Historical Figures

Gen. George Crook

Lawson served under Crook for a bulk of his post-Civil War career, including stints in Arizona and on the plains with the Department of the Platte. While Crook has been labeled as one of the most aggressive Indian fighters, he also harbored strong sympathies toward them as well. That attitude, at least according to some writers, may have been passed along to Lawson.

Wikipedia entry for George Crook

Arlington National Cemetery, Crook burial site

Gen. Nelson Miles

Wikipedia entry for Nelson Miles

Arlington National Cemetery, Miles burial site

Miles in the Spanish-American War

Gen. Wesley Merritt

Wikipedia entry for Wesley Merrit

Gen. George Stoneman

Lawson served under Stoneman during 1864 and 1865 during several large-scale cavalry raids into Virginia and Tennessee, and he also served briefly with him in Arizona. Stoneman was a governor of California.

Wikipedia entry for George Stoneman

Gen. Ranald MacKenzie

During the Cheyenne Outbreak of 1877, Lawson was one of the first units to work to contain the fleeing Indians, but it was MacKenzie’s command that eventually subjugated the Cheyenne.

Wikipedia entry for Ranald MacKenzie

John L. Boone

Lawson’s son-in-law, marrying his eldest daughter, Annie, during the Civil War. A direct descendant of Daniel Boone, his family settled Oregon’s Willamette Valley, but Boone made his mark in San Francisco as a member of the state senate and as a prominent patent attorney.

San Francisco biography, obituar

Red Cloud

Strong evidence suggests that the legendary Sioux chief interacted with Lawson repeatedly in the 1870s, including during the resettlement of the Red Cloud Agency to what becomes the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Wikipedia entry for Red Cloud

Young Man Afraid of His Horses

Lawson would have most likely engaged Young Man Afraid of His Horses during the Battle of Rosebud in the summer of 1876. The two were also linked by the journey from the Red Cloud Agency to what becomes the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Wikipedia entry for Young Man Afraid of His Horses

Calamity Jane

It is believed that Lawson was unaware that Calamity Jane had attached herself to his Company A of the 3rd Cavalry. However, when he found out, he quickly tossed her from the unit.

Wikipedia entry for Calamity Jane

Dr. Valentine McGillicuddy