Randolph B . Marcy Randolph Barnes Marcy ( April 9 , 1812 – November 22 , 1887 ) was a career officer in the United States Army , achieving the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in 1881 . Although beginning in 1861 his responsibilities were those of a brigadier general , the U . S . Senate failed to confirm President Lincoln ' s September 28 , 1861 appointment of Marcy as a brigadier general and it expired by law on March 4 , 1863 . The U . S . Senate finally confirmed Marcy ' s appointment as a brigadier general when he was also appointed inspector general of the U . S . Army on December 12 , 1878 . Marcy was awarded the honorary grade of brevet major general to rank from March 13 , 1865 by nomination by President Johnson on December 3 , 1867 and confirmation on February 14 , 1868 . In 1852 Capt . Marcy was in charge of the expedition that first reached the headwaters of both forks of the Red River , which official parties had tried to find since 1806 . He was assisted by Brevet Capt . George B . McClellan , later to achieve notability as a general in the American Civil War . Marcy ’ s 1859 book , " The Prairie Traveler : A Handbook for Overland Expeditions , with Maps , Illustrations , and Itineraries of the Principal Routes between the Mississippi and the Pacific " , written at the direction of the Department of State and published by the U . S . government , has been called one of the most important works in making possible the great Western overland migration of United States settlers in the last half of the 19th century . Biography . Marcy was born at Greenwich , Massachusetts , in April 1812 . After attending local public schools , he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1832 . He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 5th U . S . Infantry . He married soon after receiving his commission . Marcy and his wife had several children . Marcy first saw combat while serving with the 5th in the Black Hawk War in Illinois and Wisconsin . In 1846 , he was promoted to Captain and fought with the 5th in the Mexican War at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma . Next Marcy was assigned to duty in Texas and Oklahoma , where he escorted emigrants , located military posts , explored the wilderness , and mapped routes . During this time , he met George B . McClellan , who later married one of his daughters , Ellen Mary ( " Nellie " ) . In 1857 , Marcy accompanied Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnston on the expedition against the Mormons in Utah . It was during this period that Capt . Marcy led his men safely from Utah to New Mexico on a forced march through the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter . His troops ran out of provisions the last two weeks of their journey , in extremely harsh weather , but Marcy avoided loss of life , an extraordinary accomplishment which he partially recounted in " The Prairie Traveler " . Marcy was promoted to acting Inspector General of the Army ' s Department of Utah . His achievements and well - written military reports had attracted attention in Washington , and he was recalled to work for the Department of State ( which at this time had responsibilities much beyond the conduct of foreign affairs ) . He prepared a guidebook on Western travel . Thousands of emigrants were heading west . As many were poorly informed about conditions and ill - prepared for the journey , alarming numbers were reported to be dying along the way . Marcy ’ s " Prairie Traveler " quickly became an indispensable guide to thousands of American overlanders in their arduous treks to California , Oregon , Utah , and other western destinations . It was a best - selling book for the remainder of the century . Andrew J . Birtle , author of " U . S . Army Counterinsurgency and Contingency Operations Doctrine 1860 - 1941 " , has described " The Prairie Traveler " as “ perhaps the single most important work on the conduct of frontier expeditions published under the aegis of the War Department . ” Marcy provided the overland pioneer with advice on packing , choosing the best routes to California , wagon maintenance , and the selection and care of horses , which had life - or - death consequences . His advice covered food supplies , packing , and traveling : including the fording of rivers , tracking , and bivouacking on the Great Plains , finding and treating water , building a fire , and avoiding quicksand . His first - aid procedures included treating snakebites , and common injuries and risks to travelers . He also provided material " concerning the habits of Indians , " including Native American tracking and hunting techniques , smoke signals and sign language , and battle tactics . Marcy said in the Preface that his goal was to help readers escape unforeseen disasters and maintain relative comfort during the journey . He added the pilgrim " will feel himself a master spirit in the wilderness he traverses , and not the victim of every new combination of circumstances which nature affords or fate allots , as if to try his skill and prowess . " The book was essential to the westward traveler , and no doubt saved many lives with its practical and experienced advice . Reflecting his wide reading and skills in observation , Marcy added references and quotes from Turkish and French accounts of colonizing North Africa and the great Sahara , as well as his personal experiences in the American West . He described the portable Indian lodges , advice from French and British medical journals , Norwegian saddling techniques , Mexican pack practices , African methods for carrying rifles while riding , and so on . The details he provided were what he considered imperative for survival out West . After completing " The Prairie Traveler " , Marcy was promoted to the rank of major and posted to the Pacific Northwest , where he was assigned as paymaster . At the start of the Civil War , he returned East and served as chief of staff to his son - in - law , General George B . McClellan . Before the War ended , he was appointed as one of the four Inspectors - General of the U . S . Army . On December 3 , 1867 , President Andrew Johnson nominated Marcy for the award of the brevet grade of major general of volunteers to rank from March 13 , 1865 and the U . S . Senate confirmed the award on February 14 , 1868 . After the War , he continued to serve as inspector general , but the Senate failed to confirm his wartime rank of general before it expired , as positions for higher level officers were limited in the postwar Army . In 1878 , Marcy was finally promoted to brigadier general as the Inspector General of the U . S . Army .