On September 30, 1862, he made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Newtonia, Missouri, during the First Battle of Newtonia.
On October 28, 1864, it stopped to rest about two miles (3 km) south of Newtonia, Missouri.
In the same year he described the Réunion Cuckooshrike (Coracina newtoni) and again with Schlegel the vanga genus Newtonia in 1868.