Allyn Capron (August 27, 1846 – September 18, 1898), was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Life before the Spanish–American War

Capron was born in 1846 to Harriet and Erastus A. Capron. 1847 brought the death of Erastus in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. Upon reaching age, Allyn was nominated by a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

to enroll, like his father before him, into the

U.S. Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point. He was sworn in as a cadet on September 1, 1863 and graduated June 17, 1867. Upon graduating from the Academy, Capron was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of the 1st Artillery Regiment. He held a variety of assignments on the east coast until he was promoted to 1st lieutenant on August 19, 1873. He was promoted to captain on December 4, 1888 and was assigned as commander of Battery E, 1st Artillery Regiment. He served at the Presidio of San Francisco until May 1890 when Battery E was reassigned to

Fort Douglas Camp Douglas was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In ...

near

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. He served in the

Sioux Wars The Sioux Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and various subgroups of the Sioux people which occurred in the later half of the 19th century. The earliest conflict came in 1854 when a fight broke out at Fort Laramie in Wyom ...

from November 1890 to January 1891, for which he received official commendation in 1891 and in times of peace in California, Utah, Illinois, Virginia, and Florida, until the U.S. went to war with Spain in 1898. Capron commanded Battery E at the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota on December 29, 1890. The battery's four Hotchkiss breech-loading rifles (Model 1875) are frequently cited as major factor in the high casualties among the Lakotas. (Native-American casualties in the battle are generally estimated to have been about 90 men and 210 women and children killed and 50 others wounded out of an estimated 350 present at the battle.) Capron was on sick leave from May to July 1891 and rejoined his battery at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...

, Kansas where he served until the battery was reassigned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois in September where it assisted in quelling the railroad strike riots. Capron remained at Fort Sheridan until October 1896. In 1892 the battery participated in the dedicatory ceremonies of the Chicago World's Fair. In October 1896 the battery was reassigned to

Washington Barracks Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chann ...

(later renamed

Fort McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair is a United States Army post located on the tip of Greenleaf Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. To the peninsula's west is the Washington Chan ...

in Washington, D.C. In April 1898, following the outbreak of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, the battery was sent to

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

where it prepared for the upcoming invasion of Cuba. Capron and Battery E accompanied Major General

William R. Shafter William Rufus Shafter (October 16, 1835 – November 12, 1906) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbyto ...

's V Corps when it landed in Cuba in June. Capron's battery supported the Major General Lawton's division's attack on the Spanish at El Caney the morning of 1 July 1898 which was launched as a supporting attack to pin Spanish forces at El Caney and to keep them from coming to the aid of the Spanish under fire of the main attack on San Juan Heights. Capron's son, Captain Allyn Kissam Capron, was a troop commander of the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

. During an early battle, the younger Capron was killed. Capron's battery arrived at the front soon and the captain commanded his artillerymen throughout the Siege of Santiago. However, Capron contracted

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

during the campaign and obtained leave of absence which started on August 26, 1898. He died of his ailment near his home at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, t ...

, Virginia on September 17, 1898. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Capron, Allyn K
– ANC Explorer

Memberships and awards

Capron was a hereditary member of the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It exists as a hereditary organization including members who can trace a direct lineal connection to those originally eligib ...

by right of his father's service in the Mexican War. Capron received two Silver Citation Stars of gallantry in action (one for the Sioux Campaign of 1890 to 1891 and the other for service in Cuba. In 1932, Silver Citation Stars was converted to the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

decoration. He was posthumously eligible for the

Civil War Campaign Medal The Civil War Campaign Medal is considered the first campaign service medal of the United States Armed Forces. The decoration was awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who had served in the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. ...

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

and

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

References

Sources * ''The Spanish American War'' by Colonel Red Reeder {{DEFAULTSORT:Capron, Allyn 1846 births 1898 deaths American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni Deaths from typhoid fever