John Howard, Merchant, Mackinac

 Mackinac

23 July 1790

Court Martial of Charles W. Squires

The Sand Creek Massacre was the basis for Charles W. Squires' court martial.

Source

Series XV Daniel McNaughton papers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, History and Special Collections):

...In Sept.-Oct. 1865 [Daniel McNaughton] was in Denver, serving as the court martial of Charles W. Squires.

"October 5, 1865 – Just days before the commencement of his court-martial trial, Private Charles W. Squier escapes from the Denver jail with the help of three conspirators.  Over the years, several alleged sightings of Soule’s murderer are reported, but Squier will never be brought to justice. Squier, who was harbored by his elder half-brother and noted archaeologist, E.G. Squire, drifted for a number of years in the East until his death in 1869 from injuries suffered in a railroad accident in New York."

Census 1855

E.D. 2, Milton, Saratoga, New York, United States

Joel Squires Head M 56

Mariah Squires Wife F 53

Charles W Squires Child U 18

Jennie Squires Child U 15

Lousa Coter Servant U 11

General Gaines' Letter

Headquarters

Augusta, Georgia

20 August 1819

To Major James E. Dinkins...
Tensaw, A. T.

Source

"...at which time he is directed to hand you his sword and be in arrest."

Colonel William King of the Fourth Regiment....court martial....

Also see my War of 1812 Chronicles blog post, Neil Cameron, Deserter.

Some Business Of The Michigan Cavalry

Source

Source

The 2nd Regiment of the Michigan Cavalry, including 1st Lieutenant Martin L. Squier, was in Tennessee.

Captain Marshall Thacker was on general court martial service.

Another entry in reference to Hugo B. Rathburn stated "In arrest at Franklin Tenn from Dec 2/64 by order from Genl Wilson.


Hugo Rathburn's reference card at Fold3.com:

Colonel Talbot Chambers, A Born Autocrat

"The only law in vogue was that of the military; and this was dispensed at the time of Peters' arrival by a born autocrat Colonel Talbot Chambers." [Source] (Link added)

Chambers was born in Pennsylvania.  Some of his family history can be found here.

"[In the War of 1812] Captain Talbot Chambers, and part of the fifth United States regiment, afterwards crossed to Squaw Island and burnt her with her valuable cargo of furs. The Caledonia's cargo was estimated at 200,000 dollars." [Source]


Colonel Talbot Chambers was wounded in the War of 1812 according to this report (also seen here):

Talbot Chambers to be lieutenant colonel, 8th March 1817, in a Rifle Regiment:

Court Martial, April 1826,Cantonment Morgan, Georgia

The court martial record can be seen here according to this message.  Colonel Talbot Chambers was cashiered by the military on 28 April 1826.

An 1839 letter referred to the late Col. Talbot Chambers:

Palm's Friend Was No Friend Indeed

Source - Wikipedia

A chapter from this book explained Palm's situation in greater detail.

In the mean time [Johann Philipp] Palm had constantly been in the French prison at Braunau. 

The whole proceedings had been carried on so hastily and secretly, that the German authorities of Braunau had scarcely heard of them at the time when the French court-martial was already about to sentence the prisoner.

The French, however, wanted to maintain some semblance of impartiality; and before Palm was called before the court-martial, it was left to him either to defend himself in person against the charges, or to provide himself with counsel.

Palm, who was ignorant of the French language, had preferred the latter, and selected as his counsel a resident lawyer of Braunau, with whom he was well acquainted, and even on terms of intimacy, and whom he knew to be familiar with the French language.

But this friend declined being a "friend in need." He excused himself on the pretext of a serious indisposition which confined him to his bed, and rendered it impossible for him to make a speech.

Palm was informed of this excuse only at the moment when he entered the room in which the trial was to be held; hence he had to make up his mind to conduct his own defence, and to have his words translated by an interpreter to the members of the court.

Trial Of Captain Henry Whitby

Source - Library Of Congress

A report of the trial of Captain Henry Whitby for the death of John Pierce.

Johan Phillip Palm, A Martyr For Liberty

An excerpt from the Napoleon Series website explained why it wasn't a good idea to cross Napoleon in 1806:

Johann Phillip Palm...an obscure bookseller from Nuremberg, was executed in the early afternoon of 26 August 1806.  He was shot by a French firing squad in a field outside of the town of Braunau, an Austrian town garrisoned by the French.  A single pistol shot to the head finished him off.  Palm had been arrested 12 days earlier and charged with publishing and distributing libelous pamphlets about France and Napoleon.  A military court had tried Palm on 25 August 1806 and found him guilty.

Source

The author of the blog Archaeolibris, who referred to Johan Palm as "a martyr for the German struggle for liberty," posted that it was a Dangerous Times For A Bookseller (and pointed towards the illustration of the execution of John Palm).

A chapter from this book explained Palm's situation in greater detail:

During the sixteen days since he had been in jail, he had only twice been taken out of it to be examined by the court-martial, which General St. Hilaire had specially convoked for his trial.

This court-martial consisted of French generals and staff-officers; it met at a time of peace in a German city, and declared its competence to try a German citizen who had committed no other crime than to circulate a pamphlet, in which the misfortunes of Germany, and the oppressions of German states by Napoleon and his armies, had been commented upon.

[Palm] felt convinced that his defence [at the court martial] had been successful, and satisfied the men who had assumed to be his judges, of his entire innocence.

He greeted them [members of the court martial] with an unclouded brow and frank and open bearing; not a tinge of fear and nervousness was to be seen in his features; he fixed his large and lustrous eyes on the lips of General St. Hilaire who presided over the court-martial and now rose from his seat. The secretary of the court immediately approached the general and handed him a paper.

The general took it, and, bending a stern glance on Palm, said: "The court-martial has agreed to-day unanimously on your sentence. I will now communicate it to you."

Palm had returned to his cell without uttering a complaint, a reproach. Nothing in his bearing betrayed his profound grief, his intense indignation. He knew that neither his complaints nor his reproaches were able to change his fate, and consequently he wanted to bear it like a man.

View a statue of Johan Phillip Palm (Jim's distant cousin) in Bert's Travels blog.

Court Martial At St. Mary's

St. Mary's, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia
17 August 1819




....in the cases of Captain Spencer and Lieutenant Simmons, tried before the court martial at St. Mary's, Major Davis has been transmitted to Major General Jackson for his decision....

Alexander McDonald, Glengary Vol. Lieutenant

Court Martial 

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - (Index Only)
Microform: c-11837

Alexander McDonald, Lt. Glengary Vol. Co.

Cornwall, 17-6-1839

Member, garrison court-martial, which investigated cause and circumstances of a fire at Dickinson's Landing.

E. S. Otis At A Court-Martial In Detroit

Special Orders Issued From The Adjutant's Office In 1877:

The following order has been received from the War Department :

War Department,
Washington City, April 13, 1877.
Under the 72d Article of War, Revised Statutes, the President directs that a General Court-Martial assemble at Detroit, Michigan, on the 15th day of May, 1877, or as soon thereafter as practicable, for the trial of Captain C. A. Webb, 22d Infantry, and such other persons as may be brought before it.

From The Otis File At Fold3*

Detail for the Court.
*Lieutenant Colonel E [Elwell or Ewell] S. Otis, 22d Infantry. 
Lieutenant Colonel J. M. Brannan, 1st Artillery.
Major G. A. De Russy, 3d Artillery.
Captain R. N. Scott, 3d Artillery.
Captain E. R. Warner, 3d Artillery.
Captain J. R. Kelly, 3d Artillery.
Captain G. F. Barstow, 3d Artillery.

1st Lieutenant James O'Hara, 3d Artillery, Judge Advocate of the Court.

No other officers than those named can be assembled without manifest injury to the service.

GEO. W. McCRARY, Secretary of War.

By command of General Sherman

Neely Greer, Citizen

Second Michigan Cavalry: Removals of Desertion, Discharges, etc.

Source

Dambacker, Petty, Sevel, alias Donley, Allen, Greer.

Source [Document 15]

Neely Greer, a citizen of Sumner County, Tennessee, was held as a POW. [Document 16]

A Court Martial In Georgia

Fort Jackson, Savannah, Georgia

Letters Received By The Office Of The Adjutant General, 1805-1821:

Augusta, Georgia

11 August 1819

Instructed by Major General Gaines to proceed to Fort Hawkins, Georgia, as a member of a General Court Martial...thereafter return to Savannah, Georgia... .

You will order Lieutenant Hopkins, now under arrest, to proceed without delay, to the same place for trial.. .

Daniel E. Burch or Bunch

Aide de Camp  

Cap. Wm. Bee
7th Infantry
Savannah, Georgia

Enticing William Howard

Source

Source

"Thomas Buck, Boatswain of the Ship Rose, tried by the above Court Martial for enticing William Howard, Mariner, on board His Majesty's Ship of War Zebra, who deserted His Majesty's Service, is found guilty."

Pre-War Court Martial At Fort George

Title: British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - INDEX ONLY [Documents Here]
Microform: c-11837

Fort George, 26-1-1803 [Image 5001]

c.547 [c. 547 = C-3071] p. 57
Fort Erie also mentioned