- Lewis Merrill
Infobox Military Person
name=Lewis Merrill
born= birth date|1834|10|28
died= death date and age|1896|2|27|1834|10|28
caption=
placeofbirth=New Berlin, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath=Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
placeofburial=Arlington National Cemetery
allegiance=flagicon|United States United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=1855–1886
rank=Brevet Brigadier General
unit=
battles=American Civil War Indian Wars Lewis Merrill (1834-96) was a career officer in the
United States Army noted for his work in resisting the earlyKu Klux Klan organization in several Southern states. During theAmerican Civil War , he combatedguerrilla s in Missouri.Biography
Merrill was born at New Berlin, Pa. He studied at Lewisburg University (Pennsylvania), graduated at West Point in 1855, was assigned to duty as lieutenant with the
First Dragoons , and served inMissouri , inKansas Territory , and with theUtah expedition .In 1861, as colonel and first cavalry officer on the staff of
John C. Frmont , he organizedMerrill's Horse to oppose guerrillas in Missouri, and later commanded theDepartment of St. Louis and then that of theDepartment of Northern Missouri . In 1864 he was commander of the cavalry bureau at St. Louis and took part in the engagements at Franklin, Mo. The next year he was sent against guerrillas in northern Georgia andAlabama and was brevetted brigadier general.After various western assignments he was placed in command of a military district in
South Carolina with orders to break up the Ku Klux Klan. From 1871 to 1873 he succeeded in this so well that he received the thanks of the War Department. When similar conditions arose in the Red River district ofLouisiana he was made commander there in 1875, remaining until the following year. As a consequence of his activities his nomination as lieutenant colonel in the regular army was held up for several years in the Senate by Southern sympathizers, but it was finally confirmed as from 1886. Merrill retired in 1886. He is buried inArlington National Cemetery .ee also
*List of American Civil War generals
References
:NIE
Persondata
NAME= Merrill, Lewis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=October 28 ,1834
PLACE OF BIRTH=New Berlin, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH=February 27 ,1896
PLACE OF DEATH=Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
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