Campbell, John L. ¹

   Another name for John was Jack.³

  General Notes:

He was born and educated at Mendota. He was active in the fur trade on
the upper Mississippi River and joined Brackett's Battalion in November 1861. He deserted the army and returned to Minnesota in March 1864. He then broke out of the Fort Snelling guardhouse and joined the Dakotas who were living near Fort Garry, Manitoba. In April 1865 he led a raiding party to the vicinity of Mankato that murdered the Jewett family. He was captured and lynched at Mankato on May 3 1865

CAMPBELL, JOHN - John, son of Scott Campbell of St. Paul, was born at Fort Snelling in 1834. He was a scoundrel with few redeeming qualities, and led a vicious and abandoned life. He was cruel, revengeful, intemperate, and licentious, and is said to have committed, or been involved in, several murders while a young man. In 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Brackett's Batallion, and served nearly three years with them, but his officers had much trouble with him, and he was charged with several crimes while serving. In 1864, while home on furlough, he deserted and cast his lot with the outlawed Sioux. While engaged in a raid with them in 1865, they murdered the Jewett family near Mankato. Campbell was captured a few weeks later, wearing some of the clothes of the murdered man. He was tried by a lynch court, and after confessing his involvement, was hanged from a tree. [Williams, J. Fletcher. A History of the City of Saint Paul to 1875. St. Paul, Minnesota Historical Society, ©1983.]

John married Marguerite Lize.