Atkinson, Henry

Related Category: U.S. History: Biographies

1782–1842, American army officer, b. North Carolina. After service as a colonel in the War of 1812, he was a commander in the West and led two expeditions (1819, 1825) to the Yellowstone River. He was general commander of forces in the Black Hawk War and later superintended removal of the Winnebago to Iowa. Jefferson Barracks (near St. Louis) and Fort Leavenworth were begun under his direction.