Delos B. Sacket
from the New York Times, March 9, 1885.
OBITUARY.
GEN. DELOS B. SACKET.
Brig.-Gen. Delos B. Sacket, senior Inspector-General of the United States
Army, died at his residence in Washington yesterday morning. He was born in
this State, and was appointed to the Military Academy at West Point in 1840. He
was graduated in 1845, and was at once promoted to brevet Second Lieutenant and
sent to Mexico with his regiment, the Second Dragoons. In the charge upon the
Mexican batteries at Palo Alto and at the battle od Resaca de la Palma his
gallant and meritorious conduct caused him to be breveted First Lieutenant. He
was also engaged in the battle of Monterey, in September, 1846. A brevet then
counted for something, as it was only given for distinguished bravery under
fire. From 1847 to 1850 he was on frontier duty in Arkansas and New-Mexico,
receiving an appointment as First Lieutenant of the First Dragoons in 1848.
While scouting against the Apache Indians in 1850 he won special distinction as
an active and gallant officer.
In December, 1850, Lieut. Sacket was assigned to duty as Assistant Instructor
of Cavalry Tactics at West Point, where he remained until April, 1855. The next
month he was promoted to Captain in the First Cavalry, and was sent to Kansas
to aid in removing intruders from Indian lands. He was a member of the board to
revise the Army Regulations in 1856, and in 1857-8 was again on frontier duty,
this time engaged in quelling the Kansas disturbances. He was on the Utah and
Cheyenne expeditions in 1858, and on the Antelope Hill expedition in 1859.
After a year spent in Europe, he returned to duty at Fort Arbuckle, Indian
Territory, when he was promoted to Major in the First Cavalry, in January,
1861. Later in the same year he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second
Cavalry and assigned to duty as Inspector-General of the Department of
Washington. Early in October, he was made Colonel of Staff and
Inspector-General. He served as recruiting officer in this city from August to
December, 1861, when he joined the Army of the Potomac as Inspector-General. He
served continuously with this army throughthe Peninsula, Antietam,
Fredericksburg, and Rappahannock campaigns, taking part in all the battles and
sieges, and to his work much of the splendid discipline of the army was due. In
the Summer of 1863 he was a member of the board to organize the Invalid Corps.
In 1864-5 he was assigned to duty in the Departments of the Tennessee,
Cumberland, Arkansas, and New-Mexico, until placed upon the staff of Gen.
Sheridan, when, in March, 1865, he was made a Brevet Brigadier-General for
gallant services in the field,and the same day was made Brevet Major-General.
In 1866 he was in the Department of the Tennessee. He was confirmed as
Inspector-General by the Senate Jan. 21, 1881. Gen. Sacket was a man of fine
presence, courtly in manner and soldierly in address, and was one of the
most popular officers in the army.
Gen. Sacket had been confined to his house by illness since Jan. 30. The
immediate cause of his death was senile gangarene. He was born at Cape Vincent,
N.Y., April 14, 1822. The funeral, which will be private, will take place on
Tuesday afternoon, and a temporary interment of the body will be made in Oak
Hill Cemetery. The final interment will be at Cape Vincent.
Maintained by Sue Greenhagen.
E-mail:
greenhsh@morrisville.edu