US soldier, born in New York City, New York, USA. He grew up in Illinois, trained at West Point (1860), saw service as a cavalry officer during the Civil War, including Gettysburg, and served on the W frontier (186679). He was superintendent of West Point (18827), and after years at various administrative posts, he was given command of the army forces that captured Manila from the Spanish in 1898. He briefly served as military governor of the Philippines (18989) before retiring from the army (1900).
| Wesley Merritt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 16, 1834 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died |
December 3, 1910 Natural Bridge, Virginia, USA |
Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1834 – December 3, 1910) was a general in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
Early life
Merritt was born in New York City. June 16, 1836, and June 10, 1837, have also been cited.) He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1860 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons (heavy cavalry), serving initially in Utah under John Buford.
Civil War
In 1862, Merritt was appointed captain in the U.S. Cavalry and served as an aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke, who commanded the Cavalry Department of the Army of the Potomac.
In the Gettysburg Campaign, Merritt commanded the Reserve Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Being promoted directly from captain to brigadier general was an unusual step, even for the Civil War, but Merritt shared this honor on that date with Captain Elon J.
In the initial cavalry actions of the Battle of Gettysburg, Merritt saw no action; Merritt took over the 1st Division of the Cavalry Corps following the death by typhoid fever of its commander, John Buford, in December 1863. He received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel in the Regular Army for his actions at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, the engagement in which Confederate cavalry commander J.E.B.
During Philip Sheridan's Valley Campaigns of 1864, Merritt commanded the 1st Division, Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Shenandoah. He was brevetted brigadier general in the Regular Army, in March 1865, for bravery at the Battle of Five Forks and the Appomattox Campaign.
Frontier duty and West Point
After the war's end, Merritt continued to serve in the cavalry along the frontier.
Spanish-American War
After George Dewey defeated the Spanish navy at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, the U.S. began to organize ground forces to attack and capture the city of Manila.
Once Merritt arrived on the island of Luzon, he and Dewey made preparations for the attack on the city. It is widely believed that Merritt and Dewey made arrangements with General Fermin Juadenes, commander of the Spanish garrison, to surrender the city to the U.S. only after putting up a token resistance.
Merritt retired from the Army in 1900 and died ten years later in Natural Bridge, Virginia.
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