# Robert Byington Mitchell > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_Byington_Mitchell > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_Byington_Mitchell.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byington_Mitchell > Source revision: 1350189483 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American general & territorial governor (1823–1882) "Robert B. Mitchell" redirects here. For the Australian artist, see [Robert Boyed Mitchell](/source/Robert_Boyed_Mitchell). Robert Byington Mitchell 6th Governor of New Mexico Territory In office 1866–1869 Preceded by Henry Connelly Succeeded by William A. Pile Personal details Born April 4, 1823 Mansfield, Ohio, US Died January 26, 1882(1882-01-26) (aged 58) Washington, D.C., US Resting place Arlington National Cemetery Party Democratic Profession Lawyer, Politician **Robert Byington Mitchell** (April 4, 1823 – January 26, 1882) was a [brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) in the [Union Army](/source/Union_Army) during the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War) and the [governor of New Mexico Territory](/source/Governor_of_New_Mexico_Territory) from 1866 to 1869.[1] ## Early life and career Mitchell was born on April 4, 1823, in [Mansfield, Ohio](/source/Mansfield%2C_Ohio).[2] For some odd reason, it was recorded that he graduated from both [Kenyon College](/source/Kenyon_College) and [Washington College](/source/Washington_%26_Jefferson_College), although neither school has a record of his attendance. He studied law in [Mount Vernon, Ohio](/source/Mount_Vernon%2C_Ohio). After completing his studies, he practiced law in Mansfield. He served in the [Mexican War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War) as a [second lieutenant](/source/Second_Lieutenant#United_States) in the 2nd Ohio Volunteers. He was elected mayor of [Mount Gilead, Ohio](/source/Mount_Gilead%2C_Ohio), in 1855. Next year, he moved to [Linn County](/source/Linn_County%2C_Kansas), [Kansas Territory](/source/Kansas_Territory). He served in the territorial legislature, as a delegate to the [Leavenworth Convention](/source/Leavenworth_Constitution), from 1857 to 1858. He served as treasurer of the Kansas Territory from 1859 to 1861. He was a delegate to the [1860 Democratic National Convention](/source/1860_Democratic_National_Convention) in [Charleston, South Carolina](/source/Charleston%2C_South_Carolina).[2] ## Civil War service After the start of the Civil War, Mitchell served as the [Adjutant General of Kansas](/source/Adjutant_General_of_Kansas) from May 2, 1861, to June 20, 1861. He later led the [2nd Kansas Infantry](/source/2nd_Regiment_Kansas_Volunteer_Infantry). Mitchell was badly wounded at the [Battle of Wilson's Creek](/source/Battle_of_Wilson's_Creek) on August 10, 1861, when his horse was shot while leading his regiment.[2] After recovery, U.S. President [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln) appointed him as a brigadier general to rank from April 8, 1862, and he was given command of a mixed [brigade](/source/Brigade) at [Fort Riley](/source/Fort_Riley). He commanded the 9th Division in [Charles C. Gilbert](/source/Charles_C._Gilbert)'s [III Corps](/source/III_Corps_(Union_army)) at the [Battle of Perryville](/source/Battle_of_Perryville). He was then sent to [Nashville, Tennessee](/source/Nashville%2C_Tennessee), where he remained for several months.[2] During the [Chickamauga campaign](/source/Battle_of_Chickamauga), Mitchell served as [George H. Thomas](/source/George_H._Thomas)'s Chief of Cavalry for the [Army of the Cumberland](/source/Army_of_the_Cumberland). Just before the [Third Battle of Chattanooga](/source/Third_Battle_of_Chattanooga), he was ordered to Washington, D.C., for [court-martial](/source/Court-martial) duty. According to some sources, this was due to severe wounds which incapacitated him from field duty but this is contradicted in the *[Official Records](/source/Official_Records)* by Mitchell's own correspondence. Whether incapacitated or not, he would not see active campaigning again, and for the remainder of the Civil War, he commanded the [District of Nebraska](/source/District_of_Nebraska), then the District of North Kansas, and finally the [District of Kansas](/source/District_of_Kansas).[2] He saw service in [Colorado Territory](/source/Colorado_Territory) in January 1865, following the [Indian raid on Julesburg, Colorado](/source/Sioux_Wars), on the [Overland Trail](/source/Overland_Trail), but he did not succeed in locating the Indian camp on the Republican River until after they had departed.[3][4] While commander of the military District of Nebraska and in response to the Indian raid on Julesberg, Mitchell requested every ranch and military set the prairie ablaze to drive the Indians out. According to author and witness Eugene Ware, "They rolled as a vast confluent sheet of flame to the south.” The fire burned for more than three days along the banks of the Arkansas River in Kansas and Colorado with the flames reaching as far south as the Texas panhandle, with much of Nebraska south of the [Platte River](/source/Platte_River) and west of [Fort Kearny](/source/Fort_Kearny) reduced to a blackened and desolate waste.[5] ## Governor of New Mexico Territory Mitchell was honorably mustered out of the army on January 15, 1866. On the same day, the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) confirmed his nomination as the Governor of the New Mexico Territory. He took the oath of office on June 6, 1866. He never appeared to take his duties as governor seriously. He was often absent without explanation from the territorial capital, [Santa Fe](/source/Santa_Fe%2C_New_Mexico), forcing the legislature to forward bills it had passed to Washington, D.C., for approval of the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress). He resigned as governor in 1869.[2] ## Later life After leaving the office, Mitchell returned to Kansas. He was unsuccessful in his bid to represent Kansas in the U.S. Congress in 1872. He then moved to Washington, D.C., where he died on January 26, 1882.[2] He was buried with full military honors in Section 2, Grave 1023, of [Arlington National Cemetery](/source/Arlington_National_Cemetery) in [Arlington, Virginia](/source/Arlington%2C_Virginia).[6] ## See also - [Biography portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography) - [American Civil War portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:American_Civil_War) - [List of American Civil War generals (Union)](/source/List_of_American_Civil_War_generals_(Union)) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Index to Politicians: Mitchell, O to R"](http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mitchell7.html). The Political Graveyard. Retrieved August 1, 2008. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-RBM_2-6) ["A Civil War Biography: Robert Byington Mitchell"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080907155412/http://civilwarinteractive.com//Biographies/BiosRobertByingtonMitchell.htm). Civil War Interactive. Archived from [the original](http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/Biographies/BiosRobertByingtonMitchell.htm) on September 7, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Footnote 6, page 188, *The Fighting Cheyenne*, George Bird Grinnell, University of Oklahoma Press (1956 original copyright 1915 Charles Scribner's Sons), hardcover, 454 pages 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Chapters 32, 33, 34, Ware, Eugene, [The Indian War of 1864:](https://web.archive.org/web/20021129195033/http://www.kancoll.org/books/ware/ew_main.htm#contents2) Being a Fragment of the Early History of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming", Crane & Company (1911) [Eugene Ware](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugene_Ware&action=edit&redlink=1) was the most junior officer in the [7th Iowa Cavalry](/source/7th_Iowa_Cavalry_Regiment) when on September 19, 1863, it was deployed to Omaha en route to the [Indian Wars](/source/American_Indian_Wars). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Nebraska State Historical Society (July 28, 2017). ["Nebraska's biggest prairie fire"](https://agupdate.com/article_1484ac1c-4fbf-11e8-8fbc-7ffd71a36794.html). *Ag Update*.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: url-status ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_url-status)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Burial Detail: Mitchell, Robert B](https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CghtaXRjaGVsbBIGcm9iZXJ0GgFi/) – ANC Explorer ## External links - Media related to [Robert Byington Mitchell](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Robert_Byington_Mitchell) at Wikimedia Commons - [*Robert Byington Mitchell*](http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/rbmitchell.htm), ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website v t e Governors of New Mexico U.S. Military Admin (1846–1851) Military Kearny Price Washington Munroe Civilian Bent Vigil Connelly U.S. Territory (1851–1912) Calhoun Lane Meriwether Rencher Connelly Mitchell Pile Giddings Axtell Wallace Sheldon Ross Prince Thornton Otero Hagerman Curry Mills State (since 1912) McDonald C. De Baca Lindsey Larrazolo M. Mechem Hinkle Hannett Dillon Seligman Hockenhull Tingley Miles Dempsey Mabry E. Mechem Simms E. Mechem Burroughs E. Mechem Bolack Campbell Cargo King Apodaca King Anaya Carruthers King Johnson Richardson Martinez Lujan Grisham See also Mexican governors of New Mexico, Spanish governors of New Mexico Authority control databases VIAF GND --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Byington Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byington_Mitchell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byington_Mitchell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.