Although born in Germany and brought by the Army to Puget Sound, August Kautz formed a lasting appreciation of the beauty of the Northwest. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1852, he was assigned to Fort Columbus in New York, and subsequently stationed at Fort Vancouver on the West coast. In March of 1853, Washington Territory was formed, and simultaneously Kautz was transferred to Fort Steilacoom.

Lieutenant Kautz's diary entries make it very clear that he was thoroughly enchanted with the majesty of the forests, mountains, and Sound. Unlike other officers, Kautz was an early and frequent investor in land parcels.

His first independent mission in the Territory was to lead a small group of soldiers in an investigation of liquor sales to the Indians. This was common source of trouble, but in this case, the sales had led to the disappearance and presumed death of several settlers in the southern Puget Sound. In May of 1853, Kautz embarked on a expedition to "intimidate the Indians." He led a detachment of twelve men, and was equipped with an open ship's launch and one month's supplies. His diary says of this mission:

When the strength of my command is considered in connection with the hordes of Indians then to be found along the shores of Puget Sound, the absurdity of this order becomes apparent.

Though he viewed it as less than a complete success, Kautz's efforts resulted in several arrests and a good deal of excitement. He also received an introduction to the local tribes and their customs, and made the acquaintance of a number of the early settlers.

During the summer of 1853, when trouble between white settlers and the Indians in the Rogue River Valley escalated, Kautz was transferred to Fort Orford in southern Oregon. He helped maintain the peace for over a year, but in 1855, during his first major campaign, he was wounded.

When tensions began to intensify into warfare in Washington Territory, Kautz's friend, Lieutenant William Slaughter was killed in a skirmish with the Indians. Kautz was promoted to First Lieutenant and sent back to Fort Steilacoom as Slaughter's replacement. His involvement in the Puget Sound war resulted in Kautz being wounded once again. (Hemphill 131-34)

In 1857, when the war was ended, Kautz remained at Fort Steilacoom as Quartermaster and Commissary Officer. During this period, he grew to admire the Nisqually chief, Leschi, against whom he had fought in the war. Leschi was being held at the fort following his conviction for the killing of A. B. Moses at the beginning of the war.

During the summer of 1857, Kautz determined to climb Mt. Rainier, and Leschi gave him valuable advice about the mountain, even offering wistfully to be his guide. (Eckrom 157) Kautz made his ascent, but was forced to abort the attempt about four hundred feet from the summit. The expeditionary team, exhausted and out of provisions, returned wearily to Fort Steilacoom to recover. (Hemphill 134)

Lieutenant Kautz became increasingly involved with Leschi's case. Under the pseudonym, Ann Onymous, he published a paper called "The Truth Teller," featuring articles by settlers with favorable attitudes towards Leschi. He drew a detailed map of the area including the whereabouts of all involved parties in an effort to show that Leschi could not have committed the crime. The effort was made to convince Governor McMullen, who succeeded Governor Stevens, to pardon Leschi, but it was unsuccessful. (Meeker 419) Leschi was hanged February 19, 1858.(Eckrom 163)

In the autumn of 1858, Kautz was transferred to Camp Semiahmoo to work for the U.S.-Canada Border Commission. A few months later, he received word that his application for leave had been approved, and in the spring of 1859, he embarked upon a one-year tour of Europe. Upon his return to the States, he was ordered to lead one hundred fifty recruits from Missouri to Oregon country. He was subsequently stationed at Camp Chehalis, then ordered east to fight in the Civil War, where attained the rank of Major General of Volunteers. Following the Civil War he served on the military court that tried the Lincoln assassination conspirators, commanded troops in the Midwest, and chased Indians in the Southwest.

In 1891, Brigadier General Kautz finally returned to the Northwest as Commander of the Department of the Columbia. He retired from the military in 1892, and died in Seattle on September 5, 1895.

Hemphill, Major General John A. and Robert C. Cumbow. West Pointers and Early Washington: The Contributions of U.S. Military Academy Graduates to the Development of the Washington Territory, from the Oregon Trail to the Civil War, 1834-1862. Seattle: The West Point Society of Puget Sound, Inc., 1992.

Eckrom, J. A. Remembered Drums: A History of the Puget Sound Indian War. Walla Walla, WA: Pioneer Press Books, 1989.

Meeker, Ezra. Pioneer Reminiscences of Puget Sound, The Tragedy of Leschi. Seattle: Lowman & Hanford Stationery and Printing Co., 1905.