William Weer (''a.k.a.'' William A. Weer and William WeirEicher p. 558) was a lawyer, attorney general for Kansas and an officer in the Union Army 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 is notable for his service in the Trans-Mississippi Theater early in the war and later for being dismissed from the army following a

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

Biography

During the time Weer worked as a lawyer he served as legal council for the Wyandott Reservation in Kansas. In 1857 Weer became the second person to hold to position of attorney general in the territory of Kansas. He held that post from 1857-1858. He was also active in the Kansas State Militia and became a brigadier general of militia in 1861. On June 29, 1861 Weer was appointed colonel of the 4th Kansas Volunteer Infantry intended to serve in Jim Lane's "Kansas Brigade". Before the regiment was fully up to strength, General James G. Blunt chose Weer, then the senior colonel at Baxter Springs, Kansas, to command the so-called "Indian Expedition" into the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

(present-day Oklahoma).Gaines, W. Craig. ''The Confederate Cherokees: John Drew's Regiment of Mounted Rifles''.
p. 96. Louisiana State University Press. 1989. Available on Google Books. Retrieved December 28, 2014. A sizable force of 5,000 men was assembled and departed from Baxter Springs, Kansas. The expedition started well for the Union soldiers. Weer drove off pro-Confederate Cherokee forces, and defeated a force of Missourians under Colonel J. J. Clarkson at the

battle of Locust Grove The Battle of Locust Grove was a small-scale confrontation of the American Civil War in the Indian Territory on July 3, 1862. About 250 Union troops commanded by Colonel William Weer, surprised approximately 300 Confederate troops commanded by C ...

, capturing the Rebel's supply train. The expedition moved from Locust Grove to Flat Rock, from Fort Gibson. Low supplies, oppressive summer heat, and indecision on Weer's part led to extreme low morale among the Union troops. Weer's habitual drunkenness led to a mutiny among the other officers of the expedition, spearheaded by Colonel

Frederick Salomon Frederick (''Friedrich'') Charles Salomon (April 7, 1826March 8, 1897) was a German immigrant to the United States who served as a Union Army officer and general during the American Civil War. He was an elder brother of the Civil War-era Wiscon ...

. Salomon placed Weer under arrest and assumed command of the expedition and withdrew to meet up with the supply trains. While serving in Lane's Kansas Brigade, Weer was present during the

Sacking of Osceola A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), an Iris ...

, and was one of the few Jayhawker officers present to favor sparing the town over burning it. His desire was overruled by Lane.Sunderwith, Richard, ''The Burning of Osceola, Missouri'' p.90 By 1862 the 4th Kansas Infantry had never been completed and the existing soldiers were merged with those of the 3rd Kansas Infantry and 5th Kansas Infantry to form the 10th Kansas Infantry. The 10th Kansas was mustered into service on April 3, 1862 with

William F. Cloud William F. Cloud (March 23, 1825March 4, 1905) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War who participated in many battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. Early life and career Cloud was born near Columbus, Ohio and enlisted ...

(from the 2nd Kansas Cavalry) as colonel; Weer was ordered to take command of the regiment on June 1, 1862. His regiment was attached to the Department of Kansas and as ranking officer he assumed command of that department's 2nd Brigade. He led his brigade at the First Battle of Newtonia under the overall command of (now brigadier general) Frederick Salomon. In October 1862 Weer assumed command of the 2nd Brigade in Blunt's 1st Division of the Army of the Frontier. He commanded this brigade at the battles of Old Fort Wayne,

Cane Hill Cane Hill Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. The site is owned by GLA Land and Property. History The hospital has its origins as the third Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, designed by Charle ...

and Prairie Grove. In Blunt's official report on the action at Prairie Grove he praised Weer for behaving with 'gallantry, leading men into the thickest of the fight'. Shortly after the battle, Blunt left Weer in command of the 1st Division, which he commanded for a short while into 1863. Weer's main accomplishment was to recruit pro-Union Indians into military service, once this was approved by President Lincoln. He formed the

Indian Home Guard The Indian Home Guard was a series of volunteer infantry regiments recruited from the Five Civilized Tribes of the Indian Territory to support the Union during the American Civil War. There was also a series of Confederate units of Indian Territ ...

into two regiments. The 1st Regiment, commanded by Colonel Robert Furnas, contained Creek and Seminole warriors, most of whom had fought under Chief Opothleyahola on the fight to Kansas in 1861. The 2nd Regiment, led by Colonel John Ritchie, contained an assortment of tribesmen, including Cherokees, Caddos, Delawares, Kaws, Kickapoos, Osages, Quapaws and Shawnees.Bird, Roy. ''Civil War in Kansas''.
p. 61. Retrieved December 29, 2014. Weer's drinking again caused his removed from field command and in 1863 he was assigned to a desk job as assistant adjutant general in St. Louis, Missouri. He served that post for a short time before he and his regiment were assigned to prison duty at Alton, Illinois. Weer and the 10th Kansas Volunteer Infantry took charge of Alton Prison and remained there for the rest of the Civil War. On April 8, 1864 Weer was arrested for misappropriation of prisoner funds, drunkenness and neglect of duty. He was convicted following a court martial and cashiered from the army on August 20, 1864.
/ref> He briefly returned to military duty during

Price's Missouri 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 Am ...

as colonel of a Kansas militia regiment in 1864.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weer, William People of Kansas in the American Civil War Union Army colonels Union militia generals Kansas Attorneys General Military personnel of the American Civil War