Nelson A. Miles
Encyclopedia
Nelson Appleton Miles was a United States soldier who served in the American Civil War
, Indian Wars
, and the Spanish-American War
.
, on his family's farm. He worked in Boston
and attended night school, read military history, and mastered military principles and techniques, including battle drills.
on September 9, 1861, as a volunteer and fought in many crucial battles.
He became a lieutenant in the 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned lieutenant colonel
of the 61st New York Infantry Regiment on May 31, 1862. He was promoted to colonel
after the Battle of Antietam
. Other battles he participated in include Fredericksburg
, Chancellorsville
, and the Appomattox Campaign
. Wounded four times in battle (he was shot in the neck and abdomen at Chancellorsville), he was awarded the honorary grade (on March 2, 1867) of brevet
brigadier general
in the regular army in recognition of his actions at Chancellorsville, and the honorary grade of brevet major general for Spotsylvania Court House
. He received the Medal of Honor
(on July 23, 1892) for gallantry at Chancellorsville. He was appointed brigadier general of volunteers as of May 12, 1864, for the Battles of the Wilderness
and Spotsylvania Court House
. On October 21, 1865, he was appointed major general
of volunteers at age 26. After the war, he was commandant of Fort Monroe, Virginia, where former Confederate President Jefferson Davis
was held prisoner. During his tenure at Fort Monroe, Miles was forced to defend himself against charges that Davis was being mistreated.
In July 1866, Miles was appointed a colonel in the regular army. In March 1869 he became commander of the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment
. On June 30, 1868, he married Mary Hoyt Sherman (daughter of Hoyt Sherman
, niece of William T. Sherman
and John Sherman
, and granddaughter of Charles R. Sherman
).
Miles played a leading role in nearly all of the Army's campaigns against the American Indian
tribes of the Great Plains. In 1874-1875, he was a field commander in the force that defeated the Kiowa
, Comanche
, and the Southern Cheyenne along the Red River. Between 1876 and 1877, he participated in the campaign that scoured the Northern Plains after Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer
's defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn and forced the Lakota and their allies onto reservations
. In the winter of 1877, he drove his troops on a forced march across Montana
and intercepted the Nez Percé band led by Chief Joseph
. For the rest of Miles' career, he would quarrel with General Oliver O. Howard
over credit for Joseph's capture. While on the Yellowstone
, he developed expertise with the heliograph
for sending communications signals, establishing a 140 mile long line of heliographs connecting Fort Keogh and Fort Custer, Montana by 1880. The heliographs were supplied by Brig. Gen. Albert J. Myer
of the Signal Corps. In 1880, he was promoted to Brigadier General, Regular Army.
In 1886, Miles replaced General George Crook
as Army Commander against Geronimo
in Arizona
. Crook had relied heavily on Apache scouts in his efforts to capture the Chiricahua
leader. Instead, Miles relied on white troops, who eventually traveled 3000 miles (4,828 km) without success as they tracked Geronimo through the tortuous Sierra Madre Mountains. Finally, First Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood
, who had studied Apache ways, succeeded in negotiating a surrender, under the terms of which Geronimo and his followers were exiled to confinement on a Florida
reservation. The exile included even the Chiricahuas who had worked for the army, in violation of Miles' agreement with them. Miles denied Gatewood any credit for the negotiations and had him transferred to the Dakota Territory. During this campaign, Miles's special signals unit used the heliograph
extensively, proving its worth in the field. The special signals unit was under the command of Captain W. A. Glassford.
In 1890, Miles was promoted to Major General, Regular Army. That same year last major resistance of the Sioux
on the Lakota reservations, known as the Ghost Dance
, brought Miles back into the field. His efforts to subdue the Sioux led to Sitting Bull
's death and the massacre of about 300 Sioux. This included women and children at Wounded Knee
on December 29, 1890. Miles was not directly involved at Wounded Knee and was critical of the commanding officer. Overall he believed that the US should have authority over the Indians, with the Lakota under military control.
Miles commanded the troops mobilized to put down the Pullman strike
riots. He was named Commanding General of the United States Army
in 1895, a post he held during the Spanish-American War. Miles commanded forces at Cuban sites such as Siboney. After the surrender of Santiago de Cuba
by the Spanish, he personally led the invasion of Puerto Rico
, landing in Guánica
in what is known as the Puerto Rican Campaign
. Miles was a vocal critic of the army's quartermaster for providing rancid canned meat to the troops in the field (see Army beef scandal).
He served as the first head of the military government established on the island, acting as both head of the army of occupation and administrator of civil affairs. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant General
in 1900 based on his performance in the war. Called a "brave peacock" by President Theodore Roosevelt
, Miles retired from the service in 1903 when he reached retirement age. A year later, at the Democratic National Convention, Miles received a handful of votes from supporters who wanted him to become the party's presidential nominee. Upon his retirement, the office of Commanding General of the U.S. Army was abolished by an Act of Congress and the Army Chief of Staff
system was introduced.
Miles served as a commander in the Civil War, the Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War. In his late 70s, he volunteered to serve in the army during World War I
as well, but was turned down by President Woodrow Wilson
because of his age.
Miles died at age 85 from a heart attack
while attending a circus in Washington, D.C., with his grandchildren. He was one of the last surviving Civil War soldiers on either side to serve as a general officer during the conflict. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
in the Miles Mausoleum
. It is one of only two mausoleum
s located within the confines of the cemetery.
George Burroughs Torrey
painted a portrait of him.
Rank and Organization:
Citation:
is named in his honor. His legacy as an Indian fighter has seen him portrayed by Kevin Tighe
in the film Geronimo: An American Legend
and by Shaun Johnston in the film adaption of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, and the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Early life
Miles was born in Westminster, MassachusettsWestminster, Massachusetts
Westminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 7,277.- History :Westminster was first settled in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759....
, on his family's farm. He worked in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and attended night school, read military history, and mastered military principles and techniques, including battle drills.
Civil War
Miles was working as a crockery store clerk in Boston when the Civil War began. He entered the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
on September 9, 1861, as a volunteer and fought in many crucial battles.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 61st New York Infantry Regiment on May 31, 1862. He was promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
after the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. Other battles he participated in include Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, and the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. Wounded four times in battle (he was shot in the neck and abdomen at Chancellorsville), he was awarded the honorary grade (on March 2, 1867) of brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the regular army in recognition of his actions at Chancellorsville, and the honorary grade of brevet major general for Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. He received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
(on July 23, 1892) for gallantry at Chancellorsville. He was appointed brigadier general of volunteers as of May 12, 1864, for the Battles of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. On October 21, 1865, he was appointed major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of volunteers at age 26. After the war, he was commandant of Fort Monroe, Virginia, where former Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
was held prisoner. During his tenure at Fort Monroe, Miles was forced to defend himself against charges that Davis was being mistreated.
Indian Wars
5th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 5th Infantry Regiment is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army, tracing its origins to 1808...
. On June 30, 1868, he married Mary Hoyt Sherman (daughter of Hoyt Sherman
Hoyt Sherman
Major Hoyt Sherman , a member of the prominent Sherman family, was an American banker.-Biography:Hoyt Sherman was born in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of Charles R. Sherman, Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court...
, niece of William T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
and John Sherman
John Sherman (politician)
John Sherman, nicknamed "The Ohio Icicle" , was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. He served as both Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State and was the principal author of the Sherman Antitrust Act...
, and granddaughter of Charles R. Sherman
Charles Robert Sherman
Charles Robert Sherman was an American lawyer and public servant.Sherman was born in Norwalk, Connecticut and educated at the local school. He later studied law in the office of a Mr. Chapman in Newtown and was admitted to the bar in 1809...
).
Miles played a leading role in nearly all of the Army's campaigns against the American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes of the Great Plains. In 1874-1875, he was a field commander in the force that defeated the Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
, and the Southern Cheyenne along the Red River. Between 1876 and 1877, he participated in the campaign that scoured the Northern Plains after Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
's defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn and forced the Lakota and their allies onto reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. In the winter of 1877, he drove his troops on a forced march across Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and intercepted the Nez Percé band led by Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
. For the rest of Miles' career, he would quarrel with General Oliver O. Howard
Oliver O. Howard
Oliver Otis Howard was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War...
over credit for Joseph's capture. While on the Yellowstone
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
, he developed expertise with the heliograph
Heliograph
A heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter...
for sending communications signals, establishing a 140 mile long line of heliographs connecting Fort Keogh and Fort Custer, Montana by 1880. The heliographs were supplied by Brig. Gen. Albert J. Myer
Albert J. Myer
Albert James Myer was a surgeon and United States Army officer. He is known as the father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, as its first chief signal officer just prior to the American Civil War, the inventor of wig-wag signaling , and also as the father of the U.S...
of the Signal Corps. In 1880, he was promoted to Brigadier General, Regular Army.
In 1886, Miles replaced General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
as Army Commander against Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Crook had relied heavily on Apache scouts in his efforts to capture the Chiricahua
Chiricahua
Chiricahua are a group of Apache Native Americans who live in the Southwest United States. At the time of European encounter, they were living in 15 million acres of territory in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico...
leader. Instead, Miles relied on white troops, who eventually traveled 3000 miles (4,828 km) without success as they tracked Geronimo through the tortuous Sierra Madre Mountains. Finally, First Lieutenant Charles B. Gatewood
Charles B. Gatewood
First Lieutenant Charles Bare Gatewood was an American soldier born in Woodstock, Virginia. He served in the United States Army in the 6th Cavalry after graduating from West Point. Upon assignment to the American Southwest, Gatewood led platoons of Apache and Navajo scouts against renegades during...
, who had studied Apache ways, succeeded in negotiating a surrender, under the terms of which Geronimo and his followers were exiled to confinement on a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
reservation. The exile included even the Chiricahuas who had worked for the army, in violation of Miles' agreement with them. Miles denied Gatewood any credit for the negotiations and had him transferred to the Dakota Territory. During this campaign, Miles's special signals unit used the heliograph
Heliograph
A heliograph is a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror, or by interrupting the beam with a shutter...
extensively, proving its worth in the field. The special signals unit was under the command of Captain W. A. Glassford.
In 1890, Miles was promoted to Major General, Regular Army. That same year last major resistance of the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
on the Lakota reservations, known as the Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was a new religious movement which was incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. The traditional ritual used in the Ghost Dance, the circle dance, has been used by many Native Americans since prehistoric times...
, brought Miles back into the field. His efforts to subdue the Sioux led to Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
's death and the massacre of about 300 Sioux. This included women and children at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
on December 29, 1890. Miles was not directly involved at Wounded Knee and was critical of the commanding officer. Overall he believed that the US should have authority over the Indians, with the Lakota under military control.
Spanish-American War and later life
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads that occurred in the United States in 1894. The conflict began in the town of Pullman, Illinois on May 11 when approximately 3,000 employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company began a wildcat strike in response to recent...
riots. He was named Commanding General of the United States Army
Commanding General of the United States Army
Prior to the institution of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1903, there was generally a single senior-most officer in the army. From 1783, he was known simply as the Senior Officer of the United States Army, but in 1821, the title was changed to Commanding General of the United...
in 1895, a post he held during the Spanish-American War. Miles commanded forces at Cuban sites such as Siboney. After the surrender of Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
by the Spanish, he personally led the invasion of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, landing in Guánica
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Guánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in what is known as the Puerto Rican Campaign
Puerto Rican Campaign
The Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
. Miles was a vocal critic of the army's quartermaster for providing rancid canned meat to the troops in the field (see Army beef scandal).
He served as the first head of the military government established on the island, acting as both head of the army of occupation and administrator of civil affairs. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
in 1900 based on his performance in the war. Called a "brave peacock" by President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, Miles retired from the service in 1903 when he reached retirement age. A year later, at the Democratic National Convention, Miles received a handful of votes from supporters who wanted him to become the party's presidential nominee. Upon his retirement, the office of Commanding General of the U.S. Army was abolished by an Act of Congress and the Army Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
system was introduced.
Miles served as a commander in the Civil War, the Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War. In his late 70s, he volunteered to serve in the army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as well, but was turned down by President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
because of his age.
Miles died at age 85 from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while attending a circus in Washington, D.C., with his grandchildren. He was one of the last surviving Civil War soldiers on either side to serve as a general officer during the conflict. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
in the Miles Mausoleum
Miles Mausoleum
There are two mausolea known as Miles Mausoleum.-Miles Mausoleum in Arlington National Cemetery:The Miles Mausoleum is located in Section 3 of the Arlington National Cemetery....
. It is one of only two mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
s located within the confines of the cemetery.
George Burroughs Torrey
George Burroughs Torrey
George Burroughs Torrey was an American painter, best known for his portraits. He has been called the "painter of presidents", because he painted portraits of Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Herbert Hoover.- Biography :...
painted a portrait of him.
Medal of Honor citation
- Colonel, 61st New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 2_May 3, 1863. Entered service at: Roxbury, Mass. Birth: Westminster, Mass. Date of issue: July 23, 1892.
Citation:
- Distinguished gallantry while holding with his command an advanced position against repeated assaults by a strong force of the enemy; was severely wounded.
Legacy
Miles City, MontanaMiles City, Montana
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,123 at the 2010 census.- History :...
is named in his honor. His legacy as an Indian fighter has seen him portrayed by Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe is an American character actor primarily known for his roles on television. Tighe is best known for his role as Roy DeSoto, a senior paramedic, on the NBC series Emergency! . He and Randolph Mantooth, his partner in the series, have remained close friends...
in the film Geronimo: An American Legend
Geronimo: An American Legend
Geronimo: An American Legend is a 1993 film, starring Wes Studi as Geronimo, Jason Patric as 1st Lt. Charles B. Gatewood, Gene Hackman as Brig. Gen. George Crook, Robert Duvall as Chief of Scouts Al Sieber, and Matt Damon as 2nd Lt. Britton Davis. The film was directed by Walter Hill from a...
and by Shaun Johnston in the film adaption of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (film)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on which the movie is based is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the...
.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P
- List of American Civil War generals
- List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
- Puerto Rican CampaignPuerto Rican CampaignThe Puerto Rican Campaign was an American military sea and land operation on the island of Puerto Rico during the Spanish–American War. The offensive began on May 12, 1898, when the United States Navy attacked the archipelago’s capital, San Juan. Though the damage inflicted on the city was minimal,...
Further reading
- Freidel, Frank. The Splendid Little War. Short Hills, NJ: Burford Books, 1958. ISBN 0-7394-2342-8.
- DeMontravel, Peter R. A Hero to His Fighting Men, Nelson A. Miles, 1839-1925. Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-87338-594-2.