Samuel Walker (October 19, 1822 – February 6, 1893) was an American soldier, lawman and politician who settled in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

and served as an officer during

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

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 th ...

Early life

Samuel Walker was born on October 19, 1822 in

Franklin County, Pennsylvania Franklin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,932 Its county seat is Chambersburg. Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

. After marrying Marian E. Lowe in 1842, Walker moved to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

in 1848, and worked there as a cabinet maker. In 1855 he settled permanently in

. There Walker became a founding member of the Bloomington Guards, a local militia company, in late 1855, and he was quickly elected first sergeant. In the following year Walker was elected

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 of ...

of the 4th Kansas Cavalry, which participated in all the campaigns of the free-state men during

. In that capacity Walker was present at the sieges of Lawrence and Fort Saunders, and commanded free-state forces on August 16, 1856 at the

Battle of Fort Titus The Battle of Fort Titus was a battle that occurred during conflicts in the Kansas Territory between abolitionist and pro-slavery militias prior to the American Civil War. The era is known as Bleeding Kansas. Background Fort Titus was built a ...

, which was a free-state victory. In 1856 Walker served as a member of the short-lived Territorial House of Representatives under the

Topeka Constitution The Topeka Constitutional Convention met from October 23 to November 11, 1855 in Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas Territory, in a building afterwards called Constitution Hall (Topeka, Kansas), Constitution Hall. It drafted the Topeka Constitution, w ...

, and around the same time he also was a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Walker became the sheriff of

Douglas County, Kansas Douglas County (county code DG) is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 118,785, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Lawrence. Histor ...

in October 1857 and served until January 1862.

Civil War

After the

began in April 1861, Walker volunteered to fight for 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 ...

, and he was commissioned the

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 ...

of Company F, 1st Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment on June 1, 1861. In this capacity, Walker commanded the company at the

Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, Springfield, Missou ...

, Missouri on August 10, 1861, where his regiment sustained over 50% casualties. Walker was promoted to a

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 ...

of the 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment on May 24, 1862, before being promoted

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 16th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment in October 1864. Walker participated in opposing

Price's Raid Price's Missouri Expedition (August 29 – December 2, 1864), also known as Price's Raid or Price's Missouri Raid, was an unsuccessful Confederate cavalry raid through Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Amer ...

in Missouri and Kansas during the fall of 1864. In the wave of mass promotions by

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 ...

at the war's end, he received brevet promotions to colonel and brigadier general dated to March 13, 1865.

The Powder River Expedition

In mid 1865, Major General Grenville M. Dodge ordered an expedition as a punitive campaign against the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho. Led by Brigadier General

Patrick E. Connor Patrick Edward Connor (March 17, 1820Rodgers, 1938, p. 1 – December 17, 1891) was an American soldier who served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He is most notorious for his massacres against Native Americans during the ...

, its strategy was to have three independently marching columns of soldiers converge upon the Sioux and Cheyenne in the

Powder River Country The Powder River Country is the Powder River Basin area of the Great Plains in northeastern Wyoming, United States. The area is loosely defined as that between the Bighorn Mountains and the Black Hills, in the upper drainage areas of the Powder, ...

. Walker was assigned command of the middle, or center column. The column was made up of eight companies of his own 16th Kansas Cavalry joined by Company H of the 15th Kansas Cavalry with two mountain howitzer cannon. He had an aggregate force of 600 mounted men. The column started north from

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

in early August 1865 and traversed the country west of the Black Hills in Dakota Territory. Marching into

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries T ...

, the command suffered from bad water, weather, supply shortages, and harassing Indian attacks. Though the western column led by Connor was able to construct Fort Connor (later renamed Fort Reno), the army was neither able to defeat the Indians nor to pacify the region. All of the forces in the field were recalled to Fort Laramie, and the 16th Kansas Cavalry along with Colonel Walker were mustered out in December 1865.

Later life

In 1865 Walker was named Major General of the Kansas Militia, and he held this rank for ten years. Walker served as the sheriff of Douglas County again, from 1868 to 1872, and as a City Marshall, to which he was elected in 1872. He was also a Republican in the State Senate from 1872 until 1874. Samuel Walker died on February 6, 1893, in Lawrence, Kansas, and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery.

Notes

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