Biography of Bennet Riley



Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary. 

Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912.



submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist

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BENNET RILEY was born in Alexandria, Va., in 1787, and entered the army from Maryland as an ensign in 1813. He attained a 

captaincy in 1818, and for long and efficient service was breveted major in 1828. He was an adept at campaigning on the 

plains, leading a wing of the Arikara expedition in 1823, under Lieut. Col. Henry Leavenworth, Fifth infantry, He commanded 

the first Santa Fe trail escort, a duty for which he was sent from Jefferson Barracks to Fort Leavenworth in 1829 with a 

battalion of the Sixth infantry, and in which Lieut. Philip St. George Cooke served as a subaltern, and was distinguished 

for bravery in the Seminole war. At Fort Leavenworth he succeeded Col. Henry Leavenworth in command, In the Mexican war he 

was a trusted lieutenant of Gen. Winfield Scott, who publicly attributed much of his success at Monterey and Cerro Gordo to 

Colonel Riley's prowess. In 1847 he became brigadier general, and the next year was sent in command of the Division of the 

West to California, where he acted as last territorial governor and aided in forming the state constitution. On his 

departure from California (1858) his popularity was signalized by testimonials of popular respect. He died at Buffalo, June 

9, 1853. The post of Fort Riley, Kan., was named in his honor.  -Henry Shindler.



(Included with article "Some Western Border Conditions in the 50's and 60's", page 1-2)