Edward John McClernand (December 29, 1848 – February 9, 1926) was a

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 ...

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 ...

who was a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for valor in action near the

Bear Paw Mountains The Bears Paw Mountains (Bear Paw Mountains, Bear's Paw Mountains or Bearpaw Mountains) are an insular-montane island range in the Central Montana Alkalic Province in north-central Montana, United States, located approximately 10 miles south of ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

on September 30, 1877. An 1870 graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, his career spanned 42 years, as he served in the army until his retirement on December 29, 1912.

Early life and the western frontier

Edward John McClernand was born in

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

, on December 29, 1848. He spent his early school years in Jacksonville and

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

before graduating from

in 1870. His first assignment was to Ft. Ellis, Montana with the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in 1870, beginning nearly 30 years in various cavalry assignments primarily in the American West. His actions at Bear Paw Mountain,

on September 30, 1877, resulted in his being received the

on November 27, 1894. He returned to the east coast in 1879 as a Tactical Officer at West Point, returning to the frontier with assignments in Montana, California, and Washington starting in 1883.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Bear Paw Mountain, Mont., 30 September 1877. Entered service at: Springfield, Illinois. Birth: Jacksonville, Illinois. Date of issue: 27 November 1894. Citation: "Gallantly attacked a band of hostiles and conducted the combat with excellent skill and boldness."

Later career

McClernand fought in 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 ...

, serving in the

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

campaign. He later saw service in the

Philippine Insurrection The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, commanding the 1st Cavalry Regiment. He was promoted to

shortly before he retired from active service on December 29, 1912. He was recalled to active duty the next day, serving as president of the Cavalry Board until 1914. He lived in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, where he wrote "With the Indians and the Buffalo in Montana", for the ''Cavalry Journal'' in 1925. He died on February 9, 1926, and was buried in Section 3, Lot 1931-SW of

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 ...

.Arlington National Cemetery
/ref>

Personal life

Edward John McClernand's father was

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

John Alexander McClernand John Alexander McClernand (May 30, 1812 – September 20, 1900) was an American lawyer and politician, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was a prominent Democratic politician in Illinois and a member of the United States H ...

, commander of the XIII Army Corps in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. His mother was Mrs. Sarah Dunlap McClernand. He married Ms. Sarah Pomp (1857–1926), who is buried along with him at Arlington.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:McClernand, Edward John 1848 births 1936 deaths United States Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Military Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor