Henry Martyn Lazelle (September 8, 1832 – July 21, 1917) was a career officer in the United States Army. In addition to serving during the American Civil War and Indian Wars, he was

Commandant of Cadets The Commandant of Cadets is the officer in charge of the cadets at an academy. Lists include: * List of commandants of cadets of the United States Air Force Academy * List of commandants of cadets of the United States Military Academy The Comm ...

at the United States Military Academy from 1879 to 1882.

Early life and education

He was born Henry Martyn Lazell in Enfield, Massachusetts, where he went to the public schools."Worcester at West Point"
''The Worcester Magazine'', Vol. III, Issue 6, June 1902, pp. 200–201, accessed 26 January 2012 He was orphaned at the age of four and raised by family members of friends. He entered the United States Military Academy in 1850 and was roommates with James MacNeil Whistler, the future artist. After graduating in 1855, he spelled his last name as Lazelle.

Military career

Later that year, Lazelle was commissioned 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 8th US Infantry, and stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. In February 1859, while on a scouting mission, he was in a skirmish with Mescalero Apaches and shot through the lungs. He was promoted to first lieutenant in April 1861. Posted in Texas at Fort Bliss at the outbreak of the American Civil War, Lazelle and his comrades were taken prisoner by Texas insurgents in May 1861. He was held until exchanged in July 1862, during which time he 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 ...

. From then until October 1863, he served in Washington, D.C., as Assistant Commissary General of

Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. From October 1863 to October 1864, he served as colonel of the

16th Regiment New York Volunteer Cavalry The 16th New York Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. A detachment of the 16th New York had the distinction of killing Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth and apprehending accompli ...

, operating against

Mosby's Rangers The 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders, or Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Noted for their lightning strike raids on Union tar ...

in the Upper South. He resigned his volunteer commission in October 1864. He served as Inspector General on the staff of General Frederick Steele until February 1865, as Assistant Provost Marshal for the Division of the Mississippi until July 1865, and on recruiting service until March 1866.

Postbellum career

Lazelle rejoined the 8th Infantry on Reconstruction duty in the Second Military District, North and South Carolina, from March 1866 to October 1870. He was also posted with the regiment at Davids Island from October 1870 to July 1872. He went to the West on assignment to the

Department of the Platte The Department of the Platte was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army on March 5, 1866, with boundaries encompassing Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota Territory, Utah Territory and a small portion of Idaho. With headquarters in Oma ...

from July 1872 until May 1874, as the Army's responsibilities shifted to protecting emigrants to the west and subduing Native Americans. From September 1874 to March 1875, he was commander of Fort Yuma. 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 ...

of the 1st Infantry in December 1874, and joined that regiment in the Department of Dakota in June 1875. In 1877, Lazelle led a pursuit of Lame Deer's band of Lakota Sioux, and in 1878, he established Fort Meade (South Dakota). In May 1879, he was named

at the United States Military Academy, and 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 ...

of the 23rd Infantry in June 1881. He joined the 23rd Infantry in December 1882 at Fort Craig, where he served as commander until February 1884. After serving as an inspector for the Division of the Pacific and the Department of the Columbia, Lazelle represented the U. S. Army as an observer during the

maneuvers A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the com ...

of the British Army in India from November 1885 to March 1886. He returned to the Department of the Columbia as Assistant Inspector General until May 1887. Assigned to command the publication of the Official Records of the American Civil War, he returned to Washington, D.C. He was promoted to colonel of the

18th Infantry The 18th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. Their origins trace back to 1795, when they were known as the Calcutta Native Militia. Over the years they were known by a number of different names, such as the Alipore Regim ...

in February 1889; he served as commander of the regiment and of the post of Fort Clark until July 1894. He retired due to disability in November 1894.

Marriage and later life

Lazelle married and had a family. One of their sons, Jacob, also went to West Point and served under his father at Fort. Bliss. Jacob died in 1898, on the way to Manila, Philippines in the Spanish–American War. Colonel Lazelle's wife died at Fort Clark, Texas, in January, 1893. After retiring from the Army, Lazelle moved to Virginia, where he farmed until 1898. After that, he resided alternately in Canada and Massachusetts. In April 1904, he was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list. Later that year he remarried. He wrote a number of books, including ''One Law in Nature: A New Corpuscular Theory, Comprehending Unity of Force, Identity of Matter, & Its Multiple Atom Constitution: Applied to the Physical Affections Or Modes of Energy'' and ''Matter, Force, and Spirit; or, Scientific Evidence of a Supreme Intelligence'' (1895). Lazelle died on July 21, 1917, at Georgeville, Quebec.

Early life and education

Military career

Postbellum career

Marriage and later life

References

Further reading