John Miller Drake (December 31, 1830 – December 11, 1913) was a

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 ...

officer in the

1st Oregon Cavalry The First Regiment Oregon volunteer Cavalry was a volunteer regiment in United States service Union army that was formed in response to the American Civil War. With men recruited in Oregon and some recruited in surrounding states, the regiment p ...

and the 1st Oregon Infantry regiments 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 ...

. He eventually reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He led one of the first campaigns to respond to the threat

Chief Paulina Chief Paulina or Pahninee was a Northern Paiute war leader noted for his successful guerrilla tactics. He is known to have been active from 1859 until his death in 1867. Resistance against colonization During the late 1850s and 1860s, Paulina l ...

posed to settlers and rival Indians in

central Oregon Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the ...

. Later he was a purchasing agent for the

Oregon Railway and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a railroad that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a ...

Early life

Drake was born in

Stroudsburg Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It lies within the Poconos region, approximately five miles (8 km) from the Delaware Water Gap at the confluence of the Brodhead, McMichaels and Pocono Creeks in Northeastern Pennsyl ...

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, ...

on December 31, 1830. He attended Stroudsburg Academy and

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

before traveling to

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 ...

in 1849 during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. After living in California for almost a decade, he moved north to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

in 1858."Guide to the John Miller Drake Papers 1841-1935"
, ''Northwest Digital Archives'', Orbis Cascade Alliance, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, June 5, 2010.Sandersfeld, Dave, "James Cant Ranch Historic District", ''Oregon Nature Examiner'', Washington, D.C., April 10, 2010.

Military service

Drake served as an officer in both the 1st Oregon Cavalry and 1st Oregon Infantry volunteer regiments during the Civil War. When the American Civil War began, he volunteered for service 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 ...

. On November 29, 1861, Drake was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the 1st Oregon Cavalry. He was quickly promoted to captain, taking command of the cavalry regiment's D Company.Victor, Frances Fuller
"The First Oregon Cavalry"
''The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society'' (Vol III), Oregon Historical Society, Salem, Oregon, March–December 1902, pp. 123-163. Drake and several other cavalry officers led lengthy explorations through

eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

, northern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and southwestern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

searching for

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

raiders. Most of these patrols were unsuccessful in finding hostile Indians. However, Drake was involved in several minor skirmishes. In May 1864, Drake was leading several companies of cavalrymen in the upper Crooked River area of eastern Oregon. The expedition was in response to Chief Paulina's raids on settlers and rival Indians in that region. Late in the evening of May 17, Warm Springs Indian scouts working with the 1st Oregon Cavalry found Chief Paulina's camp about twelve miles from Drake's camp, a site that later became Camp Maury. Before dawn the next morning a small group of soldiers and Warm Springs Indian scouts led by Lieutenant Stephen Watson attacked Paulina's camp from three sides. Chief Paulina and his men quickly retreated to a rocky cliff. In the ensuing battle, Lieutenant Watson, two soldiers, and several Indian scouts were killed. Before Drake's main force could reach the site of the battle, Paulina escaped leaving behind three dead. Joda sheeprock

During an expedition to resupply Army posts in eastern Oregon, Drake discovered fossilized bones in the hills southwest of Sheep Rock in the upper John Day basin. On July 19, 1864, Drake wrote to

Thomas Condon Thomas Condon (1822–1907) was an Irish Congregational minister, geologist, and paleontologist who gained recognition for his work in the U.S. state of Oregon. Life and career Condon arrived in New York City from Ireland in 1833 and graduated ...

about his discovery. On his way back to

Fort Dalles Fort Dalles was a United States Army outpost located on the Columbia River at the present site of The Dalles, Oregon, in the United States. Built when Oregon was a territory, the post was used mainly for dealing with wars with Native Americans. Th ...

, Drake loaded empty wagons with fossils to deliver to Condon. Condon, a pastor living at Fort Dalles, had an active interest in the natural sciences. Based on Drake's directions, Condon explored the area that is now the

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. national monument in Wheeler and Grant counties in east-central Oregon. Located within the John Day River basin and managed by the National Park Service, the park is known for its well-preserved l ...

.Brogan, Phil F., ''East of the Cascades'' (Third Edition), Binford & Mort, Portland, Oregon, 1965, p. 5. In late 1864, Drake was promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to the newly established 1st Oregon Infantry as the regiment's second highest-ranking officer. While some detachments of the 1st Oregon Infantry occasionally skirmished with hostile Indian bands, most companies spent their time in garrison duty at small posts in eastern Oregon, southeast

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and southern Idaho. They protected immigrant trails and escorted wagon trains from

Fort Boise Fort Boise is either of two different locations in the western United States, both in southwestern Idaho. The first was a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post near the Snake River on what is now the Oregon border (in present-day Canyon County ...

to the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

. Two companies escorted survey parties; and another, led by Captain Franklin B. Sprague, constructed a road in southwestern Oregon.Edwards, Glenn Thomas, ''Oregon Regiments in the Civil War Years: Duty on the Indian Frontier'', unpublished Master of Arts thesis, Department of History, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, June 1960. In the fall of 1865, Drake's regiment was planning a winter campaign against the Indians in eastern Oregon. However, the end of the Civil War in the east had freed up many regular officers for duty in the west. As a result, most of the volunteer officers and men of the 1st Oregon Infantry regiment were released from service in November, so the planned winter campaign never got started. Drake was mustered out of the Army a month later, in December 1865.

Later career

After leaving the Army, Drake became the purchasing agent for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. He worked for the company in that capacity for 17 years. Drake built three homes in the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

area. He died in Portland on December 11, 1913.

Legacy

There are two mountains in Oregon named after Colonel Drake. Drake Peak in Lake County has an elevation of . There is also a smaller mountain, Drake Butte, located in the

Maury Mountains The Maury Mountains are a mountain range in Crook County, Oregon. Much of the range is within the Ochoco National Forest. Outstanding features of the range are the Maury Mountains Agate Beds and Antelope Flat Reservoir Antelope Flat Reservoir ...

in Crook County that is named in his honor. In addition, Drake deserves credit for finding and recording the location of the extensive fossil beds that are now protected in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. During his 1864 campaign against the

Snake Indians Snake Indians is a collective name given to the Northern Paiute, Bannock (tribe), Bannock, and Shoshone Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe (Native American), tribes. The term was used as early as 1739 by French trader an ...

, Drake kept a journal describing Army operation in eastern Oregon. In 1906, Drake wrote an article entitled ''The Oregon Cavalry''; however, his article was not immediately published. The

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preser ...

eventually published the article in the ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'' in 1964.Drake, John M.
"The Oregon Cavalry"
''Oregon Historical Quarterly'' (Vol. 65, No. 4), Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, December 1964. Drake's records from his military service along with his journal describing the Army's 1864 campaign against the Snake Indians are held by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. The library also has Drake's personal letters, legal papers, private account books, business correspondence for the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, and receipts for the Portland Board of Trade.

References

External links

Oregon Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, John M. Union Army officers People of Oregon in the American Civil War American people of the Indian Wars People from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 1830 births 1913 deaths Oregon pioneers Military personnel from Pennsylvania