Eleazer Derby Wood (December 1783 – September 17, 1814) was a Colonel and

American 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 ...

officer in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Fort Wood, which became the base of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

, was named in his honor.

Early career

Castle Williams, Governors Island 03 (9437500770)

Wood was born in

Lunenburg, Massachusetts Lunenburg is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,946 at the 2020 census. History Lunenburg was first settled by Europeans in 1718 and was officially incorporated in 1728. The name stems from one of t ...

. He was admitted to

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 ...

at West Point on May 17, 1805 and graduated on October 30, 1806. After graduation he served as assistant Engineer in the construction of the defenses at

Governor's Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk C ...

in New York harbor, 1807. In February 1808 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 ...

. He assisted in the construction of

Castle Williams Castle Williams is a circular fortification of red sandstone on the northwest point of Governors Island, part of a system of forts designed and constructed in the early 19th century to protect New York City from naval attack. It is a prominent ...

in New York Harbor and Fort Norfolk in Virginia.

War of 1812

Shortly after the start of the War of 1812, Wood 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 1, 1812. He conducted the defence of

Fort Meigs Fort Meigs was a United States fortification along the Maumee River in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio during the War of 1812. The British Army, supported by Tecumseh's Confederacy, failed to capture the fort during the siege of Fort Meigs. It is na ...

during its siege, was engaged in the sortie of May 5, 1813, for which he received a brevet (honorary promotion) to major. He was in command of the artillery at the

battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The British ...

on October 5 of the same year. He was appointed acting adjutant-general to General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

in October 1813 and was transferred to the northern army in 1814. Wood was engaged in all the battles of that northern campaign, including the capture of Fort Erie on July 3. Wood was also in the battles of Chippawa and

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

, and was brevetted

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 ...

for bravery at the last-named action. After the battle of Niagara, the American army fell back to

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

where Colonel Wood, then in command of the 21st Infantry Regiment, participated in the defense the fort on August 15, 1814. Colonel Wood died of wounds he received while leading a sortie from Fort Erie on September 17, 1814. Colonel Wood's burial location is unknown. While there is a monument to him in the West Point Cemetery, there is no evidence he is buried there.

Legacy

Wood was greatly admired by Major General

Jacob Brown Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775 – February 24, 1828) was known for his victories as an American army officer in the War of 1812, where he reached the rank of general. His successes on the northern border during that war made him a national ...

, who was Wood's commander at the time of his death and later the commanding general of the U.S. Army. Brown commissioned a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

in Wood's honor at West Point. Brown also had Fort Wood on

Bedloe's Island Liberty Island is a federally owned island in Upper New York Bay in the United States. Its most notable feature is the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''), a large statue by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi that was dedicated in ...

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

, on which the

was later built, named after Wood. He is also the namesake of

Wood County, Ohio Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's ...

. Wood's Monument at

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 ...

was originally located near the parade field but was moved to the post cemetery in 1885. Wood was one of the first graduates of West Point to be killed in action. (The first was Ensig
George Ronan
who was killed near

Fort Dearborn Fort Dearborn was a United States fort built in 1803 beside the Chicago River, in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. ...

in Chicago, Illinois on August 15, 1812.)

Dates of rank

*Cadet, USMA - May 17, 1805 *2nd Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers - October 30, 1806 *1st Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers - February, 1808 *Captain, Corps of Engineers - July 1, 1812 *Brevet Major - May 6, 1813 *Brevet Lieutenant Colonel - July 25, 1814

References

External links

Service summary and biographical sketch
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Eleazer D. 1783 births 1814 deaths Military personnel from New York City People from Lunenburg, Massachusetts People from Wood County, Ohio United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 American military personnel killed in the War of 1812