George Morton Randall
Encyclopedia
George Morton Randall was a Major General
in the United States Army
, noted for his service in the American Civil War
and Indian Wars
.
, the son of Brewster Randall (1807–1880) and Harriet Eliza Fifield Randall (1819–1878). Randall enlisted as a private
in the 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the fall of 1861. He then accepted appointment as 2nd Lieutenant in October. He served in New York
and Washington, D.C.
, and in the field with the Army of the Potomac
. He was a 2nd Lieutenant at the Siege of Yorktown
, Battle of Gaines' Mill
, Battle of Malvern Hill
, Second Bull Run (where he commanded Company C), and Fredericksburg
; and a First Lieutenant at the Battle of the Wilderness
. He was appointed a brevet Captain for gallant service in the Battle of Antietam
. He served as a major
in the 14th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, part of Major General George Meade
's IX Corps on the Richmond-Petersburg Front in 1864, and was commander of the regiment at the Battle of the Crater
. The Dansville Advertiser reported on 7 September that he assumed command of the regiment on 18 August. This article also reports that he was wounded in the battle on 19 August. He was appointed a brevet Lieutenant Colonel
, and then Colonel
for gallantry in the Battle of Fort Stedman
. He mustered out of the Volunteer service on 26 August, and was appointed Captain in the 4th US Infantry on 23 September 1865. Subsequently he served at Davids' Island Military Reservation, New York
Harbor, where he was in December 1867.
in Arizona during the Tonto Basin campaign. On March 27, 1873 he led a small force that attacked a group of Yavapai
Indians in the Battle of Turret Peak
.
On April 25, he led a force that surrounded the camp of Tonto Apache chief Delshay on upper Canyon Creek
. Delshay surrendered when the troops started firing, the last of the Apache
war chiefs to surrender and move to a reservation.
He also served with General Crook in the 1876 Powder River Expedition during the Black Hills War. From 1879 to 1880, Randall commanded Fort Reno
in Oklahoma
. He was promoted to Major on 15 January 1891. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Infantry on 1 March 1894, then Colonel of the 17th US Infantry
in the Spanish-American War
on 8 August 1898. A month later he transferred back to the 8th US Infantry.
n Territory in search of gold
, President William McKinley
assigned Randall, now a colonel
, to command an army division there. He received commission as Brigadier General of Volunteers on 20 January 1900. He was the first commander of Fort St. Michael, and submitted a recommendation calling for a telegraph line between the various Alaskan posts. He was appointed Brigadier General
, USA, on 6 February 1901. In his Annual Report for the Department of Alaska
, he noted that "the Eskimo
has been unnoticed by those he has befriended and has been allowed to die for the lack of proper care and food." He later served at New York and Knoxville, Tennessee
, and commanded at Vancouver, Washington
, prior to commanding the Department of Luzon in the Philippines
from 1903 to 1905. After further duty in St. Louis, Missouri
, General Randall retired on 8 October 1905, and died on 14 June 1918 in Denver, Colorado
. He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin
(Block 20, lot 9, grave 6).
During his long service, he was awarded six brevets: Captain (17 September 1862) for Antietam; Major (2 April 1865) for Petersburg; Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel of Volunteers (26 March 1865) for the attack on Fort Stedman; Lieutenant Colonel (27 February 1890) for actions against Indians at Turret Mountain, Arizona on 27 March 1873 and Diamond Butte, Arizona, on 22 April 1873; and Colonel (27 February 1890) for "action against Indians near Pinal, Arizona 8 March 1874" and "distinguished service during the campaign against Indians in Arizona.
General Randall is not to be confused with the Reverend George M. Randall (1810–1873), Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Colorado, one of the founders of the Colorado School of Mines
.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, noted for his service in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
.
Civil War
He was born in Conneaut, OhioConneaut, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,485 people, 5,038 households, and 3,410 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.4 people per square mile . There were 5,710 housing units at an average density of 216.5 per square mile...
, the son of Brewster Randall (1807–1880) and Harriet Eliza Fifield Randall (1819–1878). Randall enlisted as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the fall of 1861. He then accepted appointment as 2nd Lieutenant in October. He served in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and in the field with the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. He was a 2nd Lieutenant at the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, Battle of Gaines' Mill
Battle of Gaines' Mill
The Battle of Gaines's Mill, sometimes known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War...
, Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Malvern Hill
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the seventh and last day of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War. Gen. Robert E. Lee launched a series of disjointed assaults on the nearly impregnable...
, Second Bull Run (where he commanded Company C), and Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
; and a First Lieutenant at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
. He was appointed a brevet Captain for gallant service in the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. He served as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the 14th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, part of Major General George Meade
George Meade
George Gordon Meade was a career United States Army officer and civil engineer involved in coastal construction, including several lighthouses. He fought with distinction in the Second Seminole War and Mexican-American War. During the American Civil War he served as a Union general, rising from...
's IX Corps on the Richmond-Petersburg Front in 1864, and was commander of the regiment at the Battle of the Crater
Battle of the Crater
The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg. It took place on July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General George G. Meade The...
. The Dansville Advertiser reported on 7 September that he assumed command of the regiment on 18 August. This article also reports that he was wounded in the battle on 19 August. He was appointed a brevet Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
, and then Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
for gallantry in the Battle of Fort Stedman
Battle of Fort Stedman
The Battle of Fort Stedman was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon. The attack was the last...
. He mustered out of the Volunteer service on 26 August, and was appointed Captain in the 4th US Infantry on 23 September 1865. Subsequently he served at Davids' Island Military Reservation, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Harbor, where he was in December 1867.
Indian Wars
He was assigned to the 23rd Infantry on 31 December 1870, and served with them in the West for more than 20 years. In 1873 he served under General George CrookGeorge Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
in Arizona during the Tonto Basin campaign. On March 27, 1873 he led a small force that attacked a group of Yavapai
Yavapai people
Yavapai are an indigenous people in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai were divided into four geographical bands that considered themselves separate peoples: the Tolkapaya, or Western Yavapai, the Yavapé, or Northwestern Yavapai, the Kwevkapaya, or Southeastern Yavapai, and Wipukpa, or Northeastern...
Indians in the Battle of Turret Peak
Battle of Turret Peak
The Battle of Turret Peak occurred March 27, 1873 in the Arizona Territory between the United States Army and a group of Yavapai and Tonto Apaches as part of Lieutenant Colonel George Crook's campaign to return the natives to reservations.- Background :...
.
On April 25, he led a force that surrounded the camp of Tonto Apache chief Delshay on upper Canyon Creek
Canyon Creek
Canyon Creek may refer to:*Canyon Creek, Texas, a neighborhood in Austin*Canyon Creek , a creek*Canyon Creek, Yukon, a small outpost located on the Alaska Highway, YT Canada...
. Delshay surrendered when the troops started firing, the last of the Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
war chiefs to surrender and move to a reservation.
He also served with General Crook in the 1876 Powder River Expedition during the Black Hills War. From 1879 to 1880, Randall commanded Fort Reno
Fort Reno (Oklahoma)
Fort Reno was established as a permanent post in July 1875, near the Darlington Indian Agency on the old Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation in Indian Territory, in present-day central Oklahoma. Named for General Jesse L. Reno, who died at the Battle of South Mountain, it supported the U.S...
in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He was promoted to Major on 15 January 1891. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 8th Infantry on 1 March 1894, then Colonel of the 17th US Infantry
17th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 17th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment. While the 17th Infantry Regiment was organized on January 11, 1812, it was consolidated with the 3rd Infantry due to extremely heavy losses at Frenchtown, and lost its identity two years later until May 3, 1861, when it was...
in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
on 8 August 1898. A month later he transferred back to the 8th US Infantry.
Alaska and the Philippines
In January 1900, in response to large numbers of immigrants flooding into the AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
n Territory in search of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
assigned Randall, now a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, to command an army division there. He received commission as Brigadier General of Volunteers on 20 January 1900. He was the first commander of Fort St. Michael, and submitted a recommendation calling for a telegraph line between the various Alaskan posts. He was appointed Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
, USA, on 6 February 1901. In his Annual Report for the Department of Alaska
Department of Alaska
The Department of Alaska was the designation for the government of Alaska from its purchase by the United States of America in 1867 until its organization as the District of Alaska in 1884. During the department era, Alaska was variously under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army , the United States...
, he noted that "the Eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
has been unnoticed by those he has befriended and has been allowed to die for the lack of proper care and food." He later served at New York and Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, and commanded at Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, prior to commanding the Department of Luzon in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from 1903 to 1905. After further duty in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, General Randall retired on 8 October 1905, and died on 14 June 1918 in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin
Janesville, Wisconsin
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.-History:...
(Block 20, lot 9, grave 6).
During his long service, he was awarded six brevets: Captain (17 September 1862) for Antietam; Major (2 April 1865) for Petersburg; Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel of Volunteers (26 March 1865) for the attack on Fort Stedman; Lieutenant Colonel (27 February 1890) for actions against Indians at Turret Mountain, Arizona on 27 March 1873 and Diamond Butte, Arizona, on 22 April 1873; and Colonel (27 February 1890) for "action against Indians near Pinal, Arizona 8 March 1874" and "distinguished service during the campaign against Indians in Arizona.
Namesake
was named for him. He is also a Prominent Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.General Randall is not to be confused with the Reverend George M. Randall (1810–1873), Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Colorado, one of the founders of the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...
.