Frank Crawford Armstrong
Frank Crawford Armstrong , (born November 22, 1835 in the Choctaw Agency in what is now Le Flore County near what is now Skullyville, Indian Territory , now Oklahoma , † September 8, 1909 in Bar Harbor , Maine ), was Brigadier General of the Confederate Army in the American Civil War . He was the only general who served as an officer in both armies.
Life
Armstrong was born to Frank Wells Armstrong and Anne M. Willard Armstrong. He attended Holy Cross College in Worcester , Massachusetts . In 1854 Armstrong accompanied his stepfather, Major General Persifor Frazer Smith , on an expedition to the New Mexico Territory . He showed outstanding bravery in a skirmish with Indians at Eagle Spring and was promoted to lieutenant in 1855 . From June 7, 1855, Armstrong served in the 2nd US Dragoons Regiment and was promoted to first lieutenant on March 9, 1859. At that time he was the youngest lieutenant in the US Army.
Armstrong fought on July 21, 1861 as a company commander of a cavalry company in the First Battle of the Bull Run . On August 3 of the same year he was transferred to the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment. Armstrong resigned from the US Army on August 10, 1861 and joined the Confederate Army. Since his release could not be processed until August 13, 1861, he served de jure in both armies at the same time. Armstrong was transferred to the staff of Maj. General Benjamin McCulloch's division and took part in the Battle of Pea Ridge .
Armstrong was appointed commander of the 3rd Louisiana Infantry Regiment in 1863. He soon took command of Major General Sterling Price 's cavalry . Transferred to the western theater of war, promoted to brigadier general and commander of a cavalry division, Armstrong fought in the Battle of Chickamauga on September 19-20, 1963 . At his own request he was then brigade commander of a cavalry brigade and took part with this in the Atlanta campaign and the Franklin-Nashville campaign. Armstrong was assigned the defense of Selma , Alabama on March 23, 1865 . On April 2, 1865, he and the crew surrendered to superior US troops.
After the war, Armstrong first worked for the Texas overland postal service . Because of his military experience on the Frontier , he was appointed Indian Commissioner of the US Government from 1885 to 1889 and was Deputy Commissioner for Indian Affairs of the government from 1893 to 1895.
After Armstrong's death, he was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC .
See also
Web links
- Frank Crawford Armstrong in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Armstrong, Frank Crawford |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | General of the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1835 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Choctaw Agency, Indian Territory , now Skullyville, Oklahoma |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 8, 1909 |
| Place of death | Bar Harbor , Maine |