James Montgomery (colonel)
| James Montgomery | |
|---|---|
James Montgomery, ca. 1858
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Fatness |
| Born |
December 22, 1814 Austinburg, Ohio |
| Died |
December 6, 1871 (aged 56) Linn County, Kansas |
| Place of burial | National Cemetery, Mound City, Kansas |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Commands held |
3rd Kansas Infantry 2nd South Carolina 6th Kansas State Militia |
| Battles/wars | |
James Montgomery (December 22, 1814 – December 6, 1871) was a Jayhawker during the Bleeding Kansas Affair and a controversial Union colonel during the American Civil War. Montgomery was a staunch abolitionist and used extreme measures against pro-slavery populations.
James Montgomery was born to James and Mary Baldwin Montgomery in Austinburg, Ashtabula County, Ohio, on December 22, 1814. He migrated to Kentucky in 1837 with his parents and eventually taught school there. He married, but his first wife died shortly after the wedding, so he married again to Clarinda Evans. They moved to Pike County, Missouri, in 1852, and then to Jackson County and finally Bates County while awaiting the organization of Kansas for settlement.
In 1854 Montgomery purchased land near present-day Mound City, Kansas, where he became a leader of local Free-state men and was a fervent abolitionist. In 1857 he organized and commanded a "Self-Protective Company", using it to order pro-slavery settlers out of the region. Conflict with other pro-slavery elements led territorial governor James W. Denver to dispatch U.S. Army soldiers in to restore order. Montgomery at times cooperated with the abolitionist John Brown and considered a raid to rescue Brown after his capture in Virginia, but snow in Pennsylvania upset his plan.
...
Wikipedia