Henry Walton Wessells Jr. (1846-1929) was an American brigadier general of the American Indian Wars, 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 the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. He was known for being the son of Brigadier General

Henry W. Wessells Henry Walton Wessells (February 20, 1809 – January 12, 1889) was an American brigadier general, best known for his service during the American Civil War, including his surrender of Union fortifications during the Battle of Plymouth in 1864. Ea ...

, his participation in the

Fort Robinson breakout The Fort Robinson breakout or Fort Robinson massacre was the attempted escape of Cheyenne captives from the U.S. army during the winter of 1878-1879 at Fort Robinson in northwestern Nebraska. In 1877, the Cheyenne had been forced to relocate fr ...

and his command of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

Early military career

Junior was born on December 24, 1846, at

Sacketts Harbor, New York Sackets Harbor (earlier spelled Sacketts Harbor) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, on Lake Ontario. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. The village was named after land developer and owner Augustus Sackett, who ...

as the son of the renowned

Sr. and Hannah Cooper Wessells. He was educated at the Deep Hill Institute at

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

and later enrolled in the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

from September 20, 1862, to November 12, 1864. He then participated in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

beginning on March 1, 1865, as a private within the 7th Infantry Regiment. He was later commissioned as a second lieutenant and a first lieutenant by July 21, 1865 and spent time in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

enforcing Reconstruction policies. He also married Eliza Lane Meginnis on March 24, 1869.

Service in Fort Robinson

Beginning on January 1, 1871, he was transferred to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to captain on December 20, 1872, and even managed to partially learn how to speak the

Sioux language Sioux is a Siouan language spoken by over 30,000 Sioux in the United States and Canada, making it the fifth most spoken indigenous language in the United States or Canada, behind Navajo, Cree, Inuit languages, and Ojibwe. Regional variation Si ...

. When Wessells was stationed 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 ...

, he grew to be well acquainted with the Northern

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

, notably with

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

and they grew to nickname him "Pose Hausha" (Long Nose). However, due to the events of the Dull Knife Fight, the Cheyenne were imprisoned at Fort Robinson and were being planned to being located to the south. After their initial refusal to do so however, Wessells cut off all supplies from the Northern Cheyenne in order to gain compliance from them but to no avail. Due to this, Wessells and other officers offered to let the Cheyenne women and children stay but they willingly chose to refuse. On January 9, Wessells called for a council meeting with Morning Star along with 2 other chiefs, Wild Hog and Old Crow as he tried to sway them into his perspective. After they refused to head south however, Wessells gave orders for the arrest of Wild Hog and Old Crow with the latter managing to stab Private Thomas Ferguson in the sternum. This eventually culminated into the

and after Wessells himself pleaded with the Cheyenne to lay down their aims, his response was met by gunfire and he ultimately led a charge against them but was wounded during the fighting. When the fighting concluded, Wessells had them buried in a mass grave known as "The Pit".

Later career

On August 16, 1892, he was promoted to major and would be the commander of the regiment during the

, commanding the regiment during the Battle of San Juan Hill but was wounded during the battle. He was subsequently promoted to colonel on May 2, 1899, colonel of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment on February 1901. He briefly participated in the

but was discharged from service there due to poor health on February 2. He continued to remain in the United States Army and was promoted to brigadier general before retiring on April 23, 1904. He died on November 9, 1929, and was buried at the

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 ...

along with his wife, Eliza Lane Wessells (née Meginnis).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wessells Jr., Henry Walton 1846 births 1929 deaths People from Sackets Harbor, New York Military personnel from New York (state) Military personnel from Connecticut United States Army generals Union Army officers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People of Connecticut in the American Civil War United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War United States Naval Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery