Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Martin Scott (January 18, 1788, Bennington, Vermont – September 8, 1847,

Molino del Rey Los Pinos (English: ''The Pines'') was the official residence and office of the President of Mexico from 1934 to 2018. Located in the Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Forest) in central Mexico City, it became the presidential seat in 1934, wh ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

) was a career officer in the United States Army who was a signatory to the

Treaty of St. Peters Treaty of St. Peters may be one of two treaties conducted between the United States and Native American peoples, conducted at the confluence of the Minnesota River (then called "St. Peters River") with the Mississippi River, in what today is Me ...

in 1837.

Early life

Martin Scott was born in Bennington, Vermont on January 18, 1788. He was the son of Phineas Scott - one of the early settlers of Bennington. He was also a member of the Bennington organization the Sons of Liberty along with other local notables such as

Hiram Harwood Hiram may refer to: People * Hiram (name) Places * Hiram, Georgia ** Hiram High School, Hiram, Georgia * Hiram, Maine * Hiram, Missouri * Hiram, Ohio ** Hiram College, a private liberal arts college located in Hiram, Ohio ***Hiram Terriers, the ...

. He had a common school education and legendary skill as a marksman. He was known to drive nails with bullets and prided himself on being able to kill animals with shots to the head rather than to the body. He was barred from participating in turkey shoots (as his skill with a rifle gave him an unfair advantage) and was known to brag that once a raccoon surrendered to him in preference to being shot.

Military career

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, he was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the 26th Infantry in April 1814. The next month he was promoted to 1st lieutenant. Soon after the war's conclusion, he was discharged in June 1815.Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, 1789-1903. Francis B. Heitman. 1903. Vol. 1. pg. 869. In June 1818, he re-entered the Army as a 2nd lieutenant in the

Regiment of Riflemen The Regiment of Riflemen was a unit of the U.S. Army in the early nineteenth century. Unlike the regular US line infantry units with muskets and bright blue and white uniforms, this regiment was focused on specialist light infantry tactics, an ...

. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant in November 1819 and was transferred to the 5th Infantry in June 1821. He was promoted to captain in August 1828 and represented the U.S. Army at the signing of the Treaty of St. Peters between the United States and the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

tribes. The treaty ceded land in Minnesota and Wisconsin. When Scott was in command of

Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The Kingdom of Great Britain, British built the for ...

in Michigan, he was described by an acquaintance said that he “was an interesting man, with strong, alert, athletic figure, bright, eager, keen grey eyes, and ruddy face, bronzed by long exposure. He was a great disciplinarian, and the fort was clean and orderly in the extreme.” Scott was unpopular with his fellow officers as he was perceived as being stingy (although Martin's frugality resulted from his spending most of his money to support his mother and sister back in Vermont). He was also viewed as being anti-social as he did not drink nor gamble. He once fought a duel in which both parties were wounded but survived. In 1840, he married Miss McCracken of Rochester, New York.

Mexican–American War

Scott saw active service during 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 ...

. In May 1846, he fought under Major General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

at the battles of

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was estab ...

and

Resaca de la Palma The Battle of Resaca de la Palma was one of the early engagements of the Mexican–American War, where the United States Army under General Zachary Taylor engaged the retreating forces of the Mexican ''Ejército del Norte'' ("Army of the North ...

and received a brevet (honorary promotion) to major. He was promoted to the full rank of major on June 29, 1846. He also received a brevet to the rank of lieutenant colonel for heroism at the

Battle of Monterey The Battle of Monterey, at Monterey, California, occurred on 7 July 1846, during the Mexican–American War. The United States captured the town unopposed. Prelude In February 1845, at the Battle of Providencia, the Californio forces had ouste ...

on September 23, 1846. He was killed in action at the

Battle of Molino del Rey The Battle of Molino del Rey (8 September 1847) was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican–American War as part of the Battle for Mexico City. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio León against ...

on September 8, 1847. He is buried in the Old Bennington Cemetery at the

First Congregational Church of Bennington The First Congregational Church of Bennington, also known as the Old First Church, is a historic church in Old Bennington, Vermont. The congregation was organized in 1762 and the current meeting house was built in 1805. The building, one of t ...

Old Bennington, Vermont Old Bennington is a village in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is located entirely within the town of Bennington. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 156. The village and its surrounding area were added to the Na ...

, where his grave is marked with a marble obelisk.

Legacy

In December 1848, the Army established an outpost near

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. O ...

which was later named

Fort Martin Scott Fort Martin Scott is a restored United States Army outpost near Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, United States, that was active from December 5, 1848, until April, 1853. It was part of a line of frontier forts established to protect trav ...

. The fort was active until 1853 and is now a tourist attraction. Scott's name is engraved on a plaque in the Texas state Capitol along with other officers of the U.S. Army who fell during the Mexican War. From his days stationed at Fort Crawford, it is said that he named the Bloody Run Creek, which flows into the Mississippi River from the west, directly across from

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

. According to

James Henry Lockwood James Henry Lockwood (December 7, 1793August 24, 1857) was an Americans, American merchant, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first permanent resident to practice law within what is now the state of Wisconsin. Early life and education J ...

, then-justice of the peace at Prairie du Chien, then-Lieutenant Scott named the creek for his frequent successful hunting trips.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Martin People from Bennington, Vermont United States Army officers 1788 births 1847 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War