Ranald Slidell Mackenzie (July 27, 1840 – January 19, 1889) was called the most promising young officer in the entire Union army. He was famous for his service in the American Civil War and the following Indian Wars.
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Early life and education
Mackenzie was born in Westchester County, New York, the nephew of Confederate States of America diplomat John Slidell and the brother of Lt. Commander Alexander Slidell MacKenzie, U.S. Navy. He graduated from West Point at the head of his class in 1862 and immediately joined the Union forces already fighting in the Civil War.
Military career
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, Mackenzie served in the battles of Second Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and through the Overland Campaign in 1864. He was appointed colonel of the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery, which served as infantry during the assaults on Petersburg, where he was wounded. This incident, in which he lost two fingers, was the probable cause for his nickname, "Bad Hand". He moved with the VI Corps when it opposed Early's Washington Raid. He was given command of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, VI Corps and was again wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek. Upon his recovery, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and assumed command of the Cavalry Division in the Army of the James, which he led at the battles of Five Forks and Appomattox Courthouse. He was appointed brevet major general of volunteers in 1865 for services in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Mackenzie was known for his harsh discipline and was not well liked by troops serving under him, who called him the "Perpetual Punisher". However, he was respected by his peers and superiors for his skill and abilities, prompting General Ulysses S. Grant to refer to him as the "most promising young officer" in the entire Union army.
Service in the Indian wars
After the Civil War, Mackenzie stayed in the regular army and reverted to his permanent rank of captain in the Army Corps of Engineers. He then served in the West during the Indian Wars and was appointed colonel in the regular army in 1867 in the 41st U.S. Infantry (later 24th U.S. Infantry - one of the Buffalo Soldier regiments) and fought against the Apache Indians in the Southwest. On February 25, 1871, he commanded the 4th U.S. Cavalry. He led the regiment at the Battle of the North Fork in the Llano Estacado of west Texas, where he perfected a strategy for that unique terrain for defeating Indians who were resisting the government policy of moving them to reservations. He fought in the Red River War, routing a combined Indian force at the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon from his headquarters at Fort Concho, Texas. In 1876, he defeated the Cheyenne in the Dull Knife Fight, which helped bring about the end of the Black Hills War. This led to his appointment as commander of the District of New Mexico in 1881. In 1882, he was appointed brigadier general and assigned to the Department of Texas (October 30, 1883). He began to demonstrate odd behavior which was attributed to a fall from a wagon at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in which he injured his head. Showing signs of mental instability, he was retired from the Army on March 24, 1884. Mackenzie died in New Brighton, Staten Island, New York, in his sister's home and is buried in West Point National Cemetery.
References
- Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
