Reuben Joseph Miller was born on April 9, 1836, in either Pennsylvania or New York. By 1850, his family was living in Owego, Tioga County, New York near the Pennsylvania border. He eventually made his way west, and during the American Civil War, he enlisted as a private into Company M of the 2nd California Volunteer Cavalry on September 11, 1861, at Fort Jones in Siskiyou County, California. His regiment saw service in the west fighting in the Indian Wars during and after the Civil War. His company M was ordered to Carson City, Nevada Territory, in May 1862. From July to September 1862, the company traveled through Fort Churchill and the Ruby Valley to Utah to protect the Overland mail route. Reuben's brother Peter Miller, who served as a soldier in the 2nd Minnesota Infantry, died in Rockford, Minnesota on July 20, 1862. Company M participated in an expedition from Fort Ruby to Camp Douglas, Utah, from September 30 to October 29, 1862, and an expedition from Camp Douglas to the Cache Valley from November 20-27, 1862. The company participated in a skirmish at Cache Valley on November 23, 1862, and in the Bear River Massacre in present-day southeastern Idaho on January 29, 1863. The company participated in an expedition from Camp Douglas to Spanish Fork from April 2-6, 1863, and fought in an action at Spanish Fork Canon on April 4. Company M served on duty at Camp Douglas, Fort Bridger, and Camp Connor until May 1865 and later participated in the Powder River Expedition of 1865. Private Reuben J. Miller was discharged on October 4, 1864, at Camp Douglas, Utah. After the war, he married Hannah J. Smith in 1871. By 1880 he was living in Lead, Lawrence County, Dakota Territory in present-day South Dakota. By 1900 he owned a ranch at Cold Springs in northeastern Wyoming where he and his family spent some of their time, though he was still listed as a resident of South Dakota in 1915. In 1916, Reuben J. Miller was living near Stacey in southeastern Montana and he died there on August 26, 1916, at age 80. He was buried in the Stacey Cemetery in present-day Powder River County, Montana.
Contributor: Jaeger R. Held (48144393) • [email protected]