Lt Edward Mathey

[weir]

Hi,

I'm looking for all informations about Lt Edward Mathey, including stories of his behavior during the Civil War, the Indians Wars and other.

Lt Mathey will finally come home on June 2006. A french article will be published about him in the main newspaper of his hometown of Besançon, France.

If anyone can help me to gather informations about Lt Mathey, thanks.

[crzhrs]

West here you go . . .

In command of pack train and involved in hilltop fighting at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
Born October 27, 1837, in France, he enlisted from Indiana as a Private, 17th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in June 1861 and was promoted to Sergeant, Company C, to rank from May 31, 1861. Appointed Second Lieutenant in the same regiment effective May 1, 1862. On August 10, 1862, he resigned and was appointed a Second Lieutenant in the 81st Indiana Volunteer Infantry to rank from September 1, 1862. He fought with this regiment during the rest of Civil War and was engaged in the battle of Chickamauga. Promoted to First Lieutenant effective March 21, 1863, and to Captain on November 8, 1863. He participated in the demonstration before Rocky Faced Ridge, the battle of Resaca, the action near Kingston, the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain, the action at Marietta and the siege of Atlanta. He was engaged in the battle of Jonesborough, the action at Lovejoy Station, the battle at Franklin and the battle of Nashville. Promoted to Major effective September 12, 1864. Mustered out of the volunteer service June 13, 1865.

Appointed Second Lieutenant, 7th United States Cavalry, to rank from September 24, 1867, and promoted to First Lieutenant May 10, 1870. On May 17, 1876, he departed with 7th Cavalry to participate in the Sioux expedition. From June 22 he commanded the pack train accompanying the 7th Cavalry and on June 25-26 he was in the hilltop fight on the Little Big Horn River. He returned to Fort Lincoln September 26. Engaged in the 1877 campaign against Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce. Promoted to Captain to rank from September 30, 1877, after the Snake Creed fight near the Bear Paw Mountains.

On December 11, 1896, he retired with the rank of Major for disability incurred in the line of duty and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army, retired, on April 23, 1904.

Died July 17, 1915 at Mercy Hospital, Denver, Colorado, in his 78th year.

Interred in the National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia, Section 3, Grave 2089. Survived by his invalid wife, Meda Jones, and his daughter, Julia P. Mathey.

Edward Gustave Mathey of France
Appointed from Indiana, First Sergeant, Company C, 17th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 31 May 1861

Second Lieutenant, 1 May 1862
Resigned 10 August 1862

Second Lieutenant, 81st Indiana Volunteer Infantry, September 1862
First Lieutenant, 21 March 1863
Captain, 8 November 1863
Major, 12 September 1864
Honorably mustered out on 13 June 1865
Second Lieutenant, 7th U. S. Cavalry, 24 September 1867
First Lieutenant, 10 May 1870
Captain, 30 September 1877
Retired with the rank of Major, 11 December 1896

MATHEY, EDWARD G
LT COL USA RET
DATE OF DEATH: 07/17/1915
BURIED AT: SECTION SD WS SITE 2089
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

MATHEY, JULIA D/O EDWARD G
DATE OF DEATH: 12/11/1946
BURIED AT: SECTION SOUTH SITE 2089
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

MATHEY, MEDA J W/O EDW B
DATE OF DEATH: 02/19/1917
BURIED AT: SECTION S DIV SITE 2089
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

[weir]

crzhrs, thank you very much.

Your informations will help Mathey to come home a century and a half after he left France.

[Tricia]

Crzhrs--

I may be recalling incorrectly, but wasn't Mathey the subject of some scorn by the Custer clan because he was a rather haughty ... (I know this is going to sound bad) Frenchman? That said, it is great to see he is being returned to his country of origin. I hope West will provide a link to whatever news coverage there is of his reinternment, if that is what is being talked about here.

Regards,
Leyton McLean

[weir]

M. MacLean,

I won't add the haughty stuff in the French magazine we all know how they are.. ;D

I found Mathey was a popular figure that brought along alcohol in order to make the journey of soldiers and offiicers less tough.

I found also Benteen thought Mathey was doing "Custer's dirty work". Does it mean Mathey was close to Custer ?

If you have more stories about Mathey, his view of the NA, of Custer, of the LBH itself, of the American Civil War, of France of the XIXth century please share it. Thank you.

I'm especially looking for letter of the lieutenant.

[elisabeth]

There's some nice stuff on Mathey in Utley's Life in Custer's Cavalry (the Barnitz letters). He says:

" 'Bible-thumper', Mathey was called in the 7th Cavalry because of his distinction as the 'star blasphemy-hurler of the regiment'. He explained this trait as the result of an early experience in France, where he was born on Oct. 27, 1837: his family forced him to study for the priesthood; in revolt he embraced agnosticism and fled to America. He served through the Civil War in Indiana volunteer regiments, emerging a major and veteran of fourteen major engagements, including Stones River, Chickamauga, Kennesaw, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville. Appointed a second lieutenant in the 7th Cavalry in 1867, he spent the next three decades in the regiment, until retired on disability with the rank of major in 1896. Afflicted with snow blindness on the eve of the Washita, Mathey took Captain Hamilton's place with the supply train, this freeing the latter to fight, and die, in the battle. At the Little Bighorn, too, Mathey had charge of the pack train. He does not seem to have been more than a mediocre officer but probably did not deserve Benteen's indictment: 'Of all the non-entities with which a troop of cavalry could be damned, head and front, Capt. E. G. M. fills the bill.' Mathey died in Denver on July 19, 1915, following a prostate operation."

[weir]

Elisabeth, thank you very much for this great stuff !

[Jas. Watson]

Why is he being moved back to France? Is that how I read it? I never heard of this--pardon my ignorance.

Jas.~

[rch]

In "With Custer's Cavalry" Katherine Gibson Fougera tells about the death of one of Benteen's children at Fort Rice while Benteen and Francis Gibson were away. Mrs. Benteen asked Mrs. Fougera's mother to line the pine box the child would be buried in order to make it look less "crude." Mrs. Gibson worked late lining the box with material from her wedding dress. Seeing a light from the Gibson quarters so late Mathey as Officer of the Day came to investigate. He stayed to help Mrs. Gibson and provided her with some white headed tacks. Just before dawn Mathey carried the box to the Benteen quarters.

rch

[weir]

June 25 2006, in the newspaper "L'Est Républicain" in France (Besançon), Edward Mathey eventually came back home !!

[elisabeth]

Nice piece, West. I hadn't realised Mathey was only a child when he ran away to America! That's fascinating.

Has there been any reaction in Besançon? Any long-lost relatives surfacing?

[weir]

Mathey's wife and child are buried in Arlington, near Lt Edward himself.

I didn't find any child in the US, nor any family in Besançon itself. However I received orders for the book by people interested by NA and the American West. On Thursday the swiss soldiers will be celebrated in a swiss national magazine.

[elisabeth]

That's good news about the book.

Could he have been born "Mathieu", and anglicised it to "Mathey"?

[weir]

Elisabeth, it is possible. The swiss soldier Vincent Charley is buried under the name "Charles". Because he was a german speaking soldier, I'm quite sure his last name was something around "Karl".

Mathey is not a french name. "Mathieu", as you proposed, is likely to have been the original name. I don't have any record to dig further, sorry.

PS : the swiss soldier appeared today with LBH in a swiss magazine, with a magnificent painting of Harold von Schmidt (really moving painting) and a 4 pages article I wrote. I have to scan the whole thing and present the result here.

LBH is definitely crossing the big pond. ;D

[elisabeth]

Great!