Online Encyclopedia

WESLEY MERRITT (1836- )

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 173 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WESLEY MERRITT (1836- )  ,
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American soldier, was born in New York City on the 16th of
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June 1836 . He graduated at West Point in 186o, and was assigned to the cavalry service . He served in
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Utah (1861) and in the defences of Washington (1861-62); learnt the field duties of his arm as aide (1862) to General Philip St George Cooke, who then commanded the cavalry of the Army of the
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Potomac; became brigadier-general,
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United States
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Volunteers, in June 1863; and in September 1863 was placed in command of a brigade of
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regular cavalry in the Army of the Potomac . He won
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great distinction in the Virginian
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campaigns of 1864-65 and in Sheridan's Valley
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campaign, being brevetted major-general of volunteers for his conduct at Winchester and Fisher's Hill, and brigadier-general of the regular army for his services at Five Forks . In the final campaign about Richmond he did such good service in command of a cavalry division that he was brevetted major-general in the regular army and was promoted major-general of volunteers . With two other Federal commissioners he arranged with the Confederate commanders for the surrender of the Army of
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Northern Virginia . He was mustered out of the Volunteer Service in
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February 1866, and in
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July became
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lieutenant-colonel of the 9th cavalry in the regular army, being promoted gradually to major-general (1895) . He served in the Big Horn and Yellowstone
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Indian campaigns (1876) and in the expedition to relieve the command of Major Thornburgh, who was killed in 1879 by the Utes; was superintendent at West Point (1882-87); and commanded the military department of
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Missouri in 1887-95, and that of the
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Atlantic in 1897-98 . He was assigned in May 1898 to the command of the United States forces that were sent to the Philippines, after
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Admiral Dewey's victory; stormed
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Manila on the 13th of August; and was military governor of the islands until the 3oth of August, when he
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left Manila for Paris to join the peace commission . From 1899 until his retirement from active service in June 1900 he commanded the Department of the East .

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Additional information and Comments

I have come across a very old photo of Major-General Wesley Merritt with the words, "The Methodist Preacher" on the front. It is among my (some named and some un-named) very old, small photos of the Earnest/Johnson families of PA and Wayne Co., OH. They were in a lovely little metal album that my mother had. Does anyone have a clue as to why this man's photo would be with these relatives of mine? Jeanne Holder
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