Justus McKinstry (July 6, 1814 – December 11, 1897) was a
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 ...
officer who served in the
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
and with merit in the
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 in the
Third Seminole War
The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...
. He was appointed a
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 ...
and assistant
quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
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 ...
in the early days 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 ...
but his appointment expired without being confirmed by 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 ...
. His actual highest rank was
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 ...
. He was suspended from his appointment and held under arrest starting November 13, 1861, although his confinement was expanded to the city limits of
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
after February 22, 1862, in anticipation of a court martial in October 1862. He was convicted of graft, corruption and fraud in the quartermaster's department in the
Department of the West
The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command ( Department) of the United States Army during the 19th century. It oversaw the military affairs in the country west of the Mississippi River to the borders of C ...
. The court recommended his dismissal from the army. On January 28, 1863, after being held in arrest for more than a year, McKinstry was
cashiered
Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline.
Etymology
From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discard ...
"for neglect and violation of duty to the prejudice of good order and military discipline." Despite the expiration of his brigadier general appointment without Senate confirmation, some sources, such as
Ezra Warner, list McKinstry as a brigadier general. If so regarded, he was one of three
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 ...
generals who were cashiered. After his dismissal from the Union Army, McKinstry was a speculator and stock broker in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, 1864–1867, and land agent in
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla () is a city in, and the county seat of, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. Rolla is located approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The Rolla, ...
, 1867 – c. 1870, although he spent most of the rest of his life in reduced circumstances in St. Louis.
Early life
Justus McKinstry was born in
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...
(
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,570. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the ...
) on July 6, 1814.
[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. 605.[ Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. . p.302.] His parents were David McKinstry (born 1778) and Nancy (née Backus) McKinstry.
[Driscoll, John K. ''Rogue: a biography of Civil War General Justus McKinstry'', Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. 2006. . p. 8.] They were married in 1805.
In 1815, the McKinstry family, including Justus and 3 siblings, moved from Hudson, New York to
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
.
[Longacre, Edward G. ''Justus McKinstry'' In ''Historical Times Illustrated History of the Civil War'', edited by Patricia L. Faust. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. . p. 463.] David McKinstry prospered in Detroit and became influential in the community.
With help from his father, Justus McKinstry entered 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, 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 ...
on July 1, 1832.
[Driscoll, 2006, p.13.] Fearing that he would fail the math exam at the end of the term and be expelled, McKinstry resigned from the Academy in a December 1832 letter and ultimately left on January 31, 1833.
[Driscoll, 2006, pp. 13–14.] He hoped that he might be reinstated and through his father's influence he was readmitted to the next Academy class.
[Driscoll, 2006, p.14.] McKinstry re-entered the United States Military Academy on July 1, 1833.
[Driscoll, 2006, p.14.] McKinstry failed a math exam in 1835 but was given an extra year at the Academy and graduated 40th in a class of 45 on July 1, 1838.
[Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . p. 419.]
On July 1, 1838, the day McKinstry graduated from the US Military Academy, he married his second cousin, Susan McKinstry, with whom he would have 3 sons, Charles, James and Carlisle (Cy).
McKinstry 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
2nd Infantry Regiment (United States) on July 1, 1838.
[Cullum, George W]
''George W. Cullum's Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy''
Vol. 1, 1868. . Retrieved July 18, 2012. p. 568. Also retrieved April 21, 2018 a
/ref> In quick succession in 1838, he was stationed at Sackett's Harbor, New York
Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who ...
and Fort Gratiot, Michigan. By November 1838, he was in Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
for service in the Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...
.[Driscoll, John K]
''Rogue: a biography of Civil War General Justus McKinstry''
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. 2006. . pp. vii, 30-34.[Rule, G. E]
2nd paragraph, August 2001, retrieved April 21, 2018. in which he served until 1841. For 21 months, except for a few days, McKinstry commanded Company B of the 2d Infantry Regiment, in addition to his quartermaster duties, while the company commander was on recruiting duty. McKinstry was appointed a 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 ...
in the 2nd Infantry Regiment on April 18, 1841. He then served at Fort Niagara, New York, 1842–1844, on recruiting duty, 1845–1846 and at Fort Columbus (later Fort Jay
Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a me ...
), New York, 1846 before beginning service in the Mexican–American War later that year.
Mexican–American War
On March 3, 1847, McKinstry was appointed 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 ...
staff and assistant quartermaster general.[Cullum, 1868, p. 569.] Although he was a quartermaster, McKinstry was awarded a 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 ...
appointment as a major in the Regular Army (United States)
The Regular Army of the United States succeeded the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional land-based military force. In modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army (oft ...
for gallant and meritorious conduct after taking command of a company of volunteers at the Battles of Contreras and Churubusco
Churubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough ''(delegación)'' of Coyoacán. It is centred on the former Franciscan monastery ''(ex convento de C ...
, to rank from August 20, 1847. McKinstry was an original member of the Aztec Club of 1847
The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It exists as a hereditary organization including members who can trace a direct lineal connection to those originally eligib ...
, which was founded as a military society of officers who served with the United States Army in the Mexican–American War.
Assignments: 1849–1861
McKinstry resumed his career as a captain on January 12, 1848, vacating his position as a captain in the 2nd Infantry Regiment and serving as a quartermaster with the commissioners running the boundary line on the United States-Mexico border in 1868–1869 and in California, 1850–1855. While in California, McKinstry engaged in a profitable land transaction with his second cousin and brother-in-law, George McKinstry Jr.[Hunt, Rockwell Dennis. ''John Bidwell, prince of California pioneers'', Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1942. . pp. 247–249.] In 1849, George W. McKinstry Jr. (1810–1882) bought Rancho Arroyo Chico
Rancho del Arroyo Chico was a Mexican land grant in present-day Butte County, California that ultimately laid the foundation for the city of Chico. The name means 'little stream' and refers to Big Chico Creek. The grant was located along the ...
, a Mexican land grant
The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...
in present-day Butte County, California
Butte County () is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. In the 2020 census, its population was 211,632. The county seat is Oroville.
Butte County comprises the Chico, CA metropolitan statistical area. It is ...
, from William Dickey, who had been granted the land in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena
Joseph Manuel María Joaquin Micheltorena y Llano (8 June 1804 – 7 September 1853) was a brigadier general of the Mexican Army, adjutant-general of the same, governor, commandant-general and inspector of the department of Las Californias, then ...
. Also in 1849, McKinstry sold a one-half interest in the land to John Bidwell
John Bidwell (August 5, 1819 – April 4, 1900), known in Spanish as Don Juan Bidwell, was a Californian pioneer, politician, and soldier. Bidwell is known as the founder the city of Chico, California.
Born in New York, he emigrated at the age of ...
and in 1850 sold the other half-interest to Justus McKinstry. In 1851, Justus McKinstry sold this half-interest to John Bidwell.
After his service in California, McKinstry was assigned to Fort Myers, Florida in 1856 and Fort Brooke, Florida, 1856–1858. During this 30-month period in Florida, McKinstry served as quartermaster under the close control of Brigadier General William S. Harney and Colonel Gustavus Loomis. In May 1858, McKinstry developed a skin condition at Fort Brooke and was on leave awaiting orders from September 1858 until January 1860. McKinstry was stationed at St. Louis, Missouri as chief quartermaster of the Department of the West on January 10, 1860.
American Civil War
On July 3, 1861, President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
appointed Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
John C. Fremont to command the Department of the West, headquartered at St. Louis. Already chief quartermaster when Fremont took command of the Department, McKinstry was appointed a major and assistant quartermaster in the U.S. Army on August 3, 1861, and continued his assignment in the Department of the West. On August 14, 1861, Department of the West commander Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
John C. Fremont authorized McKinstry to purchase goods at any price and on any terms he found acceptable and also appointed him provost marshal
Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...
at St. Louis with broad authority to issue regulations and orders. McKinstry's actions in restricting movements into and out of the city, instituting a 9:00 p.m. curfew and censoring the press made him, and Fremont, unpopular with many of the city's residents.[Gerteis, 2001, p. 147.]
Historian Bruce Catton
Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, known best for his books concerning the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring int ...
cites McKinstry as performing a great service to the Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
cause by introducing Brigadier General Ulysses S. 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 ...
to Fremont. Fremont had considered appointing Brigadier General John Pope to the important post at Cairo, Illinois
Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County.
The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...
but after his meeting with Grant, Fremont decided to appoint Grant instead.[ Catton, Bruce. ''The Centennial History of the Civil War''. Vol. 2, ''Terrible Swift Sword''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. . p. 27.] McKinstry was an old West Point and regular army friend of Grant and assured Fremont that rumors of Grant's drinking habits were exaggerated and he would be stable if given a responsible command. Fremont had kept Grant waiting for hours after having summoned him to his headquarters in St. Louis. When McKinstry passed by and asked Grant about his wait, Grant told him the circumstances. McKinstry immediately got Fremont's attention and told him that he had observed Grant's gallantry in Mexico and that he was a reliable man for the job.
In response to growing pressure from influential persons such as Missouri Congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
Frank Blair, who was interested in obtaining more contracts for his friends but was unsuccessful in obtaining them from McKinstry,[ Nevins, Allan. ''The War for the Union''. Vol. 1, ''The Improvised War 1861 – 1862''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1959. . pp. 324-325.] Fremont obtained McKinstry's removal as quartermaster from Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Meigs strongly opposed sece ...
but kept him as provost marshal and then assigned him to a division command from September 2, 1861, to November 7, 1861, although he was relieved from duty on October 24, 1861.
McKinstry was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers on September 2, 1861, but the appointment expired without confirmation by the United States Senate on July 17, 1862. McKinstry's actual grade remained as major. Fremont assigned McKinstry to command Division 5 of the Department of the West between September 24, 1861 and October 24, 1861 as Fremont's army of five divisions, about 30,000 men, moved out toward Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
in an effort to capture the strategically located town from Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Missouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a military force established by the Missouri General Assembly on May 11, 1861. While not a formation of the Confederate States Army, the Missouri State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at various ...
forces under Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Sterling Price
Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...
.
Although McKinstry had been relieved the day before the engagement at Springfield and most of the Union force did not see action there, a detachment of about 300 Union troops under the command of Major Charles Zagonyi
Károly Zágonyi (19 October 1822 in Seini, Szinyérváralja, Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary - around 1870) known in the United States, U.S as Charles Zagonyi, was a former Hungarians, Hungarian military officer who served in the American Civil War as ...
drove off the newly recruited and poorly armed Confederate force of about 1,000 men at the First Battle of Springfield
Action at Springfield, also known as the Battle of First Springfield, was a battle of the American Civil War that took place on October 25, 1861, in Greene County, Missouri. It was the only Union victory in southwestern Missouri in 1861.
Prelude ...
, on October 25, 1861.[Gerteis, Louis S., ''The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History''. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2012. . pp. 117–118.] Zagonyi's small Union force briefly occupied the town but withdrew because they had lost many of their horses during the fight and the Confederates would have outnumbered them if they had counter-attacked.[Gerteis, 2012, p. 119.] On October 27, 1861, Union troops returned to occupy the town in force. Meanwhile, McKinstry came under investigation for his actions as quartermaster.
Fremont was relieved of command on November 2, 1861, and replaced in interim command by Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
David Hunter
David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...
. On November 11, 1861, Hunter ordered McKinstry to be arrested. On November 13, 1861, McKinstry was suspended. After his arrest, McKinstry was held in close confinement at the St. Louis Arsenal until February 22, 1862, when his confinement was enlarged to the city limits of St. Louis.[Rule, G. E]
''Justus McKinstry and His Enemies''
Posted August 2001. Retrieved April 21, 2018. During his time under suspension and arrest, McKinstry wrote ''Vindication of Brig. Gen. J. McKinstry, Formerly Quarter-Master, Western Department''. Based on an examination of this document, the court-martial record and other circumstances, historian G. E. Rule is more sympathetic to McKinstry's actions and circumstances than many other historians.
In October 1862, he was convicted by court-martial of graft, corruption, and fraud in the quartermaster's office at St, Louis, Missouri." A St. Louis contractor, Child, Pratt & Fox, admitted to making a profit of $280,000 on $800,000 in sales during the few months of McKinstry's command of the quartermaster department at St. Louis. McKinstry required other contractors to sell goods to Child, Pratt & Fox, which sold them to the army at inflated prices and gave McKinstry a share of the profits. McKinstry padded payrolls, forged vouchers and demanded kickbacks during his term as quartermaster. Historian Edward G. Longacre wrote that McKinstry was betrayed by disgruntled associates. Historian Ezra J. Warner wrote that McKinstry "found ample opportunity to line his own pockets. Historian Stewart Sifakis wrote: "While there may well have been other crooks in the uniform of a Union general, New York-born Justus McKinstry was the only one convicted and dismissed during the Civil War." Bruce Catton
Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, known best for his books concerning the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring int ...
, on the other hand, noting Frank Blair's anger and complaints against McKinstry, remarked that McKinstry "was blamed (whether justly or unjustly) for all manner of malpractices." Allan Nevins
Joseph Allan Nevins (May 20, 1890 – March 5, 1971) was an American historian and journalist, known for his extensive work on the history of the Civil War and his biographies of such figures as Grover Cleveland, Hamilton Fish, Henry Ford, and J ...
also cites Frank Blair's interference with Fremont and efforts to get McKinstry to give contracts to Blair's shady friends, without placing blame on McKinstry for supply problems.[
On January 28, 1863, after more than a year under arrest and three months after his court martial hearings, McKinstry was cashiered "for neglect and violation of duty to the prejudice of good order and military discipline."][Warner, 1964, p. 303.] Warner noted that McKinstry was one of only three Union Army generals to be cashiered during the American Civil War.[Warner, 1964, p. xxi.] Warner and Longacre state that McKinstry's sentence was the only one of its kind given to a general officer during the war.
Later life and death
After his dismissal from the Union Army, McKinstry was a speculator, stock broker in New York City, 1864–1867 and land agent in Rolla, Missouri
Rolla () is a city in, and the county seat of, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. Rolla is located approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The Rolla, ...
, 1867–1870. After that, Driscoll states that McKinstry survived on "dreams, schemes and sinecures from St. Louis associates."
Some time between 1863 and 1865, Susan McKinstry and the McKinstrys' three sons moved from St. Louis to Ypsilanti, Michigan.[Driscoll, 2006, p. 188.] The McKinstrys were never reunited, although there is some evidence they occasionally were in touch. Susan McKinstry was impoverished after 1869. Susan McKinstry died in 1892 and a marriage certificate from St. Louis shows that Justus McKinstry married Adelaide Dickinson in 1895.[Driscoll states that guardians had to be appointed for Adelaide from soon after Justus's death until her own death in 1909. She was first described as of "unsound mind" and then "insane."]
Justus McKinstry died on December 11, 1897, at St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. He is buried at Highland Cemetery, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...
.
See also
* List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Union generals
__NOTOC__
The following lists show the names, substantive ranks, and brevet ranks (if applicable) of all general officers who served in the United States Army during the Civil War, in addition to a small selection of lower-ranke ...
* Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)
The United States Army Quartermaster Corps, formerly the Quartermaster Department, is a sustainment, formerly combat service support (CSS), branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being ...
* Quartermaster General of the United States Army
The Quartermaster General of the United States Army is a general officer who is responsible for the Quartermaster Corps, the Quartermaster branch of the U.S. Army. The Quartermaster General does not command Quartermaster units, but is primarily f ...
Notes
References
* Catton, Bruce. ''The Centennial History of the Civil War''. Vol. 2, ''Terrible Swift Sword''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. .
* Church, William Conant
''Ulysses Grant''
New York: Fred Defau & Company, 1897. .
* Cullum, George W
''George W. Cullum's Register of Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy''
Vol. 1, 1868. . Retrieved July 18, 2012. Also retrieved April 21, 2018 a
* Driscoll, John K. ''Rogue: a biography of Civil War General Justus McKinstry''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. 2006. .
* 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. .
* Gerteis, Louis S., ''The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History''. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2012. .
* Gerteis, Louis S., ''Civil War St. Louis''. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2001. .
* Hoffman, Ogden. ''Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California'', San Francisco: Numa Hubert, 1862. .
* Hunt, Rockwell Dennis. "'John Bidwell, prince of California pioneers'', Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1942. .
* Kurtz, Henry I
'' Men of War: Essays on American Wars and Warriors''
Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation, 2006. .
* Longacre, Edward G. ''Justus McKinstry'' In ''Historical Times Illustrated History of the Civil War'', edited by Patricia L. Faust. New York: Harper & Row, 1986. . p. 463.
* Nevins, Allan. ''The War for the Union''. Vol. 1, ''The Improvised War 1861 – 1862''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1959. .
* Rule, G. E
''Justus McKinstry and His Enemies''
Posted August 2001. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
* Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. .
* Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKinstry, Justus
1814 births
1897 deaths
People from Hudson, New York
Businesspeople from New York City
Union Army officers
People of Michigan in the American Civil War
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
United States Military Academy alumni
American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
19th-century American businesspeople
Burials at Highland Cemetery