HE DIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON

70

Lewis Tappan Thompson, born on July 25, 1838 was named after a New York abolitionist and grew to manhood in the bustling city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ten years earlier, his parents, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, had joined the  Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society who met at Pennsylvania Hall.

Only days after his birth, Lewis' father was in the Hall when it was burned by protesters, but managed to escape. His father, also named Lewis, had become a well-known and respected printer in the city and frequently printed items for the Society.

When Lewis Tappen was ten years old, in March 1849, his father witnessed the opening of a box shipped to Philadelphia, which contained an escaped slave named Henry "Box" Brown. The story certainly would have fascinated the young boy.

Raised in an abolitionist household, Lewis Tappan heard first hand the misery endured by southern slaves. His sister, Matilda, upset by the tales, wrote several slave stories as a young girl, one titled Aunt Judy and published by her father for the Anti-Slavery Society. Lewis and his brothers on numerous occasions drove a wagon carrying a runaway slave through the darkness of night to a safe house as part of the Underground Railroad.

It's no wonder that when the Civil War broke out in April 1861, and Abraham Lincoln called for troops, along with his older brother, James, Lewis jumped at the chance to fight against slavery. Without a second thought, the two joined the 71st New York Infantry, militia unit.

After three months duty and participation in the battle of  Bull Run/Manassas the unit was discharged. Lewis was then appointed to the staff of Gen. John C. Fremont with the rank of Lieutenant and went on duty in Missouri. When Fremont was deprived of his command, Lewis joined General Lanes as a volunteer and for a time served as Adjutant General. He was subsequently appointed Captain of a company in the Third Kansas Cavalry and passed hard service in border warfare during the winter of 1861-62.

For bravery and generalship he was promoted to Lieutenant in the Second Cavalry. He participated in the campaign and leading up to and including the battle of   Pea Ridge. In May 1862 he was ordered to join Company "C" of the Second United States Cavalry on the Potomac. Do to his gallantry on the field, he was Brevetted Captain in June 1863. Definition of Brevet

Not long after, on July 2nd, Lewis was captured by a detachment of Confederate troops in Union uniforms. Put in the infamous Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, he had little food and the cold damp conditions took a toll on his body. In June 1864, he was transferred to Camp Oglethorpe, a prison pen in Macon Georgia and in July to Charleston, South Carolina.

As luck would have it, Lewis' brother-in-law, Union Brig. General Rufus Saxton, the husband of his sister Matilda, had been appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to the position of Military Governor of South Carolina when the Union took over there. Gen. Saxton concerned for Lewis' health wrote to a friend, who now was a Confederate General occupying part of South Carolina. He requested that Lewis be exchanged for a man held by the Union. The exchange was granted and Lewis was freed and given three months leave. He then became a recruiting and mustering officer in Philadelphia until the close of the war.

But Lewis wasn't satisfied to sit behind a desk. On Sept. 5,1865 he was brevetted Major for distinguished service during the war and appointed Indian Agent in Colorado and Military Aide to Governor Cummings. For nine years he was on the frontier with his regiment, suppressing Indian disturbances and guarding work on the Pacific Railways. During this time he had many bloody encounters and a number of hair breadth escapes from death.

During the fall of 1875, Lewis was granted six months leave of absence, having suffered from the effects of his prison experience, both physical and mental. Without question he suffered from PTSD  (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or "Soldier's Heart" as it was called then. Symptoms included "chest thumping" (tachycardia), anxiety and shortness of breath. It's almost certain that he had these and other symptoms after his days as a POW.

Lewis rejoined his company in Montana at Fort Ellis, even though he suffered physically and mentally. He felt it his duty to participate with his men. His surgeon ordered him to stay behind in June 1876, but he argued and was eventually allowed to go. His company, part of General Gibbons command, arrived at the Little Big Horn shortly after Custer and his command had been killed. Lewis helped bury Custer and the other soldiers, and then, with the rest of the regiment, went in search of the hostile Indians who had perpetrated the massacre.

Three weeks later, stricken in the wilderness with severe pain from his time in prison and previous injuries, he was carried on a litter behind the heels of a mule for miles, as the soldiers pursue the Indians. In camp, the morning of July 19, 1876, he asked his aide to bring him water. Moments later, a shot rang out. Men rushed to his tent uncertain what had happen.

Captain Lewis Tappan Thompson, age thirty-eight, was dead! Killed by a .44 caliber bullet to the heart. "Tompy," as his friends and comrades called him, had committed suicide, a victim of the Civil War, Indian Wars and PTSD. He died with his boots on!

Tompy was buried on a hill not far from the Little Big Horn. A year later, his brother, James and his brother-in-law, Brig. General Rufus Saxton removed his remains and re-interred them in the family cemetery in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His monument stands there today.

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He Died With His Boots On is the story of my great-great uncle. Maybe if I'd known him I could have somehow cheered him up with a smile or a greeting card during the tough times. 

If YOU know someone who's suffered an injury while in the military or suffers from PTSD, let them know you care. Send them a greeting card.

Here are two cards I've created that are available at Dog Tags and Combat Boots on Greeting Card Universe. Click the card to go there.