Riding with Kit Carson: The Mexican War service of James M. Samuel

By Bill Eddleman

On Christmas Eve 1893, James Munday Samuel succumbed to heart trouble in Oak Ridge. His obituary detailed military service in two wars, but referred to a singular incident occurring during the Mexican War.

James was 6 feet, 2 inches, with black hair and black eyes, and a trained brick mason when he enlisted in the 3rd Mounted Missouri Infantry. However, he listed his occupation as "miner," not uncommon in the mining area near his home in St. Francois County. The 20-year-old mustered in May 28, 1847, and the 3rd moved west to Fort Leavenworth. While the unit was at Fort Leavenworth, an illustrious visitor arrived on the way to Santa Fe.

Lt. Christopher "Kit" Carson had carried dispatches from Col. Stephen W. Kearney in California to Washington, D.C., and returned with additional dispatches to the Army in New Mexico. Carson was alone, and his trip would lead through Comanche country, so commanders deemed the trip too dangerous for him to proceed unescorted. So, Lt. Carson received an escort of Pvt. Samuel and 49 other men. The group rode west on the Santa Fe Trail, taking the Cimarron Cutoff.

The Cimarron Cutoff leads through dry, barren country. A key landmark is a prominent outcropping in eastern New Mexico. This outcrop, named "Point of Rocks," is a pile of boulders at the end of low hills. It was a key stop because of its stream of clear, fresh water -- an oasis in a dry landscape. After the party arrived at Point of Rocks, they found additional mounted volunteers 300 yards away. This detachment, commanded by Lt. Mulony, had supplies and cattle for the Army. What both groups did not know was the Comanche they had feared were nearby.

Early the next morning, Mulony's men moved to picket their horses in fresh grass, and the Comanche attacked. In the confusion, the cattle stampeded toward the 3rd, who counterattacked the Indians and drove them away. The skirmish resulted in three of Lt. Mulony's men wounded and 28 horses lost, but no cattle taken. After assessing losses, Lt. Carson and his escort, including Pvt. Samuel, continued to Santa Fe.

Samuel mustered out at Independence, Missouri, on Oct. 20, 1848. He married Mary Ellen Gearhart in 1850 in Madison County, and worked as a brick mason with his father. Among other buildings, they built the First Christian Church and school in Libertyville, Missouri, which are still standing today. James enlisted in the Missouri State Guard and other southern units during the Civil War. His family moved several times during and after the war, finally settling in Oak Ridge. Mary Ellen died in 1872, and James remarried to Sarah E. (Randall) Macom.

Samuel shared the Mexican War events many times with his family, who remembered them in his obituary. The obituary stated, "Samuel is said to have been one of those men of nerve whose courage on the battlefield make war so terrible."