Brig. Gen. August Valentine Kautz, USA

Kautz in Wikipedia

(1828-1895) - Born 5 Jan 1828, Baden, Germany.
Died 4 Sep 1895, Seattle, Washington.
He graduated from U.S. Military Academy, West Point, Class of 1852.

Biography

About 1828 his parents emigrated to the United States and settled in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1832 they relocated to Brown County, Ohio. He attended school in Georgetown, Ohio, and during the first year of Mexican War served as a Private, 1st Ohio Infantry. A Year after discharge, he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy, where he graduated 35th out of 43 in the Class of 1852.

Northwest Service

He served for number of years in Pacific Northwest, where was twice wounded during engagements with Indians during the Snake River and Rogue River campaigns. He defended Nisqually Chief Leschi's innocence in the 1857 murder trial.

While stationed at Fort Steilacoom in 1857, he made a well documented attempt to climb Mount Rainier with four soldiers, a Nisqually Indian guide named Wahpowety and the Post Doctor. Leaving the rest of his group behind he reached a point about 400 vertical feet shy of the summit and had to turn back. There is a glacier on the mountain named after him.

Europe

During 1859 and 1860 Lt. Kautz took a leave of absence and traveled in Europe, returning to the northwest in Dec 1860, just prior to the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. iT is a matter of speculation as to why this was.

U.S. Civil War

At the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War Lt. Kautz returned to Washington D.C. With the reorganization of the Regular Army in May 1861 he was made a Capt. of the new 6th U.S. Cavalry, and served in the Washington, D.C. defense.

In Sep 1862, he was made Colonel of the 2nd Ohio Cavalry Volunteer Regiment and was sent to Fort Scott on the Kansas frontier. In the following year, after some duty in command of Camp Chase, Ohio, he took part in the pursuit and capture of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan in the course of latter's raid into Kentucky and Indiana.

From Apr 1864 to Mar 1865 he commanded a Division of Cavalry in Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James, having been made Brigadier General of Volunteers 7 May 1864. He took part in a number of operations against various Confederate lines of supply coming into Richmond and Petersburg, including the fight at Ream's Station on 29 Jun 1864, during James Harrison Wilson's raid. In Mar 1865 was shifted to command of a Division of Negro troops at the head of which he entered the Confederate capital on 3 Apr 1865.

Post Civil War

In May and June 1865 he had dubious distinction of being one of members of military commission which tried the conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 34th U.S. Infantry in 1866, 14th U.S. Infantry in 1867, and transferred to the 15th U.S. Infantry in 1869. He commanded this regiment on the New Mexico frontier until 1874, establishing the Mescalero Apaches on their reservation from 1870 to 1871. In Jun 1874 he was promoted to colonel of the 8th U.S. Infantry, and was placed in command of the Department of Arizona in 1875. He served in California from 1878 to 1886, and in Nebraska from 1887 until his retirement on 5 Jan 1892.

NB. : Elsewhere, in military records: I have determined that Col. Augustus V. Kautz on served in command staff of the 8th through Dec. 8, 1890. This us significant in that it removes him from command just a few weeks before Wounded Knee.

During his years at various Indian posts on frontier he wrote several military books including The Company Clerk (1863), Customs of Service for Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers (1864), and Customs of Service for Officers (1866).

Purchase of Island in/near Tacoma, Washington

About twenty years before his retirement (1871), August V. Kautz purchased Day Island near Ft. Steilacoom where he had been during his relationship with Tenas Puss ("Kitty"). Then, two decades later he and his then wife Fanny née Markbreit retired to Seattle. Both Fanny and August had been raised in Ohio.
Close to death, August rewrote his will leaving his estate to Fanny and their children together. Left out were the two sons born in Washington with Tenas Puss. These two sons challenged the will in court. No outcome of this suit is known to me {MMvB vol. curator}.

A.V.Kautz's retirement years were spent in Seattle, Washington. He died in Seattle 4 Sep 1895.

He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 2, Grave 992.

Genealogy

• Father: George Kautz (1800-????) {farmer} - Born 6 Nov 1800, Ispringen, Baden, Germany. Died in Ohio.
• Mother: Dorthea Lewing {German: (Löwling)} (1800-????) - Born 16 Oct 1800, Hesse-Kassel, Germany. Died in Ohio.

Marriages

• Tenas Puss (1838-1???) - Born about 1838 in Pierce County, Washington. Married about 1856, Pierce County, Washington Territory.
• Charlotte Delamater Tod (1845-1???) - Born 1845 in Brier Hill, Mahoning County, Ohio. Married 14 Sep 1865. Daughter of Ohio Governor Tod.
• Fannie Markbreit (1850-1913) Born Jun 1850, Baden, Germany. Died 11 Aug 1913 and is buried with her husband. Married 27 Nov 1872, Hamilton County, Ohio.

Children:

• By Tenas Puss
  • Nugent Kautz (1857-1???) - Born 17 Mar 1857, Fort Steilacoom, Pierce County, washington.
  • Augustus Kautz (1859-1???) - Born 1859. Shown in 1888 Indian Census.
• By Charlotte Delamater Tod (none)
• By Fannie Markbreit
  • Austin Kautz (1873-1???) - Born 11 Sep 1873, Kentucky.
  • Francisca Kautz (1878-1???) - Born Apr 1878, Arizona Territory.
  • Navarra Kautz (1882-1???) - Born 14 Jul 1882, Angel Island, Marin County, California.

Assignments: (incomplete)

• (1848-1852) Cadet, U.S. Military Academy, West Point
• (1852-1853) 2nd Lt. (1852), Fort Vancouver, Washington, (Dec 1852 - spring 1853)
• (1853-1853) 2nd Lt., Fort Steilacoom, Washington
• (1853-1856) 1st Lt. (Dec 1855), Fort Orford, Oregon (Oct 1853 - Jan 1856)
• (1856-1858) 1st Lt., Fort Steilacoom, Washington (Feb 1856 - Oct 1858)
  • 4th US Infantry
• (1859-1860) 1st Lt., Leave of absence traveling in Europe (spring 1859 - Dec 1860)
• (1860-1861) 1st Lt., Fort Cheholis, Gary's Harbor, Washington Territory (Dec 1860 - May 1861)
• (1861-1862) Capt. (May 1861), 6th U.S. Cavalry, Washington, D.C.
• (1862-1863) Col. (Sep 1862), 2nd Ohio Cavalry Volunteer Regiment, Fort Scott
• (1863-1864) Col., 2nd Ohio Cavalry Volunteer Regiment, Camp Chase, Ohio
• (1864-1865) Brig. Gen. (7 May 1864), Apr 1864 to Mar 1865
• (1866-1866) Mustered out of volunteer service 15 Jan 1866
• (1866-186?) Ltc. (Jul 1866), 34th U.S. Cavalry
• (1874-1878) Col. (1874), 8th U.S. Infantry, Arizona
• (1878-1886) Col., Camp Reynolds, Angel Island, Marin County, California
• (1887-1890) Brig. Gen. (20 Apr 1891), Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, relieved just before the Pine Ridge-Wounded Knee debacle took place. He left the commend just weeks before: Dec. 8, 1890

Sources:

   * Union Generals

* Wallace, Andrew, Gen. August V. Kautz and the southwestern frontier, Tucson, 1967
* ArlingtonCemetery.net
* Reid, Whitelaw, Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers, Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1868, Vol. 1, Ohio, pages 844-848 (Google Book)

August Valentine Kautz (January 5, 1828 – September 4, 1895) was a German-American soldier and Union Army cavalry officer during the American Civil War. He was the author of several army manuals on duties and customs eventually adopted by the U.S. military.

Bibliography

• The Company Clerk (1863)

• Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers (1864)

• Customs of Service for Officers (1866)

References

This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.

• Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.

• Ezra Meeker, Pioneer Reminiscences of Puget Sound: The Tragedy of Leschi (Seattle, 1905).