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George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) [1][2][3] was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the 1886 campaign that led to the defeat of the Apache leader Geronimo.
- Early Life
- U.S. Army Officer
- Civil War
- Post-War Life
- Death
- Legacy
George Crook was born to Thomas and Elizabeth Crook on September 8, 1828, on a farm near Taylorsville, Ohio. Congressman Robert Schenck nominated Crook to the United States Military Academy, where Crook enrolled in 1848. Not an outstanding student, Crook graduated from West Point in 1852, thirty-eighth in his class of forty-three cadets.
After graduating from the Academy, the army commissioned Crook as a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry and deployed to California and the Pacific Northwest, where he campaigned against American Indians. Crook received promotions to first lieutenant in 1856 and to captain in 1860.
Eastern Theater
When the American Civil War began, Crook joined the volunteer army as a colonel with the 36th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on September 12, 1861. Army officials deployed him to western Virginia. On September 7, 1862, the War Department promoted Crook to brigadier general of volunteers and assigned him to command a brigade of Ohio regiments in the Kanawha Division (attached to the 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac) in the Maryland Campaign. Ten days later, Crook took part in the Battle of Antietam(Sep...
Western Theater
In 1863, army officials transferred Crook to the Western Theater, where he commanded a cavalry division in the Army of the Cumberland under Major General George H. Thomas. While in the West, Crook took part in the Battle of Chickamauga(September 19–20, 1863).
Return to Eastern Theater
In February 1864, Crook returned to western Virginia resuming command of the Kanawha Division, officially designated the 2nd Division in the Department of West Virginia. On May 9, 1864, Crook led his division to victory at the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain in Pulaski County, Virginia. In August of that year, the War Department named Crook as commander of the Army of Western Virginia, officially designated as the 8th Corps of Major General Philip Sheridan’s Army of the Shenandoah. As commander of...
Marriage
Following the Civil War, Crook married Mary Tapscott Daily on August 22, 1865, in Allegheny County, Maryland. When the volunteer army disbanded, Crook received a brevet promotion to major general in the regular army but reverted to his formal rank of lieutenant colonel and he returned to the Pacific Northwest.
Indian Fighter
Crook served another twenty-five years in the West, where he earned a reputation as a successful Indian fighter. From 1865 to 1868, Crook campaigned against the Snake Indians during the Snake War in the Pacific Northwest. In 1871, President Ulysses S. Grantplaced Crook in command of the Arizona Territory. In 1872, he received a promotion to brigadier general. Crook commanded the Department of the Platte from 1875 to 1882. While in that position, he campaigned against the Sioux Indians during...
Crook returned to command of the Department of the Platte from 1886 to 1888. In 1888, the army promoted him to major general and appointed him to head the Division of the Missouri (formerly the Department of the West) headquartered in Chicago. Crook died suddenly from a heart attack in Chicago on March 20, 1890. Initially, Crook was buried in Oakla...
During his last years, George Crook spoke out against the unjust treatment of his former Indian adversaries. The Indian chief, Red Cloud, said of Crook when he died, “he never lied to us. His words gave us hope.”
- Harry Searles
General Crook died suddenly in Chicago, Illinois, on March 21, 1890, while serving as commander of the Division of the Missouri. He was initially buried in Oakland, Maryland. In 1898, Crook’s remains were transported to Arlington National Cemetery, where he was re-interred on November 11.
Died: March 21, 1890, Chicago, Ill. (aged 60) Role In: American Civil War. Plains Wars. George Crook (born Sept. 23, 1829, near Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died March 21, 1890, Chicago, Ill.) was an American army officer in the American Civil War and in the Indian conflicts of the West.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jan 16, 2018 · Following General Custer’s tragic defeat at “Little Big Horn” the army units divided up and pursued Native Americans who scattered across the upper Midwest including Montana, Dakota, and Canada. General Crook led his command to the Dakotas in pursuit of American Horse and his tribe.
Jun 12, 2006 · Crook had fought well against hostile Indians. Historian Robert Utley wrote, ‘General George Crook [was] considered by many of his contemporaries to be the army’s most skilled Indian fighter….’. Whether Crook was the greatest Indian fighter can be argued, but he was never an Indian hater.
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Date of Birth - Death September 8, 1828–March 21, 1890. George Crook graduated 38th out of a class of 43 from the United States Military Academy in 1852. He was commissioned in the 4th Infantry and was stationed in Northern California until the outbreak of the Civil War.
