Eben Swift (May 11, 1854 – April 25, 1938) was a

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 ...

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, ...

who served as the first commander of the 82nd Division, now the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

Military career

Swift was born on May 11, 1854, at Fort Chadbourne,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, 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 ...

Ebenezer Swift and his wife, Sarah. He attended Racine College, Washington University in St. Louis, and

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = Jo ...

. He then attended the

United States Military Academy 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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1876. On May 18, 1880, he married Suzanne Palmer (1857–1930), daughter 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 appointe ...

Innis N. Palmer, and they had five children. Their son, Innis P. Swift also became a major general. One of their daughters, Clara, was the wife of Brigadier General Evan Harris Humphrey.

Career

Swift was initially assigned to the 14th Infantry, and soon transferred to the 5th Cavalry, which he joined in the field during the punitive expedition against the Sioux in July, 1876. He spent several years at posts in the western United States during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

, including assignments in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Idaho, and Colorado. From 1887 to 1890, he was aide-de-camp to brigadier general Wesley Merritt. In his memoirs, he observed: "Civilization approached the American Indians with a Bible in one hand and a paper treaty in the other, a bludgeon in her sleeve, and a barrel of whiskey in her wagon, not to mention the blight that goeth unto the third and fourth generation." He took part 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

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

with several volunteer units from Illinois, and advancing from temporary major to temporary colonel and commander of the 4th Illinois Volunteer Infantry by the time he returned to the regular Army in 1899. His early 1900s assignments include director of the Army War College and military observer in Manchuria during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. He commanded the 2nd Cavalry Division on the U.S.-Mexico border during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he was assigned to command of Camp Gordon and promoted to brigadier general. He was the first commander of the 82nd Division, which he led from August to November 1917. Considered too old to deploy to a combat zone, he did not accompany the AEF to France. Swift later served as head of the U.S. Military Mission and commander of U.S. forces in Italy and was promoted to major general. Swift was awarded the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Commander) for his service in Italy. He reached the statutory retirement age of 64 on May 11, 1918, but continued to serve until September. In 1919 and 1920, he was recalled to temporary duty as a lecturer on tactics for Reserve Officer Training Corps units at several colleges and universities.

Death and burial

Swift died on April 25, 1938, in Washington, D.C. He was buried with his wife Susanne 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 ...

.Burial Detail: Swift, Eben
– ANC Explorer Camp Swift, Texas, a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

United States Army training base, was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Eben People from Coke County, Texas Military personnel from Texas United States Army generals American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of World War I United States Military Academy alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni Dickinson College alumni Racine College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 1854 births 1938 deaths United States Army generals of World War I American military personnel of the Indian Wars