Edwin Vose Sumner Jr. (August 16, 1835 – August 23, 1912) was a general in the United States Army. Born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania; he was the son of General Edwin Vose Sumner, one of the oldest generals to serve during the American Civil War.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 519.

Civil War service

Edwin V. Sumner Jr. began his military career shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War, when he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment on August 5, 1861. He was promoted to first lieutenant on November 12, 1861. He served as aide de camp to Major General George Stoneman between January 1863 and August 1863. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of volunteers on May 19, 1863. He was mustered out of the volunteers on August 15, 1863. On September 23, 1863, Sumner was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Regular Army. He served as an Assistant Inspector General of the cavalry in the Army of the James in 1864 until July 21, 1864. He was appointed brevet major in the regular army for his service at the Battle of Todd's Tavern. He served as an Assistant Inspector General of the cavalry in the Department of West Virginia starting July 21, 1864. On September 8, 1864, he was appointed colonel of the

1st Regiment New York Mounted Rifles The 1st Regiment New York Mounted Rifles, sometimes designated 7th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry, was a cavalry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Companies organized and mustered in between July 1861 and Sep ...

. He commanded the 3rd Brigade of the Cavalry Division, XVIII Corps (Union Army), Army of the James between February 5, 1865 and March 28, 1865. Sumner was mustered out of the volunteers and reverted to his Regular Army rank of captain on September 29, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Sumner for appointment to the grade of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.

Post Civil War

After the Civil War, Sumner served in the Indian Wars. He was appointed

in the 5th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, March 4, 1879,

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, April 15, 1890, and colonel of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, November 10, 1894. In April of 1890, he participated in the Pine Ridge Campaign in which the 8th Cavalry was ordered to establish a camp on the Cheyanne River in order to observe a band of

Miniconjou Lakota The Miniconjou (Lakota: Mnikowoju, Hokwoju – ‘Plants by the Water’) are a Native American people constituting a subdivision of the Lakota people, who formerly inhabited an area in western present-day South Dakota from the Black Hills i ...

under the leadership of Big Foot. The relationship between the Lakota and the U.S. Cavalry was initially amicable, but this soon deteriorated after incidents of Lakota harassing soldiers, attempting to steal horses, and reports that the Lakota were buying up rifles and ammunition in preparation for battle. Sumner was ordered to arrest and disarm Big Foot and his band, but failed to do so when the band rode away to the Pine Ridge Reservation. In 1890, he was elected a member of the Massachusetts

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

by right of his collateral descent from Major Job Sumner, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. At the beginning of the Spanish–American War, he was appointed brigadier general of Volunteers on May 27, 1898 and was discharged from the Volunteers on February 24, 1899.

Later life

Sumner was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army on March 27, 1899 and retired from the United States Army three days later after 37 years of service. Sumner died at San Francisco, California on August 28, 1912. He was buried at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Family

He was married to Margaret Forster, the daughter of General John Forster (1777–1863). His brother was Major General Samuel S. Sumner.

Awards

* Civil War Campaign Medal *

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

* Spanish War Service Medal (posthumously eligible)

References

External links

*Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Francis B. Heitman. 1903. p. 936. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner Jr., Edwin Vose 1835 births 1912 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Military personnel from Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Army colonels United States Army generals Sumner family