Thomas Tipton Thornburgh (1843–1879) was a career soldier, starting 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 ...

when he enlisted with the Sixth East Tennessee Volunteers for 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 ...

. Mid-war, he left the ranks to study at 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, graduating in 1867. After serving in the west for a number of years, he was made the commander of

Fort Steele Fort Steele is a heritage site in the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. This visitor attraction lies on the east shore of the Kootenay River between the mouths of the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary River and Wild H ...

and Indian scout who received orders to establish peace with the

White River Utes White River Utes are a Native American band, made of two earlier bands, the Yampa from the Yampa River Valley and the Parianuche Utes who lived along the Grand Valley in Colorado and Utah. Historic bands Yampa The Yampa (''Yapudttka'', ''Yampa ...

. With about 180 men, Thornburgh entered the White River Ute Reservation on September 16, 1879, and he and 13 of his men where killed during the

Battle of Milk Creek Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute Indians ( Native Americans) attacked the Indian agency on their reservation, killing the ...

Early life

Thomas Tipton Thornburgh was born in

New Market, Tennessee New Market is a town in Jefferson County, Tennessee, Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee, Morristown Morristown metropolitan area, Tennessee, metropolitan area. The population was 1,334 at the 2010 ce ...

on December 26, 1843, the son of Olivia and M. Thornburgh, an attorney. Both of his parents were born in Tennessee. He had an older brother,

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

, who was Congressman Thornburgh of Tennessee, and an older sister, Mary.

Military career

In 1861, Thornburgh enlisted in the Sixth East Tennessee Volunteers as a private and was quickly promoted to sergeant-major, lieutenant, and adjunct. He served during the

at the

Battle of Mill Springs The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union terminology, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 1 ...

, Morgan's retreat to the Ohio, and the

Battle of Stone River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Ame ...

. He served until August 1863. Thornburgh enrolled at West Point, the

,f on July 1, 1863, and graduated on June 17, 1867, and that day he was promoted to second lieutenant in the second artillery. He was first stationed at

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

, remaining there until February 25, 1868. From there he went to

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 Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and was there from April 13, 1868, to May 1869. He was then at

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...

until November 10, 1871, except during a period when he was detached and sent to

Sitka, Alaska russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

, from August 23 to November 17, 1869. From December 6, 1869, to April 1870, he was professor of military science at

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, California. In April 1870, he was promoted to first or second lieutenant. He was then a professor of military tactics at

East Tennessee University The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

until 1873. Thornburgh was in the garrison at

Fort Foote Fort Foote was an American Civil War-era wood and earthwork fort that was part of the wartime defenses of Washington, D.C., which helped defend the Potomac River approach to the city. It operated from 1863 to 1878, when the post was abandoned, ...

in Maryland from November 27, 1871, to June 20, 1873, when he became an active member of the masonic degree of knighthood in the Demolay Commandery, No. 4 of Washington, D.C. He was transferred to

Fort Brown Fort Brown (originally Fort Texas) was a military post of the United States Army in Cameron County, Texas, during the latter half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Established in 1846, it was the first US Army military ...

on August 13, 1874, and was there until January 20, 1877. He was at

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, ...

for fifteen months until May 23, 1878. He was promoted to the rank of Major in April 1875 and appointed to the position of paymaster in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

on July 12, 1875. In May 1878, he was assigned to the Fourth United States Infantry. He was then the commander of Fort Steele in Wyoming until June 19, 1878. After than, he was on scouting duty.

Battle of Milk Creek

Indian agent

Nathan Meeker Nathan Cook Meeker (July 12, 1817 – September 30, 1879) was a 19th-century American journalist, homesteader, entrepreneur, and Indian agent for the federal government. He is noted for his founding in 1870 of the Union Colony, a cooperative a ...

and other officials from Colorado asked for help from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

due to a deepening divide between the Utes of western Colorado and the White River Indian Agency and area inhabitants. An expedition was organized to stop the months of trouble between the Indian Agency and the Utes. On September 16, 1879, Thornburgh received an order from army headquarters "to move with a sufficient number of troops to the White River Ute Agency, Colorado, under special instructions". It was a difficult order to receive. He thought that Meeker complained about minor issues and Thornburgh liked the Utes. Major Thornburgh, the commander of Fort Steele, arranged for around 180 soldiers from companies D and F of the Fifth Cavalry, led by Lieutenant B. D. Price and Captain J. S. Payne. The group included a quartermaster and surgeon. A supply train of 25 wagons brought provisions to last around 30 days. They intended to stay up to 45 days, foraging for food the last 15 days. Thornburg intended to arrest and hold anyone that Meeker identified as problem-some people. Thornburgh and his troops left

in present-day Wyoming for northwestern Colorado on August 22, 1879. Chief Jack (

Nicaagat Nicaagat (leaves becoming green, 1840–1882), also known as Chief, Captain and Ute Jack and Green Leaf. A Ute warrior and subchief, he led a Ute war party against the United States Army when it crossed Milk Creek onto the Ute reservation, which ...

) met the expedition at Yampa River, seeking to understand the purpose and strength of the exhibition. He was peaceful, but dubious that the military had peaceful intentions and was very bitter about Meeker's intentions. He asked Thornburgh to enter the Ute reservation at Milk Creek without other soldiers for a peaceful negotiation between the Utes, the White River Indian Agency, and Thornburgh. Thornton and his soldiers saw a line of Ute soldiers on a ridge as they entered the Ute reservation on September 29, 1879. They were headed for the White River Agency when they were ambushed in the Milk Creek valley. Thornburgh was shot above his ear, fell from his horse, and died. The conflict was called the

and the battle site extends over about 1,600 acres. Meeker, others at the White River Agency, Thornburgh, and 11 or 13 of his soldiers were killed in the attack on the Agency and at Milk Creek. Some women and children were taken captive by the Utes.

Personal life

Thornburgh married Eliza Clarke, daughter of Robert Clarke, in Nebraska on December 26, 1870. His wife was the sister of a fellow West Point student. Thornburg and his wife, also called Lida, lived at Fort Steele, during which they had a daughter Olivia and a son Bobby. Thornburg was commander of Fort Steele, where he lived with his wife and three children. They had a son who died while at Fort Steele and was interred in the cemetery there. Upon Thornburgh's death, his son's body was moved and placed in his grave in Omaha, Nebraska.

Death and legacy

After his death in 1879, his father-in-law, Major Clarke, traveled to the front to receive his body, which was then transported by train to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. His body was received by a detachment of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

of Nebraska and taken to the Masonic Hall, where he was lain in state. He was buried at Spring Forest Cemetery. In 1903, his body was moved to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

. His wife died on June 28, 1930, and she was interred next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery on July 2, 1930. The town of Thornburgh, Colorado and Thornburgh Mountain, 16.5 and 15 miles northeast of Meeker, respectively, were named for him.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thornburgh, Thomas Tipton 1843 births 1879 deaths Guides People from Tennessee Deaths by firearm in Colorado United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel killed in the American Indian Wars People of the American Old West Union Army officers United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars