James Edwin Powell

Major James Edwin Powell (December 19, 1819 - April 6, 1862) an American army officer during the 19th century. He served as an officer in the 1st Infantry, Regular Army of the United States, detached to the 25th Missouri on March 24, 1862.

Major Powell is credited for leading a reconnaissance party in the early morning of April 6, 1862 to investigate suspicions that Confederate troops were in the area of Union camps located along the Tennessee River. Powell led three companies from the 25th Missouri and two companies from the 12th Michigan Infantry. (Michigan Hist. Comm. 1920 P.8 ) They are credited with discovering Confederate forces which had planned a surprise attack on Union forces. After confronting Confederate forces, the Battle or Shiloh began. Major Powell is depicted on a marker at stop #8 at Shiloh National Military Park on the battlefield tour route down Reconnoitering Road to Fraley Field where the Battle of Shiloh began.

Before the Civil War, he enlisted as a private assigned to Company A, 9th Infantry in 1847, and served in the Mexican American War. He was at the "Battle of Chapultepec" and other battles. Powell died on April 6, 1862 in the Battle of Shiloh.

National Archive Records state Powell's occupation as "hunter"when he enlisted in the Mexican-American War at Castle Perote, Mexico on August 1, 1847. These records also give a physical description of Powell and state he had gray eyes, brown hair, ruddy complexion, and was 5’4” in height. Lieutenant James M. Newhard’s post-Shiloh report, called Powell “our noble little Major.” (Neal p. 124)

Early life
James Edwin Powell was born on December 19, 1819 as the thirteenth child of James and Ann Hopkins Powell of 20 The Cross, Worcester, England. His father, also named James, was a silversmith/jeweler. He had intended for his son James to become a watch finisher. His father died in March 1838 and the remaining family members emigrated to Ohio. The eldest brother Samuel (b. 1801) served as the father figure.

Before officially enlisting, James was a Citizen Sergeant in the 9th Infantry Regiment (United States) who engaged at Contreras and Churubusco, Mexico. He was Color Sergeant of the regiment 1847-48 as it advanced farther through Vera Cruz to Mexico City. (Henry, 1869 P.419 )

Powell was released from duty as a sergeant on August 28, 1848 at Fort Adams, Rhode Island and relocated in Maine. Per copies of land records in possession of family, Powell eventually owned hundreds of acres along the Kennebec and Dead rivers north of Pleasant Pond Stream, which he sold before leaving in 1855.

James married Mary Ann Hunter at the home of neighbors John and Lucy Ham in 1849 at The Forks, Maine. The Powells had three sons&mdash;James Powell III, Winfield Scott Powell, and Albert Tracy Powell. James belonged to the Masons’ Key (Keystone) Lodge of Solon, Maine.

Career as an officer
He was appointed Second Lieutenant, Company F, First Regiment of Infantry in Regular Army of the United States on June 7, 1855; although the Army expanded by four regiments that year, it was rare for an officer to be commissioned pre-Civil War without attending a military academy, and leads one to wonder who else in his family was military. This may have occurred through his friendship with Albert Tracy&mdash;who was Adjutant General of the State of Maine (1852–55)&mdash;or their former commander, Franklin Pierce, who had become President in 1852.

Powell was stationed at Fort Duncan adjacent Eagle Pass, Texas during Inspector General Colonel Mansfield’s visit in July 1856 and promoted to First Lieutenant, Company F, First Regiment of Infantry in Regular Army of the United States on December 8. He was involved in much activity during his time in this rank, including assignments at Forts Smith (Arkansas), Belknap (Texas), Arbuckle (IT/OK); he led both Indian fights and negotiations of a Peace Treaty with Comanche and Wichita at Rush Springs, IT in August 1858.

After the breaking of this treaty, General Winfield Scott was supposed to declare the Comanches to be at odds with all troops of the Army; he never did, but sent William H. Emory, First Cavalry, to command Fort Arbuckle. Shortly thereafter, in February 1859, Powell had to send Emory the following message written in the margin of a newspaper: "Major: Please send an ambulance and the doctor; three men wounded, two Comanches killed. Please send me some ammunition; gone in pursuit. Lieutenant Powell."

This happened a few months after Lieutenant Robert Offley (First Infantry, Company E) wrote his mother from Fort Arbuckle of a wonderful July 4 (1858) celebration "in grand style and fired a salute of 34 guns, one for (each state and) Kansas. After that our men pitched two large Hospital tents and fixed them off with flags, &c. and had a very fine dinner. We had an extra beef killed for them, and let them buy chickens, &c.; together with the vegetables from our garden, they fared well. Our mule train is still here, and the teamsters were all invited. There were over 100 (who) sat down to the table. Lt. J.E. Powell (who was in command of Fort Arbuckle at the time) and myself gave them some liquor, five gallons from the Commissary, as there is a law in the (Indian) Nation prohibiting the use of liquor, which is one of the best things I know of and I am happy to say the majority of our men are glad of it. Our men are perfectly delighted."

The next year on July 5, 1859, Powell took forty-two members of First Infantry Companies D & E and First Cavalry Company E to repair parts already there and finish building a road from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Fort Arbuckle. This route was called Powell Road for some time.

Civil War
Powell transferred to Fort Washita, Indian Territory with Company E per telegraphic instructions dated March 19, 1861. As southern states began seceding from the U.S., all Federal troops in Texas/IT gathered on May 3 near what is today Minco, Oklahoma to go north. Some 250 Texan troops (former neighbors) tried to war with them at this time, but Major Sam Sturgis, who commanded the Cavalry regiment and had left Fort Smith less than an hour before its being taken by Southerners according to General David Twiggs’ apparent plot, saw to separating them from their horses as they were having dinner. Federal troops could not feed 250 prisoners and their mounts on the march to Kansas, so had to immediately parole all after shaving the tails of the fine animals for the only possible revenge.

Powell took his pack of thirty-eight hunting hounds north at "great trouble and expense," so was understandably quite upset that they twice took off chasing buffalo, and all but three were forever lost. General David Sloan Stanley stated that on this exodus was the last time he saw "herds of buffalo which might be numbered by the tens of thousands." The Leavenworth Times of June 1, 1861, reported that troops of First Cavalry and First Infantry arrived in Leavenworth, Kansas on May 31, 1861. They totaled about 820 soldiers, 200 teamsters, and other army attachés plus some officers’ families, eighty wagons, and 600 horses and mules forming a train about a mile long. Powell was promoted to Captain, Company F, First Infantry Regiment, Regular Army of the United States on June 11, 1861, upon the resignation of Captain Seth Barton who joined the Confederates.

The route they followed later became the Chisholm Trail. Black Beaver, a well-known and respected Delaware Indian guide/rancher/interpreter of IT and Kansas who called himself a Yankee Indian, left his own property to lead this caravan north; he was never fully compensated. The Creeks called the Chisholm Trail "Beaver’s Trail" for him. At the end of the Civil War, Jesse Chisholm was able to find the ruts left from this massive train of heavy military wagons and started following it between IT/OK and Abilene, Kansas.

Death
Powell was promoted to Major on March 24, 1862. Thirteen days later, he was mortally wounded and buried at Shiloh. Powell was hit by blind fire from Confederates who could not see through the smoke during their third attempt to penetrate the Hornets' Nest about 1:00 PM on Sunday, April 6, 1862, and died later that night.

Major Powell is officially buried as a "unknown” at Shiloh National Cemetery.