Henry Atkinson | |
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| Born | 1782 |
| Died | June 14, 1842(1842-06-14) (aged 60) Jefferson Barracks, Missouri |
| Buried | Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1808–1842 |
| Rank | Brevet Brigadier General |
| Battles / wars | War of 1812 |
| Spouse | Mary Ann Bullitt (married 1826) |
Henry Atkinson (1782 – June 14, 1842) was aUnited States Army officer serving on the western frontier during theWar of 1812 and theYellowstone expedition. WithBenjamin O'Fallon, he negotiated treaties with Indigenous nations of the upperMissouri River in 1825. Over his career in the army, he served in the West, the Gulf Coast, and in New York at the border withThe Canadas.[1]
Henry Atkinson was born in 1782 inCaswell County (nowPerson County, North Carolina). His mother died soon after the birth of her sixth child. His father, John Atkinson, married Francis Dickens shortly after his first wife's death and he had two more children with Francis.[2]
In 1748 and 1749, John Atkinson received land grants from the colonial government.[2] He was a local politician and a planter.[1] During theAmerican Revolutionary War, John was a member of the House of Commons and a delegate to the Hillsborough provincial congress in August 1775. He was also a member of the Hillsborough Committee of Safety during the war. He served twelve years as an Orange County Justice of the Peace beginning in 1776. He became North Carolina's tobacco purchasing agent in 1781. He had a total of 6,100 acres in the present Caswell and Person counties in 1785. John died in 1792, leaving an estate of seventeen slaves and 3,665 acres of land.[2]
His brothers Edward and Richard were legislators and Edward served as county sheriff.[2]
Atkinson inherited a thousand acres in Caswell County when he was eighteen. He and nine other trustees obtained the charter for a local free school, Caswell Academy in 1802. She sat on the school's board of trustees, first as clerk and next as treasurer. He established a small store in 1804, but it failed the following year.[2] He also worked on the family's plantation before July 1808.[1]
He entered theUnited States Army on July 1, 1808, as acaptain in theinfantry, serving at various outposts on the Westernfrontier.[2] He served in the New Orleans area.[1] He moved toNew York and was promoted tocolonel in theRegular Army, seeing considerable action during theWar of 1812. He commanded the6th U.S. Infantry from 1815.[3]
After the war, Atkinson received orders in 1818 to lead theYellowstone expedition along theMissouri River to the mouth of theYellowstone River. The goal was to establish military forts to control Native Americans and allow American members of the fur trade to operate safely in the region. Colonel Talbot Chambers led the 1st Battalion of the Rifle Regiment left Belle Fontaine on August 30, 1818, up the Missouri River. On October 18 they arrived at Isle des Vaches, and spent the winter atCantonment Martin. They left forCouncil Bluff where they met MajorStephen Harriman Long. Colonel Atkinson joined the military detachment and established their winter lodging, Cantonment Missouri.[4] He led another expedition in 1825.[3]
Appointed Commissioner together withIndian agentBenjamin O'Fallon and with a military escort of 476 men, General Atkinson and his fellow commissioner leftFort Atkinson on May 16, 1825, and ascending the Missouri, negotiatedtreaties of friendship and trade with tribes of the upper Missouri, including theArikara,Cheyenne,Crow,Mandan,Ponca, and several bands of theSioux.[3]
The treaties acknowledged that the tribes lived within the United States, vowed perpetual friendship, and recognized the right of the United States to regulate trade, promising to deal only with licensed traders. The tribes agreed to forswear private retaliation for injuries and to return or indemnify the owner of stolen horses or other goods. Efforts to contact theBlackfoot and theAssiniboine were unsuccessful. Returning to Fort Atkinson at the "Council Bluff" in Nebraska, successful negotiations were had with theOtoe, thePawnee and theOmaha.[5]
He was appointedbrevetbrigadier general and was in overall command of U.S. forces during theBlack Hawk War (1832). Although he delivered the final blow to the Black Hawk Indians at theBattle of Bad Axe, Atkinson was criticized for mishandling the operations of the war.Zachary Taylor andHenry Dodge, who served under him, were well-respected for their service during the war.[3]
Atkinson organized the removal of theWinnebago toIowa. A secondFort Atkinson was named in his honor in Iowa. The City of Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County, Wisconsin is also named after him. He initiated the construction ofFort Leavenworth andJefferson Barracks (nearSt. Louis), where he spent the remainder of his career.[3][6]
He married Mary Ann Bullitt on January 15, 1826, in the Christ Episcopal Church inLouisville, Kentucky. They had a son, Henry born in February 1827[2] and a son named Edward Graham Atkinson.[6]
He died in his home on June 14, 1842. He was buried atJefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.[2][6] His body was later moved toCave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, in the Bullitt-Gwathmey family lot.[2]
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