He studied at the Norwich Military Academy for two years and Norwich University for one year before being appointed to 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 ...

at West Point from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

in 1835. Burton graduated on July 1, 1839 and was appointed 2nd Lieutenant, 3rd U.S. Artillery Regiment. From 1839 to 1842, he served in the Florida Indian War and on November 11, 1839 was promoted 1st Lieutenant. From 1843 to 1846 he was assistant instructor of infantry and artillery tactics at West Point.

Mexican War and duty in California

During the

he became Lieutenant Colonel of U.S. Volunteers and served as second in command of the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers. Accepted by the U.S. Army in August 1846, the regiment was transported around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

where it served as garrisons. Elements of the Volunteers under Lt Colonel Burton were involved in operations of the

Pacific Coast Campaign The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, fighting in the

Battle of La Paz The Battle of La Paz was an engagement of the Pacific Coast Campaign during the Mexican–American War. The belligerents were United States Army troops against Mexican militia, commanded by Mexican Army officers. The battle occurred on November 1 ...

, Siege of La Paz and in the final defeat of the Mexican forces at the

Skirmish of Todos Santos Skirmish of Todos Santos (March 30, 1848), was the last clash of the Mexican–American War and ended eighteen months of hostilities in Baja California. Raid on San Antonio Following the relief of the Siege of San José del Cabo, Colonel Henr ...

. His command remained as a garrison in Baja California until the peace treaty returned it to Mexico. As the war drew to a close, it appeared that Baja California would remain a Mexican state, while Alta California would become territory of the United States. Burton offered to help residents of Baja California move to Alta California and become United States citizens. Burton returned to Monterey with his command and the evacuated Mexicans. On July 9, 1849 he married one of the refugees, Maria Amparo Ruiz y Aranjo at Monterey. After his Volunteer regiment disbanded in October 1848, Burton, unlike most of them who rushed to the gold fields, returned to his regular army service; having been promoted to Captain on September 22, 1847. In 1852, he bought

Rancho Jamul Rancho Jamul was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Diego County, California given in 1829 by Mexican Governor José María de Echeandía to Pío Pico. In 1831 Governor Manuel Victoria reconfirmed the grant to Pío Pico. The grant extended ...

near San Diego and homesteaded it on March 3, 1854. In 1855, he went to San Diego, to serve as commander of the Post at Mission San Diego de Alcalá where he first established

Camp Burton Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

, as a temporary position before occupying permanent quarters in the abandoned Mission San Diego de Alcalá. While there he was living at Rancho Jamul with his family.

Civil War

Captain Burton remained in California on duty in various forts until 1862, when, having been promoted to Major on May 14, 1861, the

began. He was ordered to

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

where he commanded

Fort Delaware Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as ...

military prison until 1863. On July 25, 1863 he was promoted Lt. Colonel, 4th U.S. Artillery Regiment. On August 11, 1863 he was promoted

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 o ...

, 5th U.S. Artillery Regiment; and commanded the Artillery Reserve of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

from 1863-1864. He was inspector of artillery in the Richmond Campaign in the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. H ...

. From 1864 he was a member of the retiring board. On March 13, 1865, he was promoted brevet

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 ...

U. S. Army, for the capture of

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...

Later life

Following the Civil War, Burton subsequently commanded the 5th U.S. Artillery Regiment at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, Virginia, at

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, at Richmond, Virginia and at

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island that was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Capta ...

, Rhode Island. From October 1868 to March 1869 he was on court martial duty at New York City. He died April 4, 1869 at

, in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

and was buried at

.George Washington Cullum, Volume 1 of Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N. Y.,: From Its Establishment, in 1802, to 1890, Houghton, Mifflin, Cambridge, 1891. pp.744-745
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External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Henry Stanton 1818 births 1869 deaths Norwich University alumni United States Military Academy alumni United States Army personnel of the Seminole Wars American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Vermont in the American Civil War Union Army colonels United States Army colonels Burials at West Point Cemetery