Eugene Frederick Ladd (September 19, 1859 - April 23, 1927) 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 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 ...

during while on the staff of the Office of the U.S. Army Adjutant General during

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 ...

Early life and education

Ladd was born on September 19, 1859, in

Thetford, Vermont Thetford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 census. Villages within the town include East Thetford, North Thetford, Thetford Hill, Thetford Center, Rices Mill ...

, a son of George Ladd and Louise H. (Porter) Ladd.Cullum, George W., Edward S. Holden, Charles Braden, and William Henry Donaldson. ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, at West Point, N.Y., from Its Establishment, 1902, to 1890: With the Early History of the United States Military Academy''. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891, page 376.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 315 He graduated from Vermont's Randolph Normal School (now Vermont Technical College) in 1877. In 1880, he began attendance at 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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1884 ranked 12th of 37. He 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 ...

in the 9th Cavalry Regiment.

Career

Ladd performed frontier duty at Fort Riley,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, and

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

from September 1884 to June 1885. He served at

Fort McKinney A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

, from June 1885 to August 1886, and

Fort Duchesne, Utah Fort Duchesne is a census-designated place (CDP) in Uintah County, Utah, United States. The population was 714 at the 2010 census, an increase from the 2000 figure of 621. Fort Duchesne was originally a fort, established by the United States Ar ...

, from August 1886 to May 1888. He served at

Fort Robinson Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and now a major feature of Fort Robinson State Park, a public recreation and historic preservation area located west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20 in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska. The for ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, until July 1896, and 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 October 1889. Ladd served as the 9th Cavalry's regimental quartermaster from April 1891 to April 1895. From July to November 1896, Ladd was assigned as depot quartermaster at Market Lake,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. During this posting he took part in an expedition against the

Bannock Indians The Bannock tribe were originally Northern Paiute but are more culturally affiliated with the Northern Shoshone. They are in the Great Basin classification of Indigenous People. Their traditional lands include northern Nevada, southeastern Oreg ...

which was a follow on operation to the Bannock War of 1895. From November 1896 to March 1897, Ladd served again at Fort Robinson. From March 1897 to May 1898, Ladd served as treasurer of the Soldiers' Home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Spanish–American War

On May 12, 1898, Ladd was promoted to temporary

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 ...

for 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 assigned to quartermaster duty with the

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

. He served as acting chief quartermaster of the Second Army Corps at Camp Alger,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, followed by assignment as chief quartermaster of 2nd Division, Second Army Corps during its training and organization at Camp Alger,

Camp George Meade Camp George G. Meade near Middletown, Pennsylvania, was a camp established and subsequently abandoned by the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish–American War. History Camp Meade was established August 24, 1898, and soon thereafter was occupi ...

(

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

), and Camp Wetherill (

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

). From March 1899 to May 1901, Ladd served in the U.S. Military Government in Cuba as treasurer and auditor of Cuban Customs. In July 1901 he received permanent promotion 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 ...

Continued career

Ladd served as constructing quartermaster at

Fort Trumbull Fort Trumbull is a fort near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound in New London, Connecticut and named for Governor Jonathan Trumbull. The original fort was built in 1777, but the present fortification was built between 1839 and ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, from July 1901 to June 1905. In this post, he was responsible for supervising creation of several Coast Artillery positions built to defend

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. In June 1905, Ladd received permanent promotion to major. He served as military secretary and adjutant of the War Department general staff from June 1905 to April 1908. In March 1907, Ladd 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 ...

. From May 1908 to April 1910, Ladd served in the

Philippines 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 ...

as adjutant of the Department of Luzon. During this posting, Ladd was appointed by Army Chief of Staff

J. Franklin Bell James Franklin Bell (January 9, 1856 – January 8, 1919) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1906 to 1910. Bell was a major general in the Regular United States Army, commanding ...

to work with Captain Dwight E. Aultman to develop reliable sources for military intelligence in the Philippines.Haynes, Keith A. "James Franklin Bell" in ''The War of 1898 and U.S. Interventions, 1898-1934: An Encyclopedia''. Edited by Benjamin R. Beede, New York tc. Garland, 1994. New York tc. Garland, 1994, page 52. From April 1910 to March 12, 1911, he served as adjutant of the Western Division in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He then transferred to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and served as adjutant of the 2nd Division. Ladd 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 August 1914. From August 1915 to October 1915, he served in the Office of the U.S. Army Adjutant General. On October 1, 1915, Ladd retired because of disability incurred in the line of duty.

World War I

On June 17, 1917, Ladd was recalled to active duty for

and assigned to the Office of the U.S. Army Adjutant General on June 17, 1917. In August 1917, he was promoted to temporary

. During the war, Ladd's quartermaster and adjutant skills were employed in creating the framework for Army units as they were organized and fielded for the war. Ladd retired again at his permanent rank of colonel on September 5, 1918. His wartime service was recognized with award 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 ...

, the citation for which reads:

Personal life

In 1888, Ladd married Violet D. Norman (1861-1939), the niece of

Frederick Benteen Frederick William Benteen (August 24, 1834 – June 22, 1898) was a military officer who first fought during the American Civil War. He was appointed to commanding ranks during the Indian Campaigns and Great Sioux War against the Lakota and N ...

's wife Catherine. They were the parents of daughter Katharine, the wife of Army officer William Torbert MacMillan.

Retirement and death

In retirement, Ladd was a resident of Cohasset, Massachusetts. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1927. Ladd was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A federal law passed in 1930 permitted general officers from World War I to retire at the highest rank they held, and Ladd's rank of brigadier general was posthumously restored.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladd, Eugene Frederick 1859 births 1927 deaths People from Thetford, Vermont People from Cohasset, Massachusetts United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Vermont United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel American military personnel of the Spanish–American War