Eben Eveleth Winslow (May 13, 1866 – June 28, 1928) was a career officer 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 ...

. He graduated from the

United States 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 ...

ranked first in the Class of 1889, and served in the Army's Corps of Engineers. A veteran 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 ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and was a recipient of the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. Th ...

Early life

Eben E. Winslow was born in Washington, D.C. on May 13, 1866, the son of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

William Randolph Winslow, a paymaster in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and Catherine (Eveleth) Winslow. Winslow's grandfather

John Ancrum Winslow John Ancrum Winslow (19 November 1811 – 29 September 1873) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He was in command of the steam sloop of war during her historic 1864 action off C ...

was a career navy officer and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

veteran who attained the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

. His family was long prominent in New England; his descendants included veterans of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, as well as ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

'' passenger

Mary Chilton Mary Chilton (May 31, 1607 – May 16,1679) was a Pilgrim Fathers, Pilgrim and purportedly the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Biography Mary Chilton was baptized on May 31, 1607 in Sandwich, Kent, England and wa ...

and her husband John Winslow, who arrived in Massachusetts aboard the ship ''Fortune'' a year after the ''Mayflower''. Winslow's father died in 1869 and he was raised by his mother in Washington, in addition to spending significant time at the home of his grandparents in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He was an 1882 graduate of Washington's Central High School and graduated from Washington's Columbian Preparatory School as valedictorian in 1883. During Winslow's high school years, Washington's high schools fielded a uniformed corps of cadets, which enabled students to take part in drill and ceremony competitions, and Winslow gained his initial military experience as a member. In 1885, Winslow competed for an appointment to the

(West Point) offered by U.S. Representative

Ambrose Ranney Ambrose Arnold Ranney (April 17, 1821 – March 5, 1899) was a Representative from Massachusetts. Early life Ambrose Arnold Ranney was born on April 17, 1821, in Townshend, Vermont. He graduated from Dartmouth College and studied law in Woodstoc ...

of Boston. He finished first on the examination, received the appointment, and attended West Point from 1885 to 1889. At the end of his senior year, Winslow ranked first in every academic subject except law and chemistry, in which he was second, and drawing, in which he ranked seventh. His academic accomplishments were especially noteworthy because an extended period of convalescence after a horse riding accident during his senior year prevented him from regularly attending classroom lectures. Winslow graduated first of 49 and received his commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Start of career

Winslow was initially assigned to Company B of the Battalion of Engineers, which was stationed with the Engineer School at Fort Totten, New York. He served with Company B until May 1892, when he was assigned to construct and improve river and harbor defenses at the

Port of Mobile The Port of Mobile is a deep-water port in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It is the only deep-water port in Alabama. It was ranked by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as the 9th largest port by tonnage in the nation during 2014, with ...

, Alabama. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in April 1894. From May 1896 to April 1898, Winslow served on the West Point faculty as assistant instructor of practical military engineering. At the start of the

in April 1898, he joined Company E, Battalion of Engineers, which was assigned to the Fifth Army Corps for the

Siege of Santiago The siege of Santiago, also known as the siege of Santiago de Cuba, was the last major operation of the Spanish–American War on the island of Cuba. Santiago campaign The primary objective of the American Fifth Army Corps' invasion of Cuba ...

. He took part in the

Battle of San Juan Hill The Battle of San Juan Hill, also known as the Battle for the San Juan Heights, was a major battle of the Spanish–American War fought between an American force under the command of William Rufus Shafter and Joseph Wheeler against a Spanish fo ...

on July 1, and was promoted to

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 ...

on July 5. He returned to the West Point faculty in August, and taught military engineering while commanding Company E. In November 1989, Winslow was assigned to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

as commander of the 1st and 2nd

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Improvement Districts. Winslow was assigned to

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

in November 1902, where he commanded the construction of river and harbor fortifications. In May 1903, he was posted to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

as commander of river and harbor fortifications construction. In November 1906, he was assigned 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 ...

as commandant of the

United States Army Engineer School The United States Army Engineer School (USAES) is located at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was founded as a School of Engineering by General Headquarters Orders, Valley Forge on 9 June 1778. The U.S. Army Engineer School provides training that de ...

and commander of the post. He was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in April 1906, and in September 1907, Winslow was assigned as assistant to the Chief of Engineers.

Continued career

In October 1908, Winslow was assigned to Fort DeRussy, Hawaii, where he commanded harbor and river fortification construction on

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. From November 1908 to May 1909, he commanded the 1st Engineer Battalion, and he commanded the 2nd Engineer Battalion from May 1909 to April 1911. From April 1911 to April 1912, he served at the Office of the Chief of Engineers and the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

, where he designed the canal zone's fortifications. From July 1912 to September 1914, he served again as commander of the coastal fortifications of Norfolk, Virginia. Winslow was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in October 1912. Winslow served again as assistant to the Chief of Engineers from September 1914 to July 1919. Winslow was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in May 1917. With the Army expanding during U.S. participation in

, he was promoted to temporary

in August 1917. His wartime service to train, equip, and field Engineer units was recognized with award of the

Later career

Following the end of the war, Winslow returned to his permanent rank of colonel. In July 1919, Winslow was assigned to command the coastal fortifications of

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

. He remained in this post until November 1922, when he was retired due to physical disability. In retirement, Winslow was a resident of

Raleigh, Memphis Raleigh is a community in north-central Memphis, Tennessee, United States, named for a formerly incorporated town that used to be at its center. Raleigh is bordered on the west by the community of Frayser (the boundary being the north-south Illin ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. He died in Raleigh on June 28, 1928 and was buried at

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 ...

. In 1930, the U.S. Congress passed legislation allowing the general officers of World War I to retire at their highest rank and Winslow was posthumously promoted to brigadier general on the retired list.

Works by

* * *

Family

In October 1900, Winslow married

Anne Goodwin Winslow Anne Goodwin Winslow (June 14, 1875 – November 25, 1959) was an American novelist and short-story writer who published her first work of prose at the age of 68. Life Born and raised outside Memphis, Tennessee, she married Eben Eveleth Winslow ...

of Raleigh, Tennessee, and they were married until his death. They were the parents of two children, William and Mary. William Randolph Winslow (1901–1945) was a career army officer who served in World War I and World War II, and was the husband of

Marcella Comès Winslow Marcella Comès Winslow (born Marcella Rodange Comès; September 3, 1905 – July 6, 2000) was an American photographer and portrait painter. She was the official portrait painter of the United States Poet Laureate. Life and education Marcella ...

. Mary Winslow Chapman (1903–1995) was a Raleigh author and real estate developer, and was involved in the historic preservation of her family's

Goodwinslow Goodwinslow, also known as Chapman House, is a historic house in Raleigh, Tennessee. It was built from 1875 to 1900 for William Washington Goodwin. With It remained in the Goodwin-Chapman family in the 1970s, and owners and residents included Eb ...

mansion.

References

External links

Eben Eveleth Winslow
at Arlington National Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, Eben Eveleth 1866 births 1928 deaths Military personnel from Washington, D.C. People from Memphis, Tennessee United States Military Academy alumni United States Military Academy faculty American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals United States Army generals of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery