Marion Perry Maus (August 25, 1850 – February 2, 1930) was a United States Army brigadier general who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for valor in action on January 11, 1886, in the Sierra Madre Mountains, Mexico. An 1874 graduate of West Point, he served in three wars and in multiple commands in the Army during his long career, retiring in 1913.

Early life and service in the American West

Born at Burnt Mills, Maryland, on August 25, 1850, he was appointed to West Point from

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

, graduating in 1874. He was commissioned in the Infantry branch and assigned to the western frontier. He served as chief of Army Scouts under

Col. 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 ...

Nelson Appleton Miles in the pursuit and capture of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in 1877. He was promoted to first lieutenant in September 1879 and served in Texas in 1880 and Arizona in 1882. In 1885, as a commander of Apache scouts, he took part in the expedition into Mexico in pursuit of

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ba ...

and for conduct in that action he received the Medal of Honor. He was officially awarded the medal in November 1894. 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 ...

in November 1890, and saw action against the Sioux Indians in 1890–94.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 1st U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Sierra Madre Mountains, Mex., 11 January 1886. Entered service at: Tennallytown, Montgomery County, Md. Birth: Burnt Mills, Md. Date of issue: 27 November 1894. Citation: "Most distinguished gallantry in action with hostile Apaches led by Geronimo and Natchez."

Later career

Maus served as aide to Gen. Nelson Appleton Miles during the latter's inspection tour to Europe in 1897 and during the Spanish–American War in 1898. Maus 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 ...

in June 1899 and a month later was made

inspector general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

of the Department of California and Columbia. He 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 ...

in June 1902 and during 1902–03 accompanied Miles on a world tour. In January 1904 he became commander and colonel of the 20th U.S. Infantry, which he commanded in the Philippine Insurrection until 1906, when he returned to California. He was temporarily in command of the Division of the Pacific during the absence of Gen. Frederick Funston and played an important role in maintaining order in San Francisco following the San Francisco earthquake. Maus was promoted to brigadier general in 1906, commanding the Department of Columbia until 1911, when he was given command of a brigade of the 2nd Division in San Antonio, Texas. At his retirement in August 1913, he was commander of a brigade of the 1st Division at Albany, New York. Gen. Maus was a member of the

Order of the Indian Wars of the United States The Order of the Indian Wars of the United States (OIWUS) is a military society founded in 1896 by officers of the United States Army who served in campaigns against Native Americans from the American Revolution to the late 19th century. Histo ...

and the Military Order of Foreign Wars.

Personal life

Maus is buried in Section 3, site 3886-B, of Arlington National Cemetery. He married Ms. Mattie Lindsay Poor (November 7, 1873 – January 18, 1936), who is buried with him.

Awards

* Medal of Honor *

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Indian Campaign Medal The Indian Campaign Medal is a decoration established by War Department General Orders 12, 1907.

* Spanish Campaign Medal * Philippine Campaign Medal

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maus, Marion Perry United States Army generals United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Military Academy alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor 1850 births 1930 deaths People from White Oak, Maryland