Lorenzo I. Sitgreaves (March 15, 1810 – May 14, 1888) was a U.S. Army officer from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

who led the 1851 Sitgreaves Expedition down the Zuñi and Colorado rivers.

Early life and career

Lorenzo I. Sitgreaves was born on March 15, 1810, in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

, the son of Mary (née Kemper) and Samuel Sitgreaves. His mother was born to Daniel Kemper, a colonel in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He was a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, West Point, New York, from July 1, 1827, to July 1, 1832, when he graduated 25th in his class of 45. He was appointed Brevet 2nd Lieutenant of the 1st Regiment of Artillery, July 1, 1832. He served on the Black Hawk Expedition of 1832, but not at the seat of war. Later that year he served in the garrison at the Bellona Arsenal in

Chesterfield County, Virginia Chesterfield County is a County (United States), county located just south of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north an ...

, and from 1832 to 1833 in a garrison in the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

, until he was promoted Second Lieutenant, 1st Artillery, September 30, 1833. Transferred, he served in garrison at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

, Virginia, in 1833–34, then from 1834 to 1836 again in the Creek Nation, until he resigned his commission on August 31, 1836.''George W. Cullum's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, since its establishment in 1802'', Vol. I of Three, 1891, pp. 518-519: "Lorenzo Sitgreaves"
/ref> From 1836 to 1838, he was a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

Corps of Topographical Engineers

Sitgreaves was again appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the

Corps of Topographical Engineers Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gene ...

on July 7, 1838. As Assistant Topographic Engineer he served in the construction of roads in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

from 1839 to 1840, and on a survey of Sault Ste. Marie, 1840-41 during which he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Corps of Topographic Engineers, July 18, 1840. He then served as an Assistant Topographic Engineer in surveying the U.S. border with

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 ...

in 1841 and near

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in 1841–42. In 1842-43 he served as an assistant in the Topographical Bureau in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Returning to the field from 1843 to 1844, he was Assistant Topographic Engineer in the improvement of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

, and in the 1844-45 survey of the harbor of

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...

, and of the reefs of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in 1845–46. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, Sitgreaves marched with Gen.

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was a US officer in the United States Army during three consecutive American-involved wars: the War of 1812 (1812–1815), the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), and with allegiance to ...

from

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

through Chihuahua in the fall of 1846, and helped map the route and the region. He fought in the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

, February 22–23, 1847, for which he was promoted to Brevet Captain on February 23, 1847, for "Gallant and Meritorious Conduct" in the battle. When peace returned, he was put in charge of the Boundary Survey of the Creek Indian Territory in 1849 and then again was Assistant in the Topographical Bureau, at Washington, D.C., in 1850. In 1851, Brevet Captain Sitgreaves led an expedition down the

Zuni River The Zuni (Zuñi) River is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in the southwestern United States. It has its origin in Cibola County, New Mexico, in the Zuñi Mountains at the Continental Divide. The river flows off the western slopes of the ...

and westward to the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

, with John G. Parke his second in command and Antoine Leroux as his guide. This expedition was the first systematic survey of the area of the upper region of

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

between Zuñi Pueblo and the Colorado River, in search of a route to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

.Thrapp, Dan L., ''Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, In Three Volumes, Vol.III P - Z, Index''; University of Nebraska Press, A. H. Clark Co., Glendale, 1988, p.1313 The trip took from September 4 to November 30, 1851, between Zuñi and the

Yuma Crossing Yuma Crossing is a site in Arizona and California that is significant for its association with transportation and communication across the Colorado River. It connected New Spain and Las Californias in the Spanish Colonial period in and also duri ...

. Following the expedition, he spent most of 1852 preparing a report on the expedition, which was published in 1853.Report of an Expedition Down the Zuñi and Colorado Rivers, Captain L. Sitgreaves, Corps Topographical Engineers, Robert Armstrong, Public Printer, Washington, 1853
/ref> Soon afterward, on March 3, 1853, he was promoted to captain, Corps of Topographical Engineers, after 14 years of continuous service in the Corps. Sitgreaves married Lucy Ann Jesup, daughter of

Thomas S. Jesup Thomas Sidney Jesup (December 16, 1788 – June 10, 1860) was a United States Army officer known as the "Father of the Modern Quartermaster Corps". His 52-year (1808–1860) military career was one of the longest in the history of the United St ...

, on February 28, 1854. They had two daughters: Mary Jesup and Lucy. He served as Light-House Inspector, 11th District (

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

), from December 21, 1852, to December 11, 1856, and as Light-House Engineer in the 5th District (

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

), from May 15, 1857, to August 8, 1859. He was on a sick leave of absence from August 1859 to 1861. Recalled at the start of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he served as Mustering Officer 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 ...

, in 1861–62, then as Superintendent of Volunteer Recruiting Service and Disbursing Officer at

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

from April 20, 1863, to October 20, 1864. During this time he was promoted to Major, Corps of Topographical Engineers, on March 3, 1863, and to Lieutenant‑Colonel, Corps of Engineers, on April 22, 1864. He conducted the inspection of the temporary defenses in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

from October 25, 1864, to July 1865.

Later life

When the Civil War ended, Sitgreaves was placed in charge of the harbor improvements on

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

, from August 3, 1865, to June 11, 1866. Sitgreaves retired from active service on July 10, 1866, for "Disability, resulting from Long and Faithful Service, and Disease contracted in the Line of Duty." In March 1867, Sitgreaves was appointed as a commissioner to settle Ohio and Indiana war claims. Sitgreaves died at his home on May 14, 1888, at his house at 1300 N Street in Washington, D.C., and was buried there at Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sitgreaves, Lorenzo United States Military Academy alumni Explorers of Arizona 19th-century American explorers American topographers People from Easton, Pennsylvania 1810 births People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 1881 deaths United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)