Eugene Dumont Dimmick (1840–1935) was an American Brigadier General of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the

Crow War The Crow War, also known as the Crow Rebellion, or the Crow Uprising, was the only armed conflict between the United States and the Crow tribe of Montana, and the last Indian War fought in the state. In September 1887, the young medicine man Wra ...

and the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He was known for his participation in the execution of the Crow chief Sword Bearer and for leading the

9th Cavalry Regiment The 9th Cavalry Regiment is a parent cavalry regiment of the United States Army. Historically, it was one of the Army's four segregated African-American regiments and was part of what was known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The regiment saw combat d ...

during the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill (), also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Span ...

after its previous commander, John Morrison Hamilton was killed during the battle.

American Civil War

Dimmick was born on July 31, 1840, in

Athens, New York Athens is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 3,916 at the 2020 census. The town of Athens has a village also called Athens. The town is near the eastern edge of the county. History The town of Athens was form ...

on July 31, 1840, as the son of Elnathan Nye and Emily Jane (née McCowan) Dimmick. He began his military career by enlisting within Company G of the 2nd New Jersey State Militia on April 26, 1861, but after initially being discharged on July 31, 1861, he re-enlisted within Company M the

5th New York Cavalry Regiment The 5th New York Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 5th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry and nicknamed the "1st Ira Harris Guards", was a cavalry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment had a good fighting re ...

on October 7, 1861, as a First Sergeant before being promoted to Second Lieutenant on May 9, 1862. After being promoted to First Lieutenant on October 10, 1862, he fought in the battles of Good's Farm, Culpeper Court House, Cedar Mountain,

Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, South Mountain,

Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgin ...

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, Warrenton Junction,

Thoroughfare Gap ''Thoroughfare Gap'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stephen Stills, released in 1978. It was a critical and commercial disappointment that only charted at number 84 in the US. This album is now available as a three-album ...

, Gettysburg, Boonsboro and Williamsport as he would be severely wounded and imprisoned. After he was released, Dimmick was promoted to captain on July 5, 1863, but was later honorably discharged in November of that year due to his wounds. At some point in 1863, Dimmick married Mary Caldwell in 1863 but she would lead Dimmick widowed in 1882 after her death. He later became a Second Lieutenant at the 18th Regiment Veteran Reserve Corps in February 1864. During the Fenian Raids, Dimmick was stationed at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

and the

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before being mustered out on June 30, 1866.

Service in the frontier

Dimmick re-enlisted in the Regular Army on August 9, 1867, as a Second Lieutenant within the

. He met up with the regiment at

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

where he was promoted to First Lieutenant on January 10, 1870. The regiment was stationed there until 1875 as they were then ordered to change departments and serve at the

Department of the Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successful ...

. He was initially stationed at

Fort Wallace Fort Wallace ( 1865–1882) was a US Cavalry fort built in Wallace County, Kansas to help defend settlers against Cheyenne and Sioux raids and protect the stages. It is located on Pond Creek, and it was named after General W. H. L. Wallace. The ...

Fort Lyon Fort Lyon was composed of two 19th-century military fort complexes in southeastern Colorado. The initial fort, also called Fort Wise, operated from 1860 to 1867. After a flood in 1866, a new fort was built near Las Animas, Colorado, which ope ...

in 1876 and finally at Fort Union in 1877 and 1878. Dimmick then served in

Victorio's War Victorios War, or the Victorio Campaign, was an armed conflict between the Apache followers of Chief Victorio, the United States, and Mexico beginning in September 1879. Faced with arrest and forcible relocation from his homeland in New Mexic ...

across

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and Chihuahua where he was brevetted Captain on September 23, 1879, for his service in the Black Range Mountains of New Mexico. During his brief service of recruitment from 1882 to 1884, he was promoted to Captain on October 25, 1883. He then assisted the

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in settling within the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

before being transferred to Fort McKinney in 1885. During 1887, he participated in the

as he commanded the D and H troop of the 9th Cavalry Regiment and took part in the execution of Chief Sword Bearer. In 1896, Dimmick remarried to Florence Palmer Hazard, who died in 1913.

Spanish–American War

Upon the outbreak of the

, Dimmick remained as a Captain of the 9th Cavalry Regiment but after its commander, John Morrison Hamilton was killed in action, Dimmick assumed command of the regiment. For gallantry in service, he was promoted to Major of the

5th Cavalry Regiment The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on March 3, 1855, as the Second Cavalry Regiment. On August 3, 1861, it was redesignated as the 5th Cavalry Regiment following an ...

on July 13, 1898. For the rest of the war, Dimmick was stationed at

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

as he commanded the cavalry there and served as an associate judge of the United States Provisional Court at Matanzas in 1899.

Later years and retirement

After the war, Dimmick was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the

10th Cavalry Regiment The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original " Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–Civil War Regular Army. It served in combat during ...

on March 1, 1901. He later received a further promotion of Colonel on February 22, 1903, with his last post being at

Fort Ethan Allen Fort Ethan Allen was a United States Army installation in Vermont, named for American Revolutionary War figure Ethan Allen. Established as a cavalry post in 1894 and closed in 1944, today it is the center of a designated national historic distr ...

. Dimmick retired on March 2, 1903, and was advanced to Brigadier General on the retired list by Congress on April 23, 1904. He died on November 16, 1935, while at

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

. A week later, Dimmick was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

next to his second wife.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimmick, Eugene Dumont 1840 births 1935 deaths People from Greene County, New York American people of Scottish descent Military personnel from New York (state) Union army soldiers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union army officers People of New Jersey in the American Civil War United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery