Colonel Thomas W. Scudder^[1]

1834 - Aft 1930  (> 97 years)

• Name	Thomas W. Scudder
  Prefix	Colonel
  Birth	15 Sep 1834	Huntington, Suffolk, New York
  Gender	Male
  Death	Aft 1930	Kansas
  Person ID	I4371	Scudder
  Last Modified	24 Apr 2013

  
  

  Father	Thomas Scudder,   b. 17 Jun 1801, Huntington, Suffolk, New York d. 7 Apr 1899, Huntington, Suffolk, New York (Age 97 years)
  Mother	Margaret G. Long,   b. 6 Oct 1795, Huntington, Suffolk, New York d. 23 Jul 1875 (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	3 Dec 1825	Huntington, Suffolk, New York   [2]
  Family ID	F1567	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Julia Rogers,   b. Abt 1848, Kentucky d. 1872, Kansas (Age 24 years)
  Children	1. Thomas Scudder
  Family ID	F3541	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 2	Helen B. Mitchell,   b. Apr 1840, New York d. Oct 1908, Kansas (Age 68 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1880	Kansas
  Family ID	F3542	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Thomas grew up on Long Island, received a common school education, and attended the old Huntington Academy. The experience that more than anything else had bearing upon his future destiny was his early employment in the store of Jacob Willits. In 1855, Thomas accompanied Jacob to Kansas, where Jacob bought the first store in Topeka It was from this store that Thomas was called to take part in the border warfare in about 1857. He accompanied a party of men who went to Holton to clear the way for the escape of John Brown, who had become involved in trouble with the authorities on account of aid given to runaway slaves. For a long time this expedition was known in Kansas annals and referred to as the "battle of the spurs." At the outbreak of the Civil War, Thomas assisted in raising a company. That was in April 1861, and as the real meaning of the tremendous struggle had not yet been realized and as there seemed to be no need for the services of this company, it was not mustered in until 16 July 1861. Then it became Company A of the fifth Kansas Cavalry. From that time until the following March, Thomas and his company were largely engaged in border patrol. He participated in the engagement in Osceola, where his commander, Colonel Johnson, was killed, and in a number of small skirmishes. From Fort Scott the company was ordered to Springfield and then to Rolla, Missouri. By this time Thomas had been promoted to adjutant of the regiment with the rank of first lieutenant. He and his comrades were then ordered down the White River to the Mississippi to join the rest of his regiment, the junction taking place at Helena, Arkansas. They fought at Helena, and participated in raids too numerous to mention in various points along the Mississippi and in Arkansas. In the fall of 1862, Thomas was made major of his regiment. In the fall of 1864 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and, as the colonel had been promoted, Thomas remained in active command of the remnants of Clayton 's Brigade, consisting of the first Indiana and the Fifth Kansas Cavalry. At first the command was attached to McClernand 's Army Corps and later to Hurlbut's Corps. After the fall of Vicksburg it became a part of the Seventh Army Corps commanded by General Steele. This command was sent to Little Rock, where Thomas and his comrades participated in a fight with the Confederates, and later they fought at Pine Bluff. In the fall of 1864, Thomas was sent to scout the movements of Kirby Smith. During that espedition he encountered the enemy in what proved to be a very severe skirmish. That practically ended Thomas' active military career. In January 1865, Thomas was mustered out. During his service he had received a severe gunshot wound in the right knee. Following the war, he spent two years in Arkansas raising cotton on a plantation he had bought, but from there removed to Chicago and engaged in the brokerage business. Since then Thomas made his home chiefly on his farm just on the outskirts of Topeka. Soon after he came to Kansas he pre-empted 103 acres in Mission Township adjoining the Topeka Township line and 2 1/2 miles from the capitol building. He conducted active farming operations on that land for many years and retained forty acres of it. Thomas was a Republican in politics. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.

  
  

• Sources

  [S15] Genealogy of Early Settlers of Trenton and Ewing, "Old Hunterdon County," New Jersey, p. 235. [S122] International Genealogical Index (R).