William Selby Harney (22 August 1800 - 9 May 1889) was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. Maj. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1800 (MDCCC) was an exceptional common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia Strength 7,000 - 43,000 18,000 - 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded (Mexican government... Combatants Native Americans USA Indian Wars is the name used by historians in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between the United States and Native American peoples (Indians) of North America. ...

Early Military Career

Harney started his military career in 1818 as a second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Infantry. He forced the pirate Jean Lafitte to move his operations to the coast of Spain. He served with distinction during the Seminole Wars and the Blackhawk War. 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... Jean Lafitte or Laffite (1780? - 1826?), was a privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. ... Osceola, Seminole leader, detail from an 1838 lithograph The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three wars or conflicts in Florida between the Seminole Native American tribe and the United States. ... The Black Hawk War was a war fought in 1832 in the Midwestern section of the United States of America between American settlers and Native Americans. ...

During the Mexican-American War he was appointed colonel and commanded the 2nd Dragoons. The 2nd Dragoons were attached to John E. Wool's command during the Chihuahua Expedition and the battle of Buena Vista. Harney joined Winfield Scott's Army as senior cavalry officer Fighting with distinction at the battle of Cerro Gordo he received a promotion to brevet brigadier general. He was placed in commanded of Military Department Number 5 after the war. While on leave in Paris he was recalled to lead an expedition against the Sioux after the Grattan Massacre culminating in the Battle of Ash Hollow in 1855. For his merciless handling of the battle he was known among the Sioux as "the Butcher" and "Woman Killer". He was then placed in command of the Department of Oregon. During this time he sent troops under Captain George E. Pickett to San Juan Island precipitating the Pig War. Due to these altercations with the British he was recalled. Briefly in command of troops during the Utah War he was again recalled and placed in command of troops sent to deal with the Bleeding Kansas affair. Promoted to full brigadier general on June 14, 1858 he was one of four general officers in the regular army at the opening of the Civil War. Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia Strength 7,000 - 43,000 18,000 - 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded (Mexican government... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution A dragoon is a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. ... John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 - November 10, 1869) was one of the four general officers of the United States Army in 1861, and was the one who saw the most Civil War service. ... The state of Chihuahua is the largest of the 31 states of Mexico and is located in the northwestern part of the country. ... The Battle of Buena Vista was a land battle of the Mexican-American War fought on 23 February 1847 in Buena Vista, Coahuila, seven miles (12 km) south of Saltillo, in northern Mexico. ... Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was a United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Winfield Scott Antonio López de Santa Anna Strength 8,500 12,000 Casualties 417 4,000 Gen Ciriaco Vasquez dead Gens. ... In the US military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Part of the Paris region skyline with from left to right: Montparnasse Tower, Eiffel Tower, and La Défense. ... The Sioux (also: Lakota) are a Native American people. ... The Grattan massacre of August 17, 1854 occurred east of Fort Laramie, Nebraska Territory, USA (in present-day Goshen County, Wyoming). ... The Grattan Massacre occurred in what is today Nebraska, USA on August 17, 1854 near Fort Laramie, in which a number of US soldiers were killed by Brule Sioux. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Portrait of George E. Pickett George Edward Pickett (January 25, 1825 – July 30, 1875) was a major-general in the army of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. ... A forest on San Juan Island San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, USA. Washington State Ferries serves Friday Harbor, which is San Juan Islands major population center, the San Juan County seat, and the only incorporated town... The Pig War (also called the Pig Episode, the San Juan Boundary Dispute or the Northwestern Boundary Dispute) was a confrontation in 1859 between American and British authorities, resulting from a dispute over the boundary between the United States and Great Britain. ... The Utah War was a 19th century armed conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government. ... Division of the states during the Civil War:  Union states  Union territories  Border states  Bleeding Kansas  The Confederacy  Confederate territories (not always held) Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in the history of Kansas as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a sequence of violent events involving Free-Staters (anti... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Civil War

Harney commanded the Army's Department of the West at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri at the beginning of the war. Missouri started the war as a "armed neutral" vowing not to send men or money to either side while at the same time remaining part of the Union. The neutrality was put to the test on May 10, 1861 when Union General Nathaniel Lyon paraded captured Missouri National Guardsmen through the streets after he claimed they were attempting to seize the St. Louis Arsenal for the Confederate cause. Lyon's troops fired on the crowd in what is called the St. Louis massacre. The incident so enraged the state that the members of the General Assembly both North and South voted the next day to authorize the state's national guard (renamed the Missouri State Guard) to fight any army north or south that attacked the state. The Department of the West, later known as the Western Department, was a major command (Department) of the United States Army during the 19th century. ... Jefferson Barracks Military Post was open in 1826 to replace Fort Bellefontaine 1806-1826. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: Country United States State Missouri County Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area    - City 66. ... Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 - August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his action in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict. ... The St. ... The St. ... The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a state militia unit organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. ...

Harney tried to calm the situation by striking a deal with of the Missouri State Guard General Sterling Price (who at the time was actually pro-Union) that Missouri could remain neutral (called the Price-Harney Truce). Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson (who had favored succession) swore allegiance to the Union in the deal. General Price Sterling Old Pap Price (September 20, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an antebellum politician from the U.S. state of Missouri and a Confederate major general during the American Civil War. ... The Price-Harney Truce was a document signed on May 21, 1861 between United States Army General William S. Harney and Missouri State Militia commander Sterling Price at the beginning of the American Civil War. ... Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was a lawyer, soldier, politician, and Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ...

Politically-connected Lyon was not happy with the deal and Harney was called to the Washington, DC to discuss the case. He was captured by Confederates en route and was offered a command by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. He refused and was released to continue on to Washington, where he was relieved his command and replaced by Lyon who was to drive the elected governor Claiborne Jackson from office in a series of battles before being killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek while pursuing the governor. He retired in 1863 and was breveted to Major General in 1865 in recognition of his long and distinguished career. President Lincoln said that the removal of General Harney was one of the greatest mistakes of his administration. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... For the author of Inherit the Wind and other works, see Robert Edwin Lee. ... Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was a lawyer, soldier, politician, and Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America State of Missouri Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel Lyon Samuel D. Sturgis Franz Sigel Sterling Price Ben McCulloch Strength Army of the West Missouri State Guard and McCulloch’s Brigade Casualties 1,235 1,095 The Battle of Wilsons Creek, also known as... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ...

Peace Negotiator

Though a then-well-known cavalry officer of the Indian Wars, William Harney worked for peace with the Indians by advocating a good neighbor policy and strove throughout his career to improve the nation's treatment of the native population, vainly seeking to have them treated fairly. The Crows gave him the name "Man-who-runs-like-the-deer" after he challenged them to foot races outside the walls of the fort. After the Civil War he was a key figure in the Indian Peace Commission that negotiated treaties with all the Plains Indians in 1867-68, and urged Congress to honor past treaties. After his death in Orlando, Florida, the Sioux changed his name to "Man-who-always-kept-his-word". The Crow, also called the Absaroka or Apsáalooke, are a tribe of Native Americans who historically lived in the Yellowstone river valley and now live on a reservation south of Billings, Montana. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Nickname: The City Beautiful, O-Town Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... The Sioux (also: Lakota) are a Native American people. ...

Harney's home in Sullivan, Missouri is privately owned by an organization that is seeking its restoration. Sullivan is a city located in Crawford and Franklin County, Missouri. ...

Namesakes

Harney County, Oregon is named for the general. Harney Peak is named for the general. Harney Gym located on Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is also named for the general. Harney County is a county created in the state of Oregon in 1889. ... Harney Peak is the highest mountain in South Dakota, located in Black Hills National Forest. ...

Sources

• Texas Handbook Online
• MILITARY CAREER OF Wm S HARNEY