★ ★ Saxton, Rufus

Rufus Saxton​

Born: October 19, 1824

Birthplace: Greenfield, Massachusetts

Father: Jonathan Asley Saxton 1795 – 1871

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Deerfield, Massachusetts)​

Mother: Miranda Wright 1799 – 1844

(Buried: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Deerfield, Massachusetts)​

Wife: Matilda Gordon Thompson 1840 – 1915

(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​

Education:

1849: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (18th​ in class)​

Occupation Before War:

1849 – 1850: Brevet 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​

​

1849 – 1850: Served in the Seminole War in Florida​

​

1850 – 1855: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 4th​ Artillery​

​

1850 – 1852: Frontier Duty at Fort Brown, Texas​

​

1853 – 1854: Served on Northern Pacific Railroad Exploration​

​

1854: Garrison Duty at Fort Niagara, New York​

​

1854 – 1855: Garrison Duty at Fort Ontario, New York​

​

1855 – 1861: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 4th​ Artillery

​

1855: Garrison Duty at Fort Independence, Massachusetts​

​

1855 – 1859: Served on United States Coast Survey​

​

1859 – 1860: Assistant Artillery Tactics Instructor at West Point​

​

1860 – 1861: Served on Professional Duty in Europe​

Civil War Career:

1861: Commander of Detachment of Artillery in St. Louis, Missouri​

​

1861: Helped breakup Camp Jackson, Missouri​

​

1861 – 1866: Captain and Assistant Quartermaster in U.S. Army​

​

1861: Chief Quartermaster on Staff of Brigadier General Lyon​

​

1861: Chief Quartermaster on Staff of Major General McClellan​

​

1861: Chief Quartermaster of Expeditionary Corps at Port Royal, South Carolina​

​

1861 – 1862: Chief Quartermaster for Department of the South​

​

1862 – 1865: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers

​

1862: On May 30, as the Commander of Defenses of Harper's Ferry, Virginia, Saxton defeats a Confederate attack from troops under Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.​

​

1862 – 1865: Military Governor of Department of the South​

​

1862 – 1865: Recruiter and Organizer of African American Soldiers​

​

1863 – 1865: Union Army Commander of District of Beaufort, South Carolina​

​

1863 – 1865: Union Army Commander of Military Reservations​

​

1865 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteers​

​

1865: Commander of Settlements and Plantations, Dept. of the South​

​

1865: Superintendent of Union Army Volunteer Recruiting Service​

​

1865: Brevetted Major, Lt. Colonel, Colonel and Brigadier General​

​

1865: Assistant Commissioner of Freedmen's Bureau in South Carolina and Georgia​

​

1865 – 1866: Assistant Commissioner of Freedmen's Bureau, Florida​

​

1866: On General Inspecting duty for Freedmen's Bureau​

​

1866: Mustered out of the Union Army Volunteers on January 15th​​

Occupation after War:

1866: Settling accounts in Washington, D.C.​

​

1866: Leave of Absence from United States Army​

​

1866 – 1867: Chief Quartermaster on Northern Frontier​

​

1866 – 1872: Major and Quartermaster in United States Army​

​

1867 – 1868: Chief Quartermaster, Third Military District​

​

1868 – 1869: Chief Quartermaster, Department of the South​

​

1869 – 1873: Chief Quartermaster, Department of Columbia​

​

1872 – 1882: Lt. Colonel and Deputy Quartermaster General​

​

1873 – 1874: Chief Quartermaster, Department of the Lakes​

​

1874 – 1875: Chief Quartermaster, Forth Quartermaster's District​

​

1875: In Charge of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Depot​

​

1875 – 1879: Chief Quartermaster, Department of the Missouri​

​

1879 – 1883: Chief Quartermaster, Division of the Pacific​

​

1882 – 1888: Colonel and Assistant Quartermaster General​

​

1883 – 1888: In charge of Quartermaster Depot at Jeffersonville, Indiana​

​

1888: Settling Accounts in Washington, D.C.​

​

1888: Retired from United States Army on October 19th​​

​

1893: On April 25, Saxton recieves the Medal of Honor for service in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign​

Died: February 23, 1908

Place of Death: In his home in Washington, D.C.

Cause of Death: Old Age, General debility and syncope

Age at time of Death: 83 years old

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Medal of Honor Citation​	The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Brigadier General Rufus Saxton, Jr., United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on May 26 - 30, 1862, while serving with U.S. Volunteers, in action at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, for distinguished gallantry and good conduct in the defense.

 

[Pollaco]

After the war he was also assistant commissioner of the Freeman's Bureau in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

 

[Pollaco]

He was commanding an artillery detachment under Nathaniel Lyon when he helped disperse the Missouri State Guard at Camp Jackson .

 

[gentlemanrob]

Happy Birthday Major General Rufus Saxton! Salutes remembering General Saxton on his birthday.

 

[Pollaco]

At the time of his being awarded the Medal of Honor in 1893, the New York Times reported that so far only 2 other generals (Schofield and Miles) have been awarded medals.