Nelson A. Miles

Nelson A. Miles
Miles as Commanding General, 1898
1st Military Governor of Puerto Rico
In office July 25, 1898 – October 18, 1898
President	William McKinley
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	John R. Brooke
Commanding General of the U.S. Army
In office October 5, 1895 – August 8, 1903
President	Grover Cleveland William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt
Preceded by	John Schofield
Succeeded by	Position abolished (Samuel B. M. Young as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army)
Personal details
Born	(1839-08-08)August 8, 1839 Westminster, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	May 15, 1925(1925-05-15) (aged 85) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Taylor University
Awards	Medal of Honor
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1861–1903
Rank	Lieutenant General
Unit	61st New York Infantry Regiment 22nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Commands	Commanding General of the United States Army Military Division of the Missouri 1st Division, II Corps 1st Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps 61st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Overland Campaign Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Appomattox Campaign Indian Wars Red River War Great Sioux War of 1876 Nez Perce War Ghost Dance War Spanish–American War

Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was a United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served as the last Commanding General of the United States Army, before the office was transformed into the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Early life

Miles was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, on his family's farm. He worked in Boston, read military history, and mastered military principles and techniques, including battle drills. He attended Fort Wayne College.

Civil War

Miles was working as a crockery store clerk in

In July 1866, Miles was appointed a colonel in the Regular Army.

In December 1880, Miles was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army. He was then assigned to command the

In April 1890, Miles was promoted to major-general in the Regular Army and became the commander of the Military Division of the Missouri. The Ghost Dance movement of the Lakota people, which started in 1889, led to the Pine Ridge Campaign and Miles being brought back into the field. During the campaign, he commanded U.S. Army troops stationed near Indian reservations in South Dakota and hoped that Lakota chief Sitting Bull could be peacefully removed from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. However, on December 15, Bull was killed by Indian agency police attempting to arrest him, and 14 days later American troops massacred hundreds of Lakota at Wounded Knee. Miles was not directly involved in the massacre, and was critical of the commanding officer in the field, James W. Forsyth. Just two days after the massacre, Miles wrote to his wife, describing it as "the most abominable criminal military blunder and a horrible massacre of women and children".^[9] After his retirement from the army, he fought for compensation payments to the survivors of the massacre. Overall, he believed that the United States should have authority over the Indians, with the Lakota under military control.

Spanish–American War and later life

In his capacity as commander of the

To show that he was still physically able to command, on July 14, 1903, less than a month before his 64th birthday, General Miles rode the 90 miles from Fort Sill to Fort Reno, Oklahoma, in eight hours' riding time (10 hrs 20 mins total), in temperatures between 90 and 100 °F (32 and 38 °C). The distance was covered on a relay of horses stationed at 10-mile intervals; the first 30 miles were covered in 2 hours, 25 minutes. This was the longest horseback ride ever made by a commanding general of the army.^[13]

Called a "brave peacock" by President Theodore Roosevelt,^{[citation needed]} Miles nevertheless retired from the army in 1903 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64. Upon his retirement, the office of Commanding General of the United States Army was abolished by an Act of Congress and the Army Chief of Staff system was introduced. A year later, standing as a presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention, he received a handful of votes.^{[citation needed]} The Prohibition Party was going to give him their nomination, but an hour before balloting he sent a telegram to the convention stating that he did not want the nomination which went to Silas C. Swallow instead.^[14] When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the 77-year-old general offered to serve, but President Woodrow Wilson turned him down.^{[citation needed]}

Miles died in 1925 at the age of 85 from a

• Medal of Honor
• Civil War Campaign Medal
• Indian Campaign Medal
• Spanish Campaign Medal
• Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization:

Colonel, 61st New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 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.^[17]

Memberships

General Miles was a member of several hereditary and military societies, including the

Legacy

Miles City, Montana is named in his honor,^[18] as is Miles Street and the Miles Neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona. Miles Canyon on the Yukon River near Whitehorse, Yukon, was named after him in 1883 by Lt. Frederick Schwatka during his exploration of the river system. A steamship, General Miles, was likely named for him. Nelson M. Holderman, himself a Medal of Honor recipient, was also named after Miles. Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen near Lewes, Delaware, was named for Miles 3 June, 1941. See Wikipedia article on Fort Miles.

Miles' legacy as an Indian fighter has seen him portrayed by

.

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date
	First Lieutenant	22nd Massachusetts Infantry	9 September 1861
	Lieutenant Colonel	61st New York Infantry	31 May 1862
	Colonel	61st New York Infantry	30 September 1862
	Brigadier General	Volunteers	12 May 1864
	Brevet Major General	Volunteers	25 August 1864
	Major General	Volunteers	21 October 1865
	Colonel	40th Infantry, Regular Army	28 July 1866
	Brevet Major General	Regular Army	2 March 1867
	Colonel	5th Infantry, Regular Army	15 March 1869
	Brigadier General	Regular Army	15 December 1880
	Major General	Regular Army	5 April 1890
	Lieutenant General	Regular Army	6 June 1900
	Lieutenant General	Retired List	8 August 1903

[19]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nelson A. Miles.

Wikisource has original works by or about:
General Nelson A. Miles

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P
• List of American Civil War generals (Union)
• List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War

Notes