John Navarre Macomb Jr., was a
United States Army topographical engineer
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
and explorer of the
Colorado River.
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 ...
Macomb led the 1859 San Juan Exploring Expedition, whose purpose was to find a military supply route from
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
, to
Utah and to map previously unexplored areas along the route. The expedition included the botanist and geologist
John Strong Newberry, who made notable scientific observations along the route.
Early life
Macomb was born on 9 April 1811 in
New York City, and was the great grandson of
Philip Livingston, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. Am 1832 graduate of
West Point, he participated in the
Black Hawk Expedition. He married a cousin, Czarina Carolina Macomb, in 1838, with whom he had two children. She died in 1846. Macomb remarried in 1850, to Ann Minverva Rodgers ("Nannie"), with whom he had six children. He was promoted to captain in the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1851 and conducted surveys in the
Great Lakes until 1856. That year, he was named chief topographical engineer of the territory of
New Mexico.
Macomb Expedition
The Macomb Expedition of 1859 was a consequence of the
Utah War, in which the U.S. Army had suffered from serious
logistical
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
difficulties. Macomb sought to find a route for military supplies from Santa Fe to central Utah, and also to map the unexplored regions along the route. Though originally political and military in nature, the expedition became "a quintessential scientific endeavor". However, the outbreak of the
American Civil War delayed publication of the report of the expedition until 1876, and it has tended to be overshadowed by the great survey expeditions of the post-Civil War period.
American Civil War
Macomb served as a staff officer during the Civil War.
Later life
Macomb died in
Washington, D.C., on March 16, 1889.
See also
*
Macomb (surname) for some of his near relations
References
United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel
United States Army officers
American explorers
1811 births
1889 deaths
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