Manuscripts Collection
John B. Sanborn was born in Epsom, New Hampshire, December 5, 1826, the youngest of five children. Interested in the law, he attended one quarter at Dartmouth College (1851-1852) but left to join the law office of Asa Fowler in Concord. He was admitted to the bar in 1854, and moved West, settling in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he and his partners began the firm of Sanborn, French and Lund on January 1, 1855. He maintained an active role with the firm until ca. 1880.
Sanborn's political career began with service as a state representative (1859-1860), followed by election to the state senate in early 1861. In April 1861 he was appointed as State Adjutant General, organizing and equipping three infantry regiments. Sanborn would later serve additional legislative terms as a representative (1872) and as a state senator (1891-1893).
His most notable accomplishments, however, came during his service as an officer in the U.S. Army during and immediately after the Civil War: first as colonel of the Fourth Minnesota Regiment (December 1861), and then as a brigade commander in the Army of the Mississippi, fighting in the battles of Iuka and Corinth and serving in the Vicksburg Campaign. In October 1863 he became commander of the District of Southwestern Missouri during which time he helped defeat Price's invasion in October 1864. In February 1865 he was promoted to brevet major general.
In June 1865 Sanborn was ordered to report to General John Pope to pursue hostile Indians in the West. In September he, along with Kit Carson and William Bent, was appointed a commissioner to negotiate a treaty with several tribes. In February 1867 he was appointed a member of the Indian Peace Commission and was active in this capacity to 1869.
After leaving active military service Sanborn returned to his law practice in Minnesota, remained deeply involved in state politics and veterans' organizations, was elected president of the Minnesota Historical Society in May 1903, and died one year later.
Biographical data was taken from
The papers include a register of cases litigated by the law firm of Sanborn, French and Lund (1854-1859); Sanborn's official reports while serving as brigadier general and major general of Union infantry, and later as commander of the Southwest District of Missouri, during the Civil War; a request from the State of Minnesota for bloodhounds to help track down fugitive Indians after the Dakota Conflict of 1862; correspondence relating to his activities investigating Indian attacks in the West and as a special Indian commissioner (1865-1869); and a 15-page report by Father P. J. deSmet recording the remarks made by several Indian chiefs, including Sitting Bull, at a council for peace in 1868.
Accession number: 1795A1; 7085
Processed by: James Chattin, September 1993
Catalog ID number: 09-00038065
Register of litigations (1854-1859), official military correspondence and reports (1861-1869), miscellaneous personal correspondence (1882, 1888, 1898), and certificates of appointment (1861, 1864, 1865, 1867), providing limited insight into the career of an army officer, lawyer, and state legislator from Minnesota.
The two folders contain a variety of miscellaneous correspondence, including an unaddressed note from John A. Dix, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (January 29, 1861), instructing bearer to "Tell Lieut. Caldwell to arrest Capt. Breskwood, assume command of the cutter....If any one attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot," and a letter (July 3, 1863) from the Minnesota Adjutant General inquiring whether Sanborn, then in Mississippi, could acquire bloodhounds to help hunt down the last of the "savages" still loose in the state.
Other papers include:
1. Sanborn's (premature) farewell to his brigade in August 1863, and the reactions of his officers, as well as a battle report of his command's activities from May 22 to July 4, 1863.
2. President Lincoln's comments (September 11, 1863) regarding Sanborn's acceptance of his promotion to brigadier general (original filed in Reserve Collection).
3. Two ration returns for the Third Cavalry Brigade which Sanborn commanded in October 1864 while fighting Price's invasion of Missouri.
4. Several letters of appreciation from the governor (June 1, 1865) and a committee of citizens of Missouri (June 8, 1865), and from his own officers (June 1865), upon departing as commander of the District of Southwestern Missouri.
5. Official orders and miscellaneous correspondence related to Sanborn's participation in tracking down hostile Indians in 1865, including a letter (August 27, 1865) from Colonel Kit Carson reporting his and Mr. Bent's arrival at Fort Larned; requesting the latest information "since your preliminary treaty for a cessation of hostilities" and whether "guides, half-breeds, traders, &c, for communication with the Cheyennes and Arrapahoes" are available; and describing Carson's intention to locate and interview chief Black Kettle regarding "the unfortunate affair at Sand Creek" (original filed in reserve collection).
6. Official orders, letters of appointment, and correspondence related to Sanborn's participation as a special Indian commissioner (1867-1868) including a letter patent from President Andrew Johnson (July 29, 1867) appointing and authorizing Lieutenant General William T. Sherman, Brigadier General William S. Harney, and Brigadier General Alfred H. Terry to call together the hostile Indian tribes for a council of peace. Pursuant to the Congressional Act of July 20, 1867, these commissioners are to "act in conjunction with "N. G. Taylor, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, John B. Henderson, Chairman of the Committee of Indian Affairs of the Senate, S. F. Tappan, and John B. Sanborn (original in reserve collection).
7. A 15-page report by Father P. J. De Smet describing a council of peace (June 20, 1868) between himself and the chiefs or headmen of several Native American tribes on the Powder River. He includes the verbatim remarks of several chiefs, including Four Horns, Sitting Bull, Two Bears, and Running Antelope (original and a typescript copy).
8. Correspondence between Rev. John J. Killoren and Dallas R. Lindgren, Minnesota Historical Society (April-June 1986), regarding items held by MHS regarding Father P. J. De Smet, including the report mentioned above.
9. Five letters from General William T. Sherman, most of which complain about having to disburse appropriated funds to various government agents and tribes in order to secure peace on the frontier. One letter complains that General Harney overspent what Sherman had budgeted him (January 7, 1869) and another letter justifies the harsh actions of army officers in the field and complains that General Harney "is too hard to keep in bounds" (July 7, 1869) (all originals are filed in reserve collection).
A volume listing approximately 743 cases litigated by the law firm of Sanborn, French and Lund from September 15, 1854 to October 25, 1859. The entries synopsize actions in the cases and give details on their dispositions. Includes an index.
All are signed by Governor Alexander Ramsey.
Two facsimiles of the last issue of the
Remarks that Sanborn has withdrawn his resignation and will receive his commission as a brigadier general after all. Written on the envelope containing the letter from the president mentioned above.