[MORMON] [CUSTER] Utah Expedition Officer's Commission, Lewis Merrill

Officer's commission issued to Lewis Merrill, signed by President Franklin Pierce and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Washington D.C., 11 July 1856. 1 page, ## x ## in., on vellum.

1855 Officer's commission promoting Lewis Merrill to 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons. In this capacity, Merrill had active service on the frontier at Forts Leavenworth, Riley, Kearney, and Larned, giving him plenty of field experience in quelling disturbances during “Bloody Kansas” 1856-1858, the Utah Expedition in 1858, and scouting against the Kiowa and Comanche in 1860. The "Utah Expedition" or "Mormon War," was a notable period of conflict between Mormon settlers and armed forces of the United States Military.

Lewis Merrill (1834-1896) was a prominent military figure who organized a cavalry regiment during the Civil War called "Merrill's Horse." Merrill's Horse was principally engaged in fighting guerrillas and partisan units in central Missouri. Though his wartime achievements were impressive and are well-known, Merrill is perhaps best remembered for his service after the war, when he was instrumental in disbanding the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina. There, he commanded various companies in George A. Custer's famous 7th US Cavalry in an effort to quell violence and destroy the KKK. For Merrill's actions, he was officially thanked by the War Department.

Important commission issued to an illustrious officer at the start of his career as a Dragoon, when he actively engaged hostile Mormon settlers, partisans, and Native American tribes in the American West.

[Mormon, Utah, Mormons, Latter Day Saint movement, Latter-day Saints, Presidents, Civil War, Union, Confederate, Reconstruction, Civil Rights, Manuscripts, Documents, Ephemera, Militaria]