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Edward Richard Sprigg Canby ( November 9 1817 – April 11 1873 ) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union General in the American Civil War and Indian Wars . ORIGIN & BACKGROUND Canby was born in Piatt's Landing, Kentucky to Israel T. and Elizabeth (Piatt) Canby. He attended Wabash College, but transferred to the U.S. Military Academy , from which he graduated in 1839 . He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Infantry and served as the regimental adjutant. He married Louisa Hawkins at Crawfordsville, Indiana , August 1 , 1839 . Although often referred to as Edward Canby, a biographer has suggested that he was known as "Richard" during childhood and as "Sprigg" by fellow cadets at West Point, but during most of his career, he was generally referred to as "E. R. S. Canby." EARLY MILITARY CAREER During his early career, he served in the Seminole War in Florida and saw action during the Mexican-American War where he received three Brevet promotions, including to Major for Contreras and Churubusco and Lieutenant Colonel for BelĂ©n Gates . He also served at various posts including Upstate New York and the Utah Territory during the Mormon War and in the adjutant general's office in California from 1849 until 1851, covering the period of the territory's transition to statehood. CIVIL WAR At the start of the Civil War, Canby was in command of Fort Defiance , New Mexico Territory . He was promoted to Colonel of the 19th U.S. Infantry on May 14 1861 , and the following month commanded the Department of New Mexico. He prevented Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley from reaching Colorado and California and defeated him after the decisive Battle Of Glorieta Pass (although this battle was fought under the command of Col. John P. Slough against Canby's orders). Canby was promoted to brigadier general on March 31 1862 , immediately following this battle. Canby became "commanding general of the city and harbor of New York " on July 17 1863 . This was immediately following the New York Draft Riots . He remained in that post until November 9 , not only restarting the draft but overseeing a prisoner of war camp in New York Harbor. He then went to work in the office of the Secretary of War, unofficially describing himself in correspondence as an "Assistant Adjutant General." (Looking back on Canby's record, a twentieth century Adjutant General, Edward F. Witsell, described Canby's position as "similar to that of an Assistant to the Secretary of the Army.") In May 1864, Canby was promoted to Major General and returned to the West where he commanded the Military Division of Western Mississippi. He was wounded in the hip and groin by a sniper while aboard the gunboat ''USS Cricket'' on the White River, Arkansas , on November 8 1864 . Canby commanded the Union forces at the Battle Of Fort Blakely , which led to the fall of Mobile in 1865. Canby accepted the surrender of the Confederate forces under General Richard Taylor on May 4, 1865 and those under General E. Kirby Smith on May 26, 1865. Canby was generally regarded as a great administrator, but opinion was mixed as to whether or not he was a great warrior. " because he was expert in the minutiae of administration. If someone had a question about army regulations or even Constitutional law affecting the military, Canby was the go-to man. Grant himself came to appreciate this in peace time, once complaining vigorously when President Andrew Johnson proposed to assign Canby away from the capital where Grant considered him irreplaceable. POST WAR ASSIGNMENTS After the war, Canby served as commander of various military departments, remaining in charge in Louisiana from 1864 to May 1866; the Department of Washington (that is, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Alexandria and Fairfax Counties in Virginia) from June 1866 until August 1867 when he was appointed to command the Second Military District comprising North and South Carolina. In August 1868, he briefly resumed command in Washington but was off to the Fifth Military District in November. There he focused primarily on the reconstruction of Texas. He left Texas for Virginia, the First Military District , in April 1869, serving there until July 1870. Each of these postings occurred during Reconstruction and put Canby at the center of conflicts between Republicans and Democrats, whites and blacks, state and federal governments. New state constitutions were either being written, ratified or put into effect in each district that he commanded, and he could not help but offend one side or the other (and often both). Nevertheless, Charles W. Ramsdell called Canby "vigorous and firm, but just." Even political opponents like Jonathan Worth, governor of North Carolina, had to admit that Canby was sincere and honest. FINAL ASSIGNMENT & DEATH On July 21, 1870, Canby was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. In August he was posted to command the Pacific Northwest . One of the problems he soon faced was that the Modoc tribe, which had previously lived in northern California , had been compelled to live on the same reservation in Oregon with the Klamath tribe with whom they did not get along. The government would not give them their own reservation in California, so the Modocs returned to their old territory illegally. In 1872 the Modoc War broke out. The Modocs, entrenched in Captain Jack's Stronghold south of Tule Lake , resisted army attacks, fighting to a stalemate. General Canby had received conflicting orders from Washington as to whether to make peace or war on the Modocs, and he expressed conflicting impulses about the matter himself. Since war was not working, the federal government authorized a peace commision and assigned Canby a key position on it. The purposes of the commision were undermined by the fact that there were many lines of communication between the Modocs and whites. At one point, someone in touch with Captain Jack alleged that the governor of Oregon intended to hang nine Modocs, apparently without trial, as soon as they surrendered. This caused the Modocs to break off scheduled talks. This frustrated and infuriated Canby because, as far as he was concerned, his own authority trumped the governor's and made the threat irrelevant because Canby had no intention of allowing the Modocs to be molested if they surrendered, especially without a trial. On April 11 , 1873 , after months of false starts and aborted meetings, Canby went unarmed, and with some hope of final resolution, to talks that were to be held midway between the army encampment and Captian Jack's Stronghold near Tule Lake. Two members of Canby's party brought concealed weapons, but, as it turned out, even more of the Modocs were armed. Frustrated by the negotiations Captain Jack , leader of the Modocs, along with Ellen's Man, one of his lieutenants, shot Canby twice in the head and cut his throat. He was the first, and only, General killed during the Indian Wars . Several other members of Canby's party were killed or wounded. According to Jeff C. Riddle, author of ''Indian History of the Modoc War'' (not published, 1914), Canby provoked Captain Jack by claiming that he had no authority to withdraw the 1,000 troops he had positioned nearby. (It is uncertain whether Riddle is related to Frank Riddle, Canby's interpreter at the talks.) Following Canby's death, there was a severe backlash against the Modocs. Eastern newspapers called for blood vengeance. (All except for one paper in Georgia that headlined the story: "Captain Jack and Warriors Revenge the South By Murdering General Canby, One of Her Greatest Oppressors"; however, no such sentiment appears to have come from any of the districts where Canby actually served.) Eventually, Captain Jack and others were tried for murder and executed. The Modocs were sent to reservations. Canby was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, , Philip Sheridan , Lew Wallace , and Irvin McDowell . In recognition of his assassination, Canby's Cross monument was erected in Lava Beds National Monument . The towns of Canby in Clackamas County, Oregon , and Canby in Modoc County, California , are named for him. MOVIE TRIVIA Mentioned in dialogue of '' The Good, The Bad And The Ugly '', Sergio Leone 's stylish Spaghetti Western . REFERENCES
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