12 Facts About Anson Mills

Anson Mills was a United States Army officer, surveyor, inventor, and entrepreneur.

Anson Mills was born on a farm near Thorntown, Indiana, the first of nine children to a father and mother of Quaker ancestry but with no particular interest in religion.

Anson Mills's service was undistinguished, but he appeared at Shiloh and in the Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Atlanta, and Nashville campaigns.

Anson Mills rose to the rank of captain by the end of the war and claimed never to have missed a day of service for any reason.

From 1865 to 1893, Anson Mills remained on duty with the Army, mostly engaged in campaigns against Indians, notably at the Battle of Powder River, the Battle of the Rosebud and the Battle of Slim Buttes where he led cavalry under the command of George Crook.

Anson Mills rose gradually to the rank of colonel and was appointed brigadier-general in 1897 when he was placed on the retired list.

Shortly after the Civil War, Anson Mills began to improve the regulation cartridge belt by attempting to weave the whole belt in one piece without sewing.

Nevertheless, after giving some belts to Canadian troops headed for the Boer War, Anson Mills soon received orders from the British government, and his success was assured.

In 1894, Anson Mills was appointed a member of the International Boundary Commission that sought to settle cases involving the border with Mexico, including the Chamizal dispute.

Anson Mills married Hannah Cassel of Zanesville, Ohio in 1868; they had three children, only one of which, a daughter, survived to maturity.

Anson Mills completed and privately published an autobiography, My Story, in 1918.

Anson Mills retired from the boundary commission in 1914 and died in Washington, DC, on November 5,1924.