Joseph Stewart (Alaska)
| Joseph Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Jasper" |
| Born | 1822 Kentucky |
| Died | April 23, 1904 (aged 81–82) Berkeley, California |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | U.S. artillery |
| Years of service | 1842-1879 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held |
Fort Alcatraz Fort Churchill Department of Alaska |
| Battles/wars | Bannock War |
Joseph Stewart (1822 – April 23, 1904) was an officer in the United States Army notable for serving as commander of Fort Alcatraz, Fort Churchill and the Department of Alaska. His name is occasionally seen as Jasper Stewart.
Joseph Stewart was born in Kentucky and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1842. He served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery and later the 3rd U.S. Artillery during the Mexican War. On January 3, 1856 he was promoted captain of Company H in the 3rd Artillery. In December 1859 Captain Stewart took command of Fort Alcatraz. In the years immediately preceding the Civil War, Stewart transformed the fort into the most powerful coastal defense in the west. It was also during Stewart's time on Alcatraz that it took on the role of a prison for the first time. 11 soldiers under Stewart's command were imprisoned there and soon other nearby forts were sending prisoners there too.
In 1860 a vigilante force was soundly defeated by Paiute Indians in a battle near Pyramid Lake in present-day Nevada. This defeat prompted the Federal government to dispatch a contingent of the U.S. Army to the area. Captain Stewart took command of the so-called "Carson Valley Expedition" composed of 200 regular army soldiers from the 3rd Artillery and 6th U.S. Infantry. Stewart was, however, subordinated to Col. John C. Hays who was in command of a regiment of U.S. Volunteers. Hays and Stewart defeated the Paiutes in the second Battle of Pyramid Lake.
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